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Show ibe Travel alt ake $dbune Sunday, November Section T 10, 1985 Page 1 MONUMENTS TO r 1 1 'J Vs CULTURE etory and pnotos by Chris Tupper bout 35 minutes by plane from either Cancun or Cozumel, Mexico, lies Meri-dcapital city of the Yucatan Peninsula and gateway to the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza and Uxmal. Enough scientific and scholastic exploration and reconstruction remains to be done at these two sites to keep work continuing for at least 200 lifetimes. But don't wait that long to go. At present there's more than enough to see, and with the devaluation of the Mexican peso, the time to visit is now. The Mayans were a peaceable, intelligent people who lived in the Yucatan from 600 B.C. to about 1500 A D. Chichen Itza, one of their largest settlements, was founded about 445 A.D., abandoned 200 years later and resettled in 902. The Toltecs, a warlike tribe from Cene tral Mexico, conquered the around 1000 A.D., and remained there until the final abandonment in 1204 AD. The Toltec influence can be seen in such objects as carvings on the buildings of warrior figures and feathered serpents. The ever present chac mool statues (a god figure always in the same position), are also pure Toltec. The names of all the buildings are those given by the Spaniards, the original ones are unknown. The largest structure, a white pyramid, is called El Castillo (the Castle), probably because it dominates the area. The Mayans were very conscious of time and invented the calendar which was later adapted by the Aztecs. It was more accurate than the ones of Europe and the near East. The pyramid reflects their calendar in many ways. A base platform plus four stairways with 91 steps each, total 365 equals the number of days in a year, each side of the structure contains 52 carved panels the number of weeks in a year, and the side of the pyramid has a staircase separating nine terraces to the right and nine to the left, totalling 18 the number of months in the Mayan year. An exhausting climb up the 91 steps to the top of the pyramid yields a spectacular view of all the ruins, but is not recommended for the The ball court, a quadrangle 120 feet wide by 490 feet i. The game long, hosted games of pelota, father of was taken rather seriously with the winning captain decapitating the losing one. The wall of carved skulls probably served as a platform to hold the heads of the losers. The sacred well, 150 feet wide, with a rim 60 feet below ground surface and the water another 60 feet deep, was an apt home for the water god who demanded and received human sacrifices. The sacrifices were often young women who were consecrated and anesthetized before being thrown in the well. Occasionally the shock of the water would bring a victim to and she would swim about battling for life. If she lasted until noon, she was fished out, allowed to live, and became a sort of saint. The entrance to the Caves of Balancanche are approximately five miles past Chichen Itza and should not be missed. Complete with stalagmites and stalactites, they're well lighted and all contents are still intact. The urns, bowls, jars and vases of pottery, some three feet high, in brilliant blues, greens, reds and yellows, stand just as Mayan priests placed them a thousand years ago. An inner passage in the cave leads to another cave filled with a lake. The water is so clear and so quiet that someone unaware could look through it and just see the cave continuing downward, never realizing he's looking through water. Uxmal, 45 miles south of Merida, is much smaller than Chichen Itza, but still well worth seeing because all buildings here are pure Mayan with none of the Toltec influence found in Chichen Itza. In fact, the governor's palace (the names here came from the Spaniards also), is the finest example of Mayan architecture in existence. It's built in a classic simplicity of style with perfect proportions. The nun's quadrangle has hand "prints" on the ceiling of the entrance arch. These "prints" appear often in Mayan ruins and probably had something to do with the god Kabul whose name means heavenly hand. The 100 foot high pyramid here should also be climbed for a fantastic view and for a look at the delicate stone lattice work at the top For a fit ending for the journey 1000 years backward, see the sound and light show. (Spanish version 7 p.m., English 9 p.m.) Breathe the warm night air while the e story of this advanced but bygone civilization is told aloud and light plays on the ancient forms. a, -- ;r- jfx-x- . -- fr jj -- v w?J&z9 city-stat- semi-reclinin- g faint-hearte- jai-ala- w-- , .f;;--';- f y,f f'vSr lvi L 1 ;! f ; " - I ,i "'''') , . .... 5' , d long-sinc- Chris Tupper lives in Houston. if i - ' steps are steep, top. The ever present cbac mool statues, above, are of Toltec influence. The ball court's wall of carved skulls, right, probably served as a platform to bold the beads of the losers. TAe pyramids's 91 Design by Steve Baker EE ' ... '" |