It is said, "Wherever you cast your eyes in Mexico, you are looking at an ancient ruin or a fragment of one." At least that is what I think after seeing the historical landscape of Mexico these last three weeks.
Many of the churches, buildings and walls created have stones from the ancient Mayan ruins. Mexico's countryside, especially in the Yucatan, is a gold mine of historical wonder when it comes to its collection of Maya ruins.
Yesterday, we were fortunate to travel with John's friend, Josephina an archaeologist from Mexico.
A true story weaver she was! In awe I watched how she engaged conversation with everyone we met, whether it was the waiter, the person at the ticket counter, the lady carrying a pail of corn dough on her head, or the woman cleaning the bathroom. Josephina was like a loom weaving one person's stories and opinions making a tapestry of the day. Each story she collected gave hints to the past, added depth to the ruins at hand. Not one story or person was less important than the other.
Life how it was lived was similar to the life we live… hard work, beliefs, relationships, values, desires… intertwined with commitments, needs and so on and so forth, with the exception of a human sacrifice thrown in daily… hundreds of years ago (human sacrifice) was part of the Mayans culture blatant and accepted.
Chitzen Itcha.
Chitzen Itcha.
Kapah, a ruin near Merida.
At first glance, some stones set up against a wall ruin…
But with closer observation one can see three carved stones in the shape of faces.
Ancient old. Carved stone images of someone. Cherub like cheeks. Museum pieces. More valuable than anything I own, and have been around longer than I have and will be around longer than I will live. Hanging out nonchalantly in the Mexican jungle.
Incredible.
An iguna. Many of them in fact live around the Maya ruins. And they are so incognito, much like the carved stones in the photo above. You don't know they are there until you nearly step on one, or have one fall on you.
I had one fall on me.
Yes I gulped loudly… But I had heard they were not dangerous, that they look dangerous, but they aren't. The one that fell on me was a baby… that helped ease the fear.
"For almost a millennium, the ancient ruins of great architecture lay buried beneath the jungle vegetation on the Yucatan Peninsula. Abandoned by their creators these ancient Mayan ruins are a stunning reminder of a powerful civilization that once ruled the people of Central America." Mayan Ruins
"The Maya civilization was never unified however but instead consisted of a network of city-states dominated by sacred Lords, who were linked by complex ties of kinship, ritual, trade and military alliances. Some of these cities would grow into ‘superpowers’, with huge temples and pyramids." Mayan Ruins
"Although the accomplishments of the ancient Mayans are astonishing, no city would escape the inevitable collapse. One by one they were swallowed by the rainforest leaving the amazing Mayan ruins hidden, waiting to be discovered." Mayan Ruins
"Centuries later the Mayan ruins were rediscovered by early explorers and archeologists who found them hidden away in the jungles of southern Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Belize." Mayan Ruins
"Although badly eroded, the ruined buildings and great stone pyramids, some towering over the dense jungle canopy, were still magnificent and beautiful. From the inscriptions on the eroded monuments and exquisitely carved stones, the image of a complex civilization emerged. These monuments display remarkable achievements in astronomy, mathematics and calendrics." Mayan Ruins.
Josephina wove her knowledge, her insights, her collection of stories and folklore into our days journey at the Maya ruins.
Fragments of ancient history gathered around us, tangible and intangible, as Josephina magically put it, "…in an instant.." with a thousand moments caught in her hand woven tapestry.
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