Tlaxcala and Cacaxtla

This week I had the distinct privelege to go to the city of Tlaxcala in the state of Tlaxcala and also to Cacaxtla (also in the state of Tlaxcala). My friend Paloma's parents and an aunt of hers were here in Cholula and invited me to go along for a day trip. Tlaxcala sits right on top of the state of Puebla (northeast corner) and this city is very pretty. We had a wonderful time exploring and walking around Tlaxcala.

Found within the municipal government building in the centro of Tlaxcala, these murals tell the story of Tlaxcala's history. They are incredibly done and it was interesting to spend some time here, looking at all of this history painted onto the walls of a government building (as in many other places in Mexico). Of course, the Tlaxcalan history is what makes the people living in Tlaxcala today a very proud people (it is said that they are a proud people; by spending an afternoon there, I didn't really become involved with the local culture and people enough to comment, but these murals are a display of Tlaxcalan pride-remember, they made an historic alliance with Cortes and the Spaniards and it is truly the Tlaxcalans that overthrew the Mexica of Tenochtitlan).

Here are a few more images of the city of Tlaxcala. Frida Kahlo and I, and a few more Catholic churchs. I would love to know how many Catholic churches are in all of Mexico; I'm sure the number is staggering.

This is what Cacaxtla looks like. It's in the southwestern corner of the state of Tlaxcala. Cacaxtla was built and occupied during 600-800CE by the Olmeca-Xicalanca people and we don't really know who they were. Archaeological sites that are being reconstructed can look like Cacaxtla does at the present moment; there were many workers there, trying to help preserve these structures. We weren't able to go to the pyramid up on the hill, but it looks very interesting.

Here are some amazing murals of warriors and sacrifice. The colors, after more than a millenia, are still so vibrant. The interesting thing is that many of these images are very similar to Maya images and iconography. The origin of the Olmeca-Xicalanca peoples is not completely understood so it is possible that these people were somehow related to the Maya or had interacted with the Maya somehow, someway. I'm learning that with all of the knowledge that we do have about the different Mesoamerican cultures, we really have so much contradictory evidence and so many more gaps and questions. And that's why we need to continue excavating and exploring, broadening our understanding of these ancient peoples and cultures.

Just some other pictures from Cacaxtla. The red fruit on top of the cactus is called "tuna" in Spanish and is oh so tasty!

Puebla-La Gran Ciudad

Today I finally traversed the eight or so miles from Cholula to Puebla, the fourth largest city in Mexico (after D.F., Guadalajara-I'm going there for the first time in a few weeks- and Monterrey). After three months here in Cholula, I wanted to see the big city. It is a great place! There are tons of people there and just walking around was exciting. My friend Paloma and I visited a free exhibition of photographs by Juan Guzman-all the photos were of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. How cool was that! Anyways, I had to indulge in my churro cravings but don't worry- even though you can see the grease at the bottom of the bag, I did not solely consume the churros- Paloma helped me. Puebla is beautiful and has so much going on. There are many churches in both Puebla and Cholula. I will be going back to Puebla because I truly enjoyed my time there.

Here are some more images of the city of Puebla. The weather here is beautiful and the city is very appealing.

Just Another Thought

And the colours of morning ease me into the day...And oh! the spheres of sunlight that shine through the windows of my eyes, blinding me but allowing me to feel the message of stillness, of renewal...The spirals of significant change and mysterious chances to aspire to something better, something greater than just ourselves...I can sense the difference in my spine; I can dream becuase of what has always been mine...Beckoning the superior sensation of a mystical transformation, the truth of these silent mornings, these benevolent moments of soft and supple clarity...I am the wish, the desire, the ultimate heart on fire...I will pursue the misty light of the moon and the untouched lands of my own soul...Discovery shall awaken the advantageous whispers of realization...of actualization...We shall remember that once we stood on mountaintops, rejoicing because of the creation beneath our feet...Then we will look to the sky and imagine ourselves free...

Teotihuacan or "The dwelling of the Gods"/ And Coyoacan

Teotihuacan, a very special place within Mesoamerica and also the world. It makes me very curious about what happened here, who these people were and what language(s) they spoke (no, we do not know what language the "Teotihuacanos"-name given by the Aztecs- spoke although it has been conjectured that they were speakers of Nahuatl). I took many pictures so here are some of them.

Here I am in Teotihuacan, the "place where time began" (according to legend). Now, I don't want anyone to be confused; Teotihuacan does not mean "place where time began" but rather "the home or dwelling of the Gods". I took so many pictures but do not have enough space to put all of them. Needless to say, I had a wonderful experience here and I do believe that something mystical and perhaps very powerful juggernauted this city into the realm of legendary places in the world. Is juggernauted even a word? Anyways, here are a few interesting FACTS: There are images of Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent god, in places like Chalcatzingo and San Bartolo a few hundred years before Teotihuacan came to be. BUT he was a minor god and after Teotihuacan surfaced as the real power of Mesoamerica (by 300CE the population was 100,000) Quetzalcoatl became one of the most important gods of the Mesoamerican pantheon. So it is believed that something happened here in Teotihuacan that transformed this minor deity into one of the two or three most important gods. Also, the entire city (I mean Everything) was planned. It sits at 17degrees North and the "avenida de los muertos" (the avenue of the dead) is North/South. They have found sacrificial burials under the Pyramid of the Moon and the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent (always the number of 18) and as of yet, they have not found any image of a king or ruler (which is extremely rare for any Mesoamerican site that has glyphs and Teotihuacan does have glyphs/images that as of yet cannot be read). I have been learning so much and I am just fascinated by these ancient sites.

These are some images of the Feathered Serpent pyramid, the final pyramid to be constructed at Teotihuacan. It's very interesting because in the 4th century CE, scholars (archaeologists) believe that there was a change in the political power at Teotihuacan becuase, as a structure dedicated to Quetzalcoatl, the pyramid had to be changed. Whoever came into power did not want Quetzalcoatl to be worshipped as he once was so the "Adosada" was constructed in front of the pyramid in order to hide it in the background. In these pictures you can see the sculpted images of Tlaloc, the Central Mexican god of rain (with the big goggle-like eyes) and Quetzalcoatl (who at some sites in Mesoamerica is portrayed as having a rattle at the end of his tail). I also included a picture of the Adosada and the pyramid behind it so you can see how the Teotihuacanos tried to cover it up.

And here is the Casa Azul, el Museo Frida Kahlo. It was much bigger than I imagined and sooooo blue (yes, my favorite color). I absolutely love Frida (her name was originally spelled Frieda which I think means freedom in German but she changed the spelling in the late 20s or early 30s because of Hitler). I already know much of her life because I have several books about her and have seen a few movies and documentaries about her so being able to visit her house (which belonged to her parents before it became her and Diego's house) was a very special treat. I have also included a picture of the church that sits on the zocalo of Coyoacan, a suburb of Mexico City and where Frida Kahlo grew up. I loved Coyoacan and want to go back in order to be able to spend more time there.