Templo Mayor (and its museum) and the Zocalo

So one of the last times that I was in Mexico City, someone with little hands was able to reach into my jacket pocket and steal my camera (back in March of 2009 when I was riding the 'metro' or subway). I had just taken a bunch of pictures inside the National Palace (of Diego Rivera's many murals there), the Zocalo, the cathedral, and other buildings. Anyways, needless to write, I lost all of those pictures. This visit to Mexico City occurred without anyone robbing me, which is so nice! Here are just a few of the pictures I took of the Zocalo, the Palacio Nacional (which was closed the whole week we were there; well, the section of the palace with all of Rivera's murals was closed), and a Nahua-Mexica inspired dance and ceremony. I also wanted to include a few photos of Mexico City's streets because it is usually very difficult to simply walk on the streets without having to constantly dodge other people and maneuver within the interminable crowds of people. I could never live in this historically rich but extremely overpopulated city!! I love visiting central Mexico, but one week was long enough for me!

The Templo Mayor, or rather what remains of it, was the enormous collection of pyramid-temples of the Tenochca Mexica (well, to be completely accurate, "templo mayor" signifies "big temple," so just one, meaning THE big temple-pyramid of the Mexica). This famously immigrant group of Nahuatl-speaking people came to the area now known as Mexico City and established what would become Tenochtitlan in 1325.  This place where they saw an eagle perched on a cactus was the site where they would build their eventual empire (the eagle on a cactus was, as most people know, foretold by one of their seers or shamans while this humble group was still migrating throughout what is now northern Mexico). Here are some pics of what remains of the central precinct of the Mexica where, at the very top of the Templo Mayor, they had two sacred temple structures: one for Huitzilopochtli, the principal Mexica "hummingbird to the left" god and one for Tlaloc, the Mexica god of rain, lightning, water, and other things. It is great to know that continuing excavations and studies are revealing more and more about this place and about the Mexica themselves, but the Mexica and the Maya often take up many scholars' research efforts (for understandable reasons); therefore, I would like to be aware, at least, that there were hundreds of various groups in Mesoamerica, not just the Mexica (and other Nahua groups or "Aztecs") and the Maya.

The juxtaposition of modern Mexico City (with its obvious colonial past as well) with the archaeological remains of the Templo Mayor is fascinating! To think that all of this was once surrounded by water in all directions baffles the mind.

The accompanying museum of the Templo Mayor contains many of the objects that archaeologists have discovered throughout the years. I only post a few pictures here because these entries take quite a bit of time and I just wanted to put up some photos of something that I have recently been doing. Anyways, it stimulates the mind to contemplate how we "know" things about a culture due to the material objects that were used, created, and produced in that culture. The Mexica were skilled sculptors and artists who manufactured objects in several media. These are just some of the photos I took; so, there are many, many objects in the museum that I have not included (even though I have pictures of them). I will try to post again soon showing pictures of the many things I looked at when I visited the Museo Nacional de Antropologia e Historia that has so many objects created by the "Aztecs" and others.

Edzna

When I went to the state and city of Campeche in the summer of 2011 (I know, I've waited quite some time to make an entry on this particular site!), one of the highlights of my first visit to this area was the archaeological site of Edzna. One of the lesser known, but ultimately fabulous Maya sites of the Yucatan peninsula, Edzna was occupied as early as 600 BCE. The major acropolis seen here did not come into existence until the Early Classic period (200-600 CE).  Inscriptions at the bottom of this main temple-pyramid have a date of 652 CE. This structure has five stories and is unique to Edzna, showing influences and connections to Puuc sites even though Edzna is outside of the Puuc region. The building had five different construction phases beginning in the Early Classic. It is truly a beautiful building! And it adds such a felt presence, a significance to the site. It is probably one of my favorite buildings that I have ever seen! The name 'Edzna' comes from "House of the Itza," therefore it suggests a connection to the Itza family ('naj' in Yucatec Maya is 'house' or 'building'). Edzna is not a big site and I think I was here (with a tourist group) for about an hour and a half. The humidity was nearly unbearable and this site has the most aggressive and huge mosquitoes that I have ever seen! However, the trip was completely worth it! I love going to these lesser known sites!

Edzna is truly a beautiful archaeological site that many people (domestic and international tourists) do not know about. It is not that far from the capital city of Campeche, so it makes for a nice day trip if one is staying in Campeche. The many buildings near the central acropolis, the ceremonial precinct follow many architectural patterns of other Maya sites of the Yucatan. I had to include a picture of a ball-court at Edzna, a section of rocks that appears to be a miniature form of the sacbe or "white road" that linked different locations, and the fabulous stone masks found in the "Temple of the Stone Masks." These sculpted masks portray K'inich Ajaw, the sun god, as aged on one side and as youthful on the other. It has been suggested that this difference represents the rising sun and the setting sun.

Leading away from the central area of Edzna is a long thoroughfare of forested paths that lead to a pyramid-temple that has not, for the most part, been excavated. It was interesting walking all by myself down this path which took me about 10 minutes before I arrived to this remote structure. It was blistering hot and humid that day; I could hardly see through the sweat continuously running down my face. I hope that these photos do the job, though; that is, parts of Edzna are verdant and still covered by the "wilderness" that surrounds the site. As I was by myself, I could easily contemplate the many lives that used to be here, the many peoples who walked down this very path (perhaps not as defined and landscaped as it is now). I truly enjoyed being here at Edzna!

And last, but not least, here are a few examples of the stelae that were re-discovered at the site. Significant monuments involving rituals and presence, the stelae were also commemorative markers for historical events and rulers. Initially believed by scholars to represent either gods or calendar-priests, the stelae in the Maya area actually portray historical rulers and record historical events. These particular stelae are found near the entrance (and exit) of Edzna, but I actually did not view them until I was leaving the site. As I was walking back to the parking lot after visiting Edzna's many edifices, a flash of colorful movement caught my eye. A ton of these bright butterflies were suddenly everywhere. I just had to take a few pictures of them as they ushered me out of Edzna.

Mayapan

Mayapan is a Late Postclassic (1250-1450 CE) Maya archaeological site that sits 24 miles southeast of Merida in the state of Yucatan. At its height, Mayapan's territory extended for 1.5 square miles. It contains a fortified wall that surrounds 4,000 structures (excavations are ongoing). Mayapan was originally under the influence and reign of Chichen Itza, but when that city fell and was abandoned, Mayapan became the independent political capital of a Maya kingdom that ruled over northwestern Yucatan. Local inhabitants have always known about the ruins here and colonial accounts, such as Bishop Diego de Landa's "Relacion de las Cosas de Yucatan" included descriptions of Mayapan. According to legend, Mayapan was founded by the culture hero (to be distinguished from the Maya god) Kukulkan after the fall of Chichen. He fled Chichen with a group of his acolytes and founded the city of Mayapan. Once he left Mayapan, a leader from the Cocom family took power at Mayapan. Archaeological evidence demonstrates structures at Mayapan were burned around 1450 CE and the city was abandoned by the time of the arrival of the Spaniards. Many artifacts have been recovered at Mayapan; they include effigy incense burners with images similar to those found in Central Mexico, bells, rings, obsidian tools and jade (probably from Guatemala). These artifacts display Mayapan's connection to "international" trade and communication networks. It is a fascinating site that closely resembles (in a smaller scale) the site of Chichen Itza. I had a wonderful time here at Mayapan! 

The "main" attraction found in the ceremonial precinct of Mayapan is the miniature "copy" of El Castillo at Chichen Itza. As you can see in the first photo, the steps toward the bottom are still intact, but the higher up one goes, the more difficult it becomes to maintain balance. All of us climbed to the top of the pyramid-temple and enjoyed the view for awhile. It astounds me how flat Yucatan is; on top of these pyramids, one can see for miles! The terrain may be flat, but the jungle is dense and makes it difficult to see anything but the trees (because there is really nothing else to see!!). 

On the left side of the near-replica at Mayapan (of El Castillo from Chichen Itza), archaeologists have found a structure that contains murals. It is quite difficult to make out the shapes and symbols that were once clearly portrayed on these silent stone walls, but the bright and colorful pigments are still visible. Just looking at these photos again makes me excited about the knowledge that the Maya scribe-artists were once painting (and carving and writing) images, symbols, and hieroglyphs at these sites. 

After we finally climbed down from the top of the main pyramid at Mayapan, we made our way over to the building that closely resembles El Caracol at Chichen Itza, the so-called observatory with a circular structure. Set in front of this miniature Caracol, the sculpted visage of Chaak, the Maya Rain God, displays his importance and prestige, his connection to the observation of the sky. Our Maya Profe Ismael offered to take a few photos of me as I stood next to Chaak (with the long, protruding and curving nose) and in front of the observatory. Also a part of the architecture in this area of Mayapan, hieroglyphs (and other symbols) have been carved into the stones, but I had to look for a few minutes at several stones before I found them. No matter how many ancient Maya sites I go to, I am always fascinated by the ingenuity and complexity of these architectonic structures. 

I had waited almost three years to come here to Mayapan, and I finally got here. There were two people at Mayapan not with our group so we basically had the site all to ourselves. It fascinates me that so many tourists only go to places like Chichen Itza (with good reason!) but sites like Mayapan are just as compelling and distinct (well, maybe to someone like me they are!). Our visit was pretty much over when the dark clouds appeared and we definitely had to get back into our van. But our final stop before leaving Mayapan was this small, restored room on top of a shorter pyramid-temple that contains a mural painting. It was difficult to get good shots of it because the room is enclosed by stones. There is only a slight opening at the top of the structure through which I was able to snap a few pictures. Although a somewhat "lesser" site and "copy" of Chichen Itza, Mayapan delivered the goods and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.