Travelogue Exploring the ancient Mayan empire in Mexico

Travelogue

Exploring the ancient Mayan empire in Mexico

After describing the great empires that impacted on the Silk Routes in Asia, I am now going to take you to an empire on the other side of the world: the Mayan Empire. Mayan archaeological remains have been dated back to 2,600 BCE, but the empire operated from around 250 CE until an unexplained collapse in the 9th century CE. Even though the Spanish conquered the area in the 16th Century CE there are remnants of the original Mayans still living in areas of Mexico, especially the Yucatan.

My first encounter with Mayan territory in 1966 was a mind bending experience. I flew in from Florida, having spent the previous few days amongst the glamorous international jet set in Miami (not that I was one of them – I was backpacking!). The contrast couldn’t have been greater. In just two hours I was transported from opulence to subsistence poverty. From the airport, I had to hang onto the outside of a bus, occupied by locals with commodities for market, including their scrawny live chickens.

I did return with the family to a resort at Cancun in the 1990s. The beach on which I had slept in the 1960s was now full of luxurious high-rise hotels, discos and bars (which delighted my teenage daughters!). The Mayan sites which I had visited by travelling on local buses, and which were almost deserted, were now full of international visitors arriving in their air-conditioned coaches. Both Chichen Itza and Palenque had lost some of their primitive charm, having become standard globalised tourist destinations. However, the local Mayan

Above: El Castillo (pyramid of Kukulcán) in Chichén Itzá. Below King K’inich Kan Balam II of Palenque, Temple XVII panel.

Tikal (Guatemala) Temple town near Cancun, where I went for some traditional Mexican food, still had an impoverished air, and a trip to Guatemala to see the Tikal ruins again transported me back to subsistence living. Ironically, in the small hotel where I stayed in Guatemala there was only instant coffee available, in a country which is a significant coffee producer!

The reason that I had come to the Yucatan was to visit the ceremonial sites with their dramatic pyramid structures, and I wasn’t disappointed. The first site was Chichen Itza. This was a large city of 4 square miles in area and with a population of 35,000 population at its peak. It was inhabited from about 600 to 1,000 CE. It would have connected with other Mayan cities along the raised paved roads (sacbeob – white ways; singular sacbe) made of rubble covered in limestone stucco. These stretched along the coast to Guatemala and in the other direction into central Mexico, and must have been an impressive sight seen from afar gleaming in the bright Mexican sun. In some places, there were large ceremonial arches. However, pre-conquest, the Maya did not have animals for carrying goods so the trade must all have been transported on human backs. In addition to trade these also probably had ritual significance for pilgrimages, and prayers were still said by the local Mayans in 1840 when crossing the roads.

Chichen Itza is one of the largest Mayan sites and has a variety of architectural styles, including Toltec (a Mexican society to the South).

The name may link to water and there is evidence of good supply with 4 natural sink holes (cenotes) still visible, linking to underground water sources (there is no surface water). There is a more gruesome story regarding these holes, however, as they were used for human sacrifice to the rain god Chac (appearing as fearsome statues around the site), as evidenced by scarred human bones found in them.

The most impressive structure is the Kukulcán temple (named El Castillo by the Spanish). The sun produces a serpent effect along the edge at the spring and autumn equinox. The name comes from a feathered serpent deity. It is 98 feet high, with steps 8.43 feet high at an angle of 45 degrees – a hard climb in the sun for someone with severe vertigo! A cool Mexican beer was very welcome after the descent! There is a 20ft temple on the top and the rituals (possibly involving human sacrifices) performed by the ceremonially clad priests must have looked stunning to the crowds gathered below.

Inside the pyramid was a red painted Jaguar throne with spots made of jade. There was also a Chac Mool statue.

Another large structure is the Temple of the Warriors decorated inside with murals (there is even speculation that one depicts Vikings!)

There are remains of other smaller temples, one linked to one of the 13 ball courts on the site. The ball game was a popular activity; but may also have had ritual significance – possibly with a human head as the ball! The largest court is 551 by 230 ft. Surrounding the court are benches in front of a high wall. Statues of the ball players decorate the site, including one in which a player is decapitated with the blood flowing out from the neck in the form of a snake. A risky sport!

There are a number of ritual platforms around the site. One is where skulls were impaled horizontally –another gruesome sight. The platforms and temples are connected by about 80 sacbeob, the largest of which is 890ft. long and 30ft wide, probably originally with columns at one end. There is also an observatory.

This was a civilised society, with a steam bath complex on site. Stones were heated and cold water was poured onto them to produce the steam. They had sophisticated writing, calendars and produced books (codicils).

I don’t remember much about the food apart from one dish: chicken mole. This couldn’t be found in the Mexican restaurants in the Cancun resort so I had to go into the local town and find one used by the locals. This uses spiced chocolate and chillies in the sauce together with a subtle blend of spices: coriander, allspice, nutmeg, fennel, cumin, cloves, oregano, cinnamon. A recipe can be found at: https://www.wandercooks.com/mexicanchicken-mole-recipe. Enjoy! Bruce Huett

All photographs shown on this spread are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share International license.