A Photographic Journey to Chiapas

 Along the main entrance to Chapultepec Park there is usually a photographic exhibit.  Last week I visited the park, and the walkway was lined with photographs from the tourism department of the Mexican state of Chiapas.  Chiapas, on the border with Guatemala, is Mexico's poorest state, but it is also one of its most beautiful and culturally fascinating states.  I traveled to Chiapas many years ago, and it was interesting to see photographs of places that I had visited.

Chiapas was the location of numerous cities of the Mayan civilization, and I have been to a number of its archaeological sites.

Toniná is a spectacular site whose temples and pyramids are built on terraces climbing a hillside.  The city flourished between the 6th and 9th centuries.

Deep in the Lacandón rainforest along the border with Guatemala is Bonampák.  This small archaeological site is famous for the mural paintings found in one of its temples.  The guide in this picture is dressed in the traditional attire of the Lacondón Maya.

Also in the Lacandón forest are the ruins of Yaxchilán, located on the banks of the Usumacinta River which forms the border between Mexico and Guatemala.  The only way to reach this remote archaeological site is by boat.

One of the most beautiful of all the Mayan ruins is Palenque.  A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it contains some of the finest architecture and carvings from the Mayan world.

Chiapas has a large indigenous population, the descendants of the people who built the great Mayan cities.  Mayan dialects are still widely spoken here.

Beautiful textiles are woven by the Mayan women.

In villages such as San Juan Chamula, worship in the church is a unique blend of ancient Mayan ritual with a thin veneer of Catholicism.

The diverse geography of Chiapas provides natural wonders.

The Sumidero Canyon was carved by the Grijalva River.  The canyon walls rise as high as 3,300 feet.

"Agua Azul" is a series of cascades along the Xanil River.

The photographic display brought back memories of a fascinating journey.

Hello, October

Today I turned the page of my custom-made calendar that features photos that I took of archaeological sites in Mexico.  October's picture is from the Mayan ruins of Labná in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

The city of Labná existed from around AD 200 to 1000.  The city was at its height during its last two centuries, and may have had a population of about 3000 people.  It is located in a hilly region of the Yucatan Peninsula known as the Puuc, and it shared the same architectural style as other nearby Mayan cities... referred to as the Puuc style.  

The most photographed structure remaining at Labná is this beautiful ceremonial archway.  It is built of limestone and is intricately decorated with stone lattice work, carvings of the rain god Chac, and representations of Mayan thatched huts.  The Mayas never developed the true arch, but instead constructed buildings with a corbeled or "false" arch.

Although the site is easily reached by a road that connects the Puuc ruins, Labná is rarely crowded, and visitors can enjoy contemplating the place in solitude.  

Climbing Pyramids

Climbing the pyramids of Mexico's archaeological sites is an experience that has become prohibited at more and more locations.

In 2006 the famous Mayan Pyramid of Kukulkán at Chichén Itzá was closed to climbing.

Supposedly the closure came after a woman fell to her death while descending the pyramid, a story which I have never been able to confirm.  With the enormous number of visitors coming to the archaeological site, it was necessary to close the pyramid to preserve the structure.  I visited Chichén Itzá three times.  The first two times I was able to ascend to the top and even climb a staircase within the pyramid that was part of an earlier temple.  On my third trip there everything was closed to climbing.

The Pyramid of the Magician, at the Mayan site of Uxmal was also closed to climbers.

The staircase of this pyramid is especially steep and scary... yet I climbed it twice, the second time with a group of my students.  Cracks were discovered on the structure following Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, and archaeologists have worked to stabilize the pyramid.

A third Mayan pyramid closed to climbing was the Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque.

When I first visited Palenque you were not only allowed to climb the pyramid, but you could descend a staircase within it that led to the burial chamber of King Pakal... a fascinating experience.  But on my second trip there, the pyramid was off limits.

Teotihuacan, about 30 miles north of Mexico City, is one of the largest archaeological sites in Mexico.  I have lost track of how many times I have climbed the massive Pyramid of the Sun.

You could also climb the Pyramid of the Moon, although you could only go up to the first level since the staircase was not completely restored.

All that changed in 2020 during the pandemic.  The dense crowds of people ascending and descending the steps were deemed a health hazard.  Even after the pandemic, the pyramids remained closed to insure their preservation.

The reason why I am bringing this up is because of an article I read the other day.  As of May 19th (two days ago), the National Institute of Archaeology and History reopened the Pyramid of the Moon to climbing up to the first level.  I'm not sure that the reopening is for the best of reasons.  The Institute said that the decision was made as part of an effort to increase tourism in the Teotihuacan Valley.  Repairs have been made to the steps and a handrail has been put in.

There was no mention of reopening the Pyramid of the Sun.  Visitors will not be able to make the arduous climb and have the spectacular view of the entire archaeological site.  However, they will once again have the impressive panorama from the Pyramid of the Moon looking down the Avenue of the Dead.

It's May

Today is the first of May, which is a legal holiday in Mexico.  As in many countries, today is the equivalent of Labor Day in the U.S.

My calendar, which I had custom-made with photos that I have taken of archaeological sites in Mexico, has this picture for May...

Uxmal is one of the most beautiful Mayan sites in the Yucatan Peninsula.  I have visited it a number of times.  (In fact, when I have played tour guide for friends and family in Mérida, Uxmal has always been a "must see" excursion.)

This structure is all that remains of a large temple quadrangle which was probably one of the oldest buildings at Uxmal.  The open-work of the decorative roof combs would have been covered with stucco decorations and painted.  It reminded the Spaniards of a dovecote, a structure for housing doves or pigeons, and it was they who gave this building its fanciful name. 

Turning the Page to April

Regular readers of my blog know that on the first of each month, I show you the picture that I used for that month on the calendar that I have custom-made using photos from my travels.

If you have a very good memory, this picture may look vaguely familiar.  In January I showed you a painting which I had completed , and the calendar photo was the model for my painting.

I wrote at that time that Sayil was a Mayan city in the Yucatan Peninsula that was at its height more than 1000 years ago.  This palace is the most impressive of its remaining ruins.

Welcome to February

It's time to turn the page to February.  The calendar that I made for 2025 features Mexican archaeological sites.  This month's photo is of the arch of Kabah.

Kabah, located in the state of Yucatán, was a Mayan city which reached its height in the 9th century.  In the forest, apart from the other ruins, is this impressive arch which served as a ceremonial entrance to the city.  The Mayas never developed the true arch.  Instead they used the "false" or corbelled arch in their constructions.

Painting Complete

Last month, I told you that I had begun a painting.  Other than the annual painting that I do for my Christmas card, it had been quite a while since I had done any artwork.  I finally finished the picture a few days ago.  It's of the Palace of Sayil.

Sayil was a Mayan city in the Yucatán Peninsula which was probably established around AD 800.  It rapidly reached its height around AD 900 when it had a population of about 10,000 people with another 5000 living in tributary communities.  By AD 1000 the city had been abandoned.  The largest and most impressive of the remaining ruins is that of the Grand Palace which is over 275 feet long.

This week I will take the painting to a nearby shop to have it framed.  I will hang it by the entrance to the bedroom in the apartment next to where I already have a wooden carving of a Mayan king on the wall.

I can put the paints away for a while, but I already have a subject in mind for my next painting.  It will be for my 2025 Christmas card.  I know it seems early to even think about that, but I need to do the painting, and get cards printed and made out before I go to Ohio in the fall.

Sculptures in the Metro

There are frequently exhibits of art in the Mexico City subway stations.  Currently at the Zócalo station there are a number of sculptures by an artist by the name of Javier Reivaj.  His sculptures are done in wood and epoxy and painted with acrylics.  The works in the exhibit are all inspired by Mayan mythology and stories from the Mayan holy book of the "Popol Vuh".

Thousands upon thousands of people go through the Zócalo station every day, but a few, such as I, take the time to observe the exquisite work of this artist.

Back to Painting

Many years ago, when I was a member of the local fine arts club back in Ohio, I did a lot of landscape paintings.  I would participate in the club's art shows and actually sell some paintings.  However, after meeting Alejandro, I spent more and more time in Mexico, and I really did not have time to devote to the club or to painting.  It reached the point that the only painting that I did each year was the one that I would use for my Christmas card.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I found a store down here that has a good selection of art supplies.  I have wall space in the apartment that could use some artwork.  So a couple weeks ago, I began work on a painting that I plan to hang at the entrance to the master bedroom.  Several of the pieces in that room are from Yucatán, including a large painting by an artist from Mérida, and a Mayan wood carving.  I decided to continue that theme, went through photos that I had taken of Mayan ruins in Yucatán, and decided on a picture to be the basis for a painting.

It is far from finished, but the work is progressing, and (knock on wood) I am satisfied with it so far.  It is a painting of the palace at one of the lesser known Mayan archaeological sites, Sayil.

Hopefully, before the end of the year, the painting will be finished, framed, and hanging in the apartment.

Pyramid on the Plaza

Saturday of last week, after our great dinner at "Testal", we walked to the main plaza, the Zócalo, where there was going to be a light and sound show.  A replica of the pyramid of the Mayan city of Chichén Itzá had been erected for the show.

We arrived around 7 P.M.  The show was to begin at eight, and there was already a crowd gathered.  We waited patiently until dusk when they began testing the lights for the program.

The show dealt with the Mayan civilization, and Felipe Puerto Carrillo, the socialist governor of the state of Yucatán from 1922 until his death in a coup d'état in 1924.  

Puerto Carrillo confiscated land from the large haciendas and distributed it to Mayan peasants. He built public schools, granted women political rights, published all laws in the Mayan language as well as in Spanish, and began the conservation and restoration of archaeological sites such as Chichén Itzá.  When he supported a rebellion against President Alvaro Obregón, he was captured, tried and executed by a group of army officers.  This is the centennial of his death, and the President has declared 2024"The Year of Felipe Puerto Carrillo".

Alejandro said that there were a number of historical errors in the narration of the program.  I objected to the speeches given by politicians prior to the show. They were largely propaganda extolling the ruling party.  I almost felt as if I were in Cuba.

More Art on the Wall

I have already hung many pieces of art (both my own and by other artists) in my new apartment.  However, I still have a number of pieces that need to be framed.  I have been taking them to a framing shop a fifteen-minute walk from my home.  The latest item that I have hung on the wall is a print that I bought a few years ago at the Sunday art market in Mexico City.  The artist is Carlos del River.  (I'm not sure if that is his real name, or a professional name that he has assumed.)  I have talked with him a number of times at the art market, and I like his work.  I kept telling him that someday I was going to buy one of his pieces.  I finally bought one of his prints, a work entitled "Sacrificio".  It is based on a famous Mayan carving which was found at the ruins of Yaxchilán.

This is the framed print now hanging in the hall of my apartment.

(image taken from the internet)

This is the original Mayan carving which is now in the British Museum

Most people looking at the print would just think that it's a nice piece of Mayan-inspired art and would never realize what it depicts.  However, I used to discuss the original carving with my students when we would study the Mayan civilization. It shows a rather gruesome sacrificial ritual.  The queen of Xachilán is performing a blood-letting ceremony.

She is pulling a rope studded with obsidian shards through her tongue.  The drops of blood fall onto strips of paper in a basket. The paper will then be burnt as an offering to the gods.

If I have visitors to the apartment, and they ask about this picture, I don't think I will give them all the gory details. 😊

Appreciated

As I mentioned the husband of the couple that bought my house is one quarter Mexican.  He said that he liked the Mexican influence of the decor, and, in particular, he mentioned the Mayan carvings in my office.

On the doors of the storage cabinets, there are woodcarvings that I bought on one of my trips to Yucatán.  I found them in the workshop of a woodcarver in the town of Izamal, about 40 miles to the east Mérida.

 

On the doors of the cabinets above my computer station, there are smaller carvings which I found at the Mayan archaeological site of Labná.  If I remember correctly, the father of the fellow who was the caretaker of the site was a woodcarver.  The son was selling his father's work at the entrance to the ruins.  Each carving is a Mayan glyph and means something in the ancient Mayan writing system.

My realtor later admitted to me that he had his doubts about those carvings, and even I wondered whether the new owner would take them off the doors.  But as it turned out, they were a selling point that endeared the house to the buyer.

Archaeological Discovery

Mexico has countless archaeological sites from the many civilizations that predate the arrival of the Spanish.  And new discoveries are constantly being made.  This photo on the front page of a newspaper caught my eye as I passed a newsstand along the street.

At the Mayan city of Chichén Itzá in the state of Yucatán, archaeologists found this round stone.  It served as a marker on the ball court.  Around the edge are Mayan hieroglyphs, and in the center are the figures of two ball players.

 

Into the Mayan Underworld

The other special exhibit at the Palace of Fine Arts consisted of a single work, "Xibalbá, the Mayan Underworld".  This mural was done by Guatemalan-born painter Rina Lazo.  It was her last work of art, completed in 2019, the year that she died at the age of 96.

Lazo was influenced by the Mayan people of her homeland.  She moved to Mexico where she was a student and assistant to Diego Rivera.  She worked with him on some of his most famous projects.  After Rivera's death, she continued to do mural paintings on her own and is considered an important figure of the muralist movement.

In one portion of the mural, we see Hun Camé and Vucub Camé, the lords of the underworld.  Above them is Camazotz, the bat spirit in service to the lords.

Hun Hunahpú, the corn god is shown in his canoe.  He would travel to the underworld to gather and take back seeds so that they could be reborn.

In the upper corner a ball game is in progress.  In Mayan mythology, the Twin Heroes, Hanahpú and Xbalanqué, were playing the ball game, and the noise disturbed the lords of the underworld.  They challenged the twins to a game in the underworld.  The lords planned to kill the brothers, but the twins managed to outsmart them.  The heroes left the underworld and became the sun and the moon. 

In the lower corner the artist included a self-portrait of herself entering the underworld.  She is led by a dog, which according to Mayan tradition, is the animal which guides humans on their final journey.  Notice that one of her legs has already been transformed into a skeleton.  (I wonder if she got that idea from the movie "Coco"?)

The artist joked that she left the self-portrait for last because she did not want death to take her before she finished the mural.