4-6-02
Sites Visited : Indianapolis Airport, Cancun Airport, and Solymar Hotel
 

    Arrived at Indianapolis Airport at 12:45pm.  Met with Dr. DelaCova and fellow students.  Checked in our luggage, got a bite to eat, and waited for our plane to arrive.  At about 2:00pm, we went through Indy’s security check where I was asked to take my shoes off, and my purse and my Rose-Hulman pen had to be rescanned.  From there, we proceeded to go to our concourse area (C10).  At about 2:30pm, we boarded our plane.  Matt and I had seats by the emergency exit, which meant we had more leg room, but we also had to listen to the latest “flight attendant gossip” while dodging coke spills.  Before we landed, we were asked to fill out two forms.  One which would be given when checking our passports and one when going through customs.
    Arrived in Cancun, Mexico at about 6:00 pm.  Exited the plane from the left side door, which had steps going down from it that ended at the runway.  Proceeded to board a bus that would take us to the actual airport where we would get our bags as well as go through Customs.  After getting off the shuttle bus, we went into the airport and got in line to get our passports checked.  After this, it was time to get our luggage.  This didn’t take as long as I had thought that it would have taken!  After claiming our luggage, we had to go through Customs.  Customs in Mexico is a little different.  You hand a worker your slip and then they tell you to hit a button, which is on a four-foot stoplight that is on a stand, so it is completely random!  Only one person from our group was stopped and asked to be searched.  Rich noticed that they confiscated things like hot dogs and sausages from people.  Before and after customs, you have people asking you if you need a shuttle or a taxi or help with your luggage.  They also give you a lot of free maps and coupons on your way out of the airport.  From there, we walked across the street to where we were to pick up our two vans.  We had to wait there for a while.  I noticed that instead of getting the cars or vans ready before hand, they made the customers wait for them to clean the car and then expected a tip.  This occurred three times with three cars and three parties.  They also did this with our vans, but Dr. DelaCova told them that all of that wasn’t necessary.  They also gave us the van with only half a tank of gas.  Before you can leave with your vehicle, they have to go over it and write down every little bump, nick, and scratch.  I also noticed at the car rental place that there were Papa Johns delivery people, but they were on dirt bikes!  Once we got our vans, we drove a short while on a two-way two-lane highway.  We arrived shortly at our hotel: Solymar, which is very beautiful.  While we were getting checked in, I got to watch part of Fly II in Spanish as well as some Spanish commercials.  Once we were checked in, we dropped off our luggage and went down the stairs to an outside, very nice restaurant and had our all-you-can-eat dinner.  Two foods that stick in my mind the most are the potato and onion soup that I had and the chicken that Matt and I had.  It wasn’t like the chicken back home it was more like a chicken leg and not a boneless chicken breast, it was boneless, but it had a lot of fat on it.  We also tried some of their salsa it was very hot.  After dinner, Matt and I took a swim in the pool and took a look at the beach.  It is all so beautiful.  Dr. DelaCova said that how they did the car rental (not having it ready) is like that in any developing country.  He also pointed out how the airport has been worked on for the past few years and it is still not done.  There were men still working out there at night, probably not making very much at all!
    That pretty much concludes our first day.  Some things I noticed though already are: that people are much more friendly here. Our hotel is very clean and very nice!  There is some kind of rubbermaid thing in our room.  I think it is to drain water through so it is okay to drink, but I am not sure.  The rooms have a kitchen, two beds, tv, nice bathroom with a seat inside the shower.  The hotel is very colorful just like Mexico!  Well I think that is it for today!
 

4-7-02
Sites Visited: Coba and Tulum
 

    Woke up at 6:30 a.m.!  Got ready and went to breakfast, which was very good.  After breakfast, we realized that Cancun had switched their daylight savings time today.  So now Cancun time equals Indiana time.  After breakfast, we proceeded to board our two vans and make our somewhat long drive to Coba.  On our ride to Coba, we were able to see some of the things that we had talked about in class such as shrines for dead people at the side of the road.

    Explanation from class material about the road shrines: In many parts of the American Southwest and in Mexico, travelers pass numerous reminders of journeys not completed. Solitary crosses by the wayside stand as sentinels of love and death, and the promise of the resurrection. "Be careful," they silently plead to the passerby, "finish your journey on this earth in safety before you go on."

     The descansos (resting places) are a death-related aspect of folk art which stems from old traditions in Mexico and the Spanish - settled areas of the Southwest. In the old days, when the body was carried from the church to the cemetery, the pallbearers often had to stop and rest, as the distance was far and the burden heavy. The places where the procession stopped to rest became known as descansos. As they entered the graveyard (camposanto), there was a ritual stop at the entrance and each of the four corners of the cemetery. Here, decades of the rosary or requium prayers were said. Many cemeteries were built with special shelters to mark these stops, and shelters were also sometimes built at the stopping points on the way from the church to the cemetery. Although the early Spanish settlers preferred to bury their dead in a camposanto, this was not always possible and many were buried where they died. Crosses were placed to mark the gravesites. Later, the custom extended to marking the place of death, even when the body was carried to a cemetery. The descansos on the way to the cemetery and, of course, the crosses marking the graves in the open, were hallowed by custom, and soon the crosses and small shrines erected along the roadside at the site of a death in an automobile or other accident acquired the same hallowed ambiance.

  Before I go any further, I need to mention that when we went out to get into the vans, the white van had two hubcaps missing!  Also on our way to Coba we saw many signs on the side of the highway put up by the government.  Some of them read:
-“Respect the signs”
-“Save your life, don’t get distracted”
-“Keep your distance”
-“Respect the speed limit”
-“Safety belts save lives”
We also saw many signs advertising sinkholes.  Some of the other things that I noticed or were pointed out to me were that we were on a two-way highway, but people would pass even if there was on-coming traffic.  The people that were being passed on either side would get over and drive on the shoulder of the road.  We actually saw a huge tourist bus pass on a curve that had a solid yellow line.  The speed limit is in kilometers not miles.  It was pointed out to us that they did not have wooden fence post, but that they had concrete and barb wire fences on the side of the road.  Also we could see that there were homes with mud walls and thatched roofs, which much resembled what the Maya used to build.  On the way to Coba, we had to turn off the main road and go on a rough side road.  We got to see a lot of family homes.  On this road there were speed bumps, that had the warning signs right beside them and they were also set very randomly on the road. These are called Topes.  People would set up their shops right by them because you have to slow down at that point.  We also got to see examples of actual slash and burn agriculture on this road as well, as we had studied in class.  We also saw PRI political party propaganda.  PRI would come into small villages, like the ones we saw, and tell the people there that they needed their votes and would ask the villagers “what do you need?”  And the villagers for example would reply a hospital or clinic and PRI would put in speed bumps and basketball courts.  To ensure that they got their votes, they would cheat and fill out a card and give it to the people so that they could copy it.  we would also see written on a building PRI with an X through it, this actually meant vote for PRI, like mark the ballet this way!  The corruption of PRI was also described in detail in our textbook by Jaime Suchlicki, Mexico: From Montezuma to the Fall of the PRI. (2001) .  Many of the PRI changes in leadership and the mysterious assignations were described in this book.  We also saw two men chopping wood in the coutntryside. They would chop the wood, burn it to make charcoal, and then they would sell the charcoal to make their living.
 We finally reach Coba.  Admission is free on Sundays, but parking isn’t (ha!).  You also had to pay to use the bathroom (two pesos) and you had to pay extra (30 pesos) to use a camcorder!  When we entered the ruin sites, two tour guides tried to tell Dr. de la Cova that he couldn’t give any explanations for any of the ruins and that we needed a tour guide for that and that it would cost 400 pesos~$40.00.  De la Cova said no! He did not give explanations until the guides went away.
Some things we saw at Coba were:
-Grupo Coba:  has 43 structures
-Xobel arch
-Stella with a candle lite and crackers
-Ball Court, which was very narrow and had hoops
-(2nd) Ball Court, only half of it was uncovered
-There was a skull and a block of rock that had a jaguar ingrained within the middle of the ball court.
All of the structures that were listed above were discussed in class.  It made it come to life more actually getting to see the structures up close.

Background on these structures:
· Korbel Arch
1. flat rock at the very top
2. no keystone
· Stelae
1. big statues
2. have glyphs
3. have ruler portrait in it

Background on Coba:
    The city of Coba covers an area of around 70 km, and the principal groups of buildings are situated near the lakes of Coba and Macanxoc. It has an important network of white roads (sacbe) of varying lengths. These sacbe connect Coba with other building groups and other settlements. The most notable is Sacbe 1, which is 100 km long and almost reaches Chichen Itza. The stelae of Coba were built sometime between 600 and 800 AD. These were sculptured stone monuments on which the basic events of the ruling class were registered. It is estimated that the population of Coba in the 8th century was around 55,000 people. Between 800 and 1100 AD, construction development reached its peak. The classical architectural style of Coba resembles more that of the Peten of Guatemala than that of the northern Yucatan. By the time of the Post-Classic period, Coba lost its superior force and other cities along the coast, such as Tulum, began to flourish.

We also climbed a very high pyramid.

    We then traveled to Tulum.  We ate at Subway there.  At one bathroom, you had to pay, but at another you just felt obligated to tip the lady because she gave you toilet paper and paper towels.  At Tulum, we were able to watch the “pole dancers” and had our picture taken with them.  If you didn’t give a good enough donation they would haggle you for more.  These “pole dancers” are called Voladares.

As seen in the class documentary Food for the Ancestors:

· Dance of the Flyers - 60 foot wooden pole
 -honors gods on change of agricultural cycle
 -rotate 13 times - 13 x 4 = 52 represents 52 year cycle

 We took a type of trolley to the Tulum ruins.  Once there, we were told to notice that the roofs and columns were Toltec not Maya influences.  Tulum is very beautiful.  A wall that has very narrow entries, which were safer than wide entries, surrounds it.  We studied many ruins here.  One that stands out in my mind would have to be:

 Pinturas:  there were red handprints and four faces one at each corner.

After we visited the ruins, we got to swim at the beach at Tulum, which was very nice and pretty.  Some of the guys tried some fresh coconut!  Tulum had a lot of very pretty flowers and trees.  It was very beautiful!  Especially with the ocean as a backdrop!  As we were leaving the Tulum sight, the parking lot attendant at the gate tried to cheat Dr. de la Cova over the exchange of pesos and dollars, but didn’t pull it over his eyes.

Background from class about Tulum:
Tulum - (1200 - 1518 A.D.)
· Toltec/Mayan influence
· surrounded by a wall all the way around 12 to 15 feet tall
· columns, flat roofs
· built after fall of Maya

The site was probably occupied from the Early Classic period (AD 250-600), but most likely did not develop into an important city until the Late Post classic (1200-1530).  In the 13th century Tulum had links with Mayapan, and was still a thriving trading community when the Spaniards arrived. The first Spanish sailors to see Tulum reportedly were so impressed that from sea they said it looked as big a city as Seville.

Tulum remained occupied for several decades after the Conquest, longer than other places on the coast. It was actually reoccupied in 1890-1910, by a breakaway sect from the Talking Cross Maya. They were led by a woman "high priestess" who held rituals in the temples of the Castillo. Tulum was one of the few walled Mayan cities. Opinions differ if this was a defensive measure or a barrier to separate the royalty and the ceremonial center from the rest of the city.

Major things we saw at Tulum included the following: El Castillo, Great Palace, House of the Cenote, House of the Halach Uinic, Structure 20, Temple of the Descending God, Temple of the Frescoes, Temple of the Wind, Tulum Beach, and the walls and watchtowers. We also watched the Totonac Voladores Indian ceremony.

We made our long trip back to the hotel, cleaned up, ate dinner; they had an oriental night tonight.  I had quesadillas and the buffet.  I got some very good oriental like chicken noodle soup (yum)!  And then we went to Cancun, which is very Americanized and to Senor Frogs, which is even more Americanized!  Then headed back to the hotel for much needed sleep!

4-8-02
Sites Visited: Ek Balam and Chichen Itza

Woke up at 6:30am again!  Got ready and packed, because today is the last day in Cancun and went down to breakfast.  Didn’t eat much, but did have some Spanish frosted flakes called Zucosos made by Nestle.  Checked out of Solymar and loaded our vans to start our three-hour drive to Merida.  On our way, we stopped at a gas station that was full service (not gallons, but liters).  Near the gas station, there was a Seven Eleven and a number of vendors selling food.  Then we headed back on to the highway towards Merida.  On our way, we went through Xuch, just a small town of about 3,000 people.  We noticed that there were very colorful painted rocks on the side of the road.  We also noticed that there were political campaign propaganda spray painted on objects along the side of the road.
 Our first stop before getting to Merida was Ek-Balam.  This was a smaller Maya site. There was still a lot to still be uncovered.  They were actually still in the process of excavating.  Some of the things that we saw that especially stand out on my mind are the following:
-) Mayan lintels:  wooden strips above doorway that would usually have carvings on them
-) A drainage system for rain to be collected and at the bottom there was a cistern

Background information from class:
· Chultun Cisterns
1. built to store water
2. funnel-shaped
3.  would collect rain water

Dr. de la Cova pointed out that when they reconstructed part of the ruin they put a very small line of small stones on the wall to show that everything above that point is reconstruction.  Inside the big main pyramid that had thatched roofs was a big statue-like figure of Chaac, the rain god.  It had a very big face with large teeth.  This was a royal burial area.  At Ek-Balam, we climbed the large pyramid that had Chaac in it.
We saw a chultun – which is a water storage/collection behind the pyramids.

Background information about Ek-Balam:
 Ek-Balam is a name in Yucatecan Mayan that can be literally translated as “black or dark jaguar.”
 Founded in the year 100 BC, it was probably one of the most powerful Pre-Hispanic Mayan Cities, economically, religiously and socially speaking.  It reached the height of its power during the late Classical period of 600-1000 A.D.  This important city covered an area of some 12 square kilometers.  Containing 45 structures, the site is surrounded by two stone walls; there is also a third wall between some of the principal buildings.  There are also a ball court, an important series of roads, and stellae.  The original cisterns they built are called “chultunes.”

Major things we saw at Ek Balam included the following: Central Plaza, the five main surrounding structures (Structure 1, Structure 2, Structure 3, Structure 17, and Structure 12), Structure 15, Structure 10, Structure 11, murallas, and the sacbes.

 On the way to Chichen Itza, we went through a small town and saw many children leaving school they all/most had uniforms on.  The town had a place for the kids to hang out.   There were basketball courts and a trampoline and sitting areas.  By the way, Chichen Itiza will be our 2nd stop for the day before arriving at Merida. In that same small town, we saw a church that was founded by “Miguel Hidalgo.”  We saw how important Hidalgo was in many of the movies that we watched in class.  He was also discussed in detail in our textbook by Jaime Suchlicki, Mexico: From Montezuma to the Fall of the PRI. (2001).   His main cause was that he was the leader of the Mexican Revolution.  We saw a Presbiterian Church.  It was pointed out about a hotel that was partly named Mestizo. These are racially mixed people, half Indian and half white, and showed that there wasn’t a problem with using the term Mestizo publicly, as we also learned in class.
 We arrived at Chichen Itza.  First we went in the inside of the main big pyramid and saw the red jaguar throne and an emerald Chacmool statue.  Then we went to eat lunch, which was very good.  I had lime soup, very yummy.  I also was able to get the necklace that I wanted, which they spelled your name out in Maya hieroglyphics.  Then we proceeded to go through the ruins at Chichen Itza.  We first climbed the main pyramid, the same one we went inside earlier.  And after that or possibly before that (I can’t remember order) we went around to the other ruins.  These are just a few that stand out to me:
-) The fact that the Toltecs found and added to ruins
-) El Caracol -- The Observatory, which had the face of Chaac on it (which were not Maya, but Toltec)
-) There was a large area that had many columns and at one time had a roof over it.  This would have been a gathering place because it also had a very long bench along it
-) We also got to see a much larger ball court

Background information about Chichen Itza:
 Dated back 1,553 years ago, the famous Mayan pyramids of Chichen Itza, the name is derived from the Mayan language: “Chi” is mouth, “Chen” is well and “Itza” is the tribe that inhabited the area.  The site is divided into three areas: the north group, distinctly Toltec; the central group, early period; and the area known as the Old Chichen.
Major things we saw at Chichen Itza included the following: El Castillo (Interior Temple of Kukulcan), Great Ball Court, Temple of the Jaguars, Market, Palace of the Sculptured Columns, Platform of Venus, Platform of the Jaguars, Sacred Cenote, steam bath, Temple of the Large Tables, Temple of the Warriors, Tzompantli (Platform of Skulls), Chichanchoob (The Red House), The Church, House of the Deer,  House of the Grinding Stones, The Nunnery, Observatory (El Caracol), Ossuary, and the Platform of the Tombs.

  Chichen Itza - (550 B.C. - 1220 A.D.)
· El Castillo Pyramid - during the equinox (September 21) it illuminates the body of snake up the side stairway of the pyramid
· Caracol Observatory - contained astronomical alignments
· Cenole - sink hole - stores water
· Temple of the Warriors - Chac Mool (Toltec invention, later adopted by Aztecs)

 When we left Chichen Itza (very, very tired at this point) we drove the rest of the way to Merida.  On the way there, we noticed that people down here do not turn on their headlights until it is very dark.  We finally arrived at the Holiday Inn in Merida and checked in and cleaned up, and then met for a delicious authentic Mexican meal.  I had chicken and some rice, pasta, chips and dip, onion soup, and some kind of cake.  On our way to Merida, we noticed hotels that had walls all the way around them.  These were hourly hotels.  For your privacy.  You would have no interaction with the workers.  After dinner, Matt and I crossed the street and went into the mall.  We went into a few stores that were still open.  Matt bought me two silver bracelets and one necklace for $13.00.  The lady didn’t speak any English, so this was a good time to try to use some of my Spanish-speaking skills.  Before going back to the hotel, Matt, Dr. de la Cova, and I were stopped by a little girl, who would shortly be joined by her sister, who were selling roses for ten pesos a piece.  This was fun because Dr. de la Cova talked with her a bit and it was a lot of fun trying to figure out what they were talking about.  Then we headed back to the hotel.  We tried to call home, but it cost fifteen pesos in the hotel and we couldn’t figure out how to use the pay phone.  Matt bought me a rose!  We also had to ask for a washcloth.

Background information about Merida:
 According to Yucatecan history, Merida was founded by the Spaniard Francisco de Montejo on January 6, 1542.  When the Spaniards arrived, Merida was a large Mayan city known as T’ho.  Situated on what is now the Main Plaza, it was conquered by the Spaniards who dismantled all the pyramids and used the huge stones as the foundation for the Cathedral of San Idelfonso (1556-1599), the oldest cathedral on the American continent..  The cathedral is situated on the east side of the Plaza.  Directly across the Plaza is the Palacio Municipal (1735), Merida’s Town Hall.  On the south side is the Casa de Montejo (1542), the former home of the conqueror of Yucatan.  The Palacio de Gobierno (1892), on the north side, houses 27 murals illustrating the somewhat violent, bloody, history of Yucatan.
 

4-9-02
Sites Visited: Oxkintok, Uxmal, and the small town of Muna

 I woke up once again bright and early, got ready and headed down stairs for an authentic Mexican breakfast.  After breakfast, Dr. de la Cova told us that we were going to wait just a few minutes before leaving so that we could have our windshield wipers changed because yesterday it rained and they didn’t work very well.  As he told to us in lecture, in some way service at times isn’t as prompt here in Mexico as we would like, but after a while, a gentleman came and changed our wipers.
 Then we were on our way to Oxkintok.  On our way, we had to go through Merida.  It was pointed out that many houses had a cement “fence/wall” around them, but the clever part about these “fences” was that they had broken bottles/glass cemented at the top so people could not climb over.
 When we were driving further out in the country, we were able to see a stone quarry, which was very neat.  We were able to see how they cut away the stone slabs to use for construction.  The Puuc Hills that have been discussed in both our textbook and in class were right in our plain view, which was pretty neat.  The Puuc Hills is what breaks up the low flat terrain of the Yucatan peninsula.  We also saw a graveyard with many of the small altar-type houses, like we read about in the assigned article.  I saw a grove of coconut trees.  We were told that the road that we had to take was called an ancient Maya Sacbe.  This was discussed in class.  They are roads that connect cities.  They were very narrow and straight a lot of times people would just pave over them to be used for roads.

Background information:
· Sacbe
1. roads that were built between the cities
2. straight narrow flat causeway roads
3. crushed limestone

 We arrived at Oxkintok; there was practically no one there except two workers and us, but it was a fairly large complicated site.  There weren’t any restrooms though.  One of the first things that was pointed out to us was the Chultunes.  They were said to hold any where from 1,200 to 25,000 liters of water.  There were shorter sacbes that connected the “Grupos.”  The circumference of this site is fifteen kilometers.  This site also had a rugged ball court about medium size.  Only half of the hoop was there and the other part had been taken to the museum in Merida.  There was a wooden cross at the top of a ruin.  This was placed there by the workers every May 3, which is the Day of the Holy Cross.  It was at the top of a set of stairs.  We saw the Temple of the Masks.  There were grinding stones (metates used for grinding corn) found everywhere.  Some had holes worn right through them.  When they would get so worn, they would use them as water troughs for the animals.  One ruin had a labyrinth underneath it, which we went through with the aid of flashlights and a guide.  The “windows” of the labyrinth were aligned so perfectly that at the equinox they illuminated all of the tunnels.  This was called El Laberinto. There were also bats, worms, and bugs in the labyrinth.  The windows lined up and a king was burned in there.  They found human bones that have been used as quills. And they have found masks.  The labyrinth was used as an observatory.  We got to see a Chultun that was four meters deep.  It was also funnel shaped at the top.  There was a temple made for the Bird that brought bad luck.  There were four statues of the Bird, but some were stolen and one was cut at the bottom and the top of it was stolen.  Next to it was the Temple of the Devil or of the goddess of fertility (because the statue looks pregnant).  The guide said that some people believe it to be an extraterrestrial.  On March 21, the sun lines up with the Korbel Arch and the platform in the center (this was the start of spring).  This site also had a steam bath.  There was a small door (which was used as an entrance) and a large door (which led to the changing room).  At the very end, we were told that the workers actually still used a Chultun that has been restored on the outside wall of the site.  As we left, they asked us to sign a book to show how many people came out to the site.

Background information about Oxkintok:
· Sweatbaths
1.  steambaths
2.  for purification
3.  or used for regular bath

Oxkintok is a Mayan word composed by the words “ox” (three), “kin” (gives or sun) and “tok” (pedernal) and means "Three pedernal DAS" or "Three sharp suns".

The Pre-Hispanic city of Oxkintok is located half way between the port of Celestun on the Gulf of Mexico and the Dzibilchaltun archaeological zone just a few miles north of our hotel in Merida. It is also near the gateway or passage formed by both the west end of the Puuc hills and the rolling country bordering the Yucatan Peninsula’s western coastal plains. This ancient city is around 2,000 years old. The dating of ruins runs from around 300 to 1050 AD.

Oxkintok is characterized by the antiquity of its calendar inscriptions (475 and 487 AD), by its anthropomorphous stone columns: its guardians, and mainly, by the particularity of its earlier buildings, like the Satunsat, known also like "the labyrinth".

Major things we saw at Oxkintok included the following: The Labyrinth, Structure CA-4, Pop Palace, Chich Palace, and the Palace of Diablo.

 Next we made our way to Uxmal.   We ate lunch there and got to explore some more ruins.  The first ruin we saw was the Magician's Pyramid, which was still having excavation done to it.  These ruins also had Puuc style on the cylinders imbedded in the walls; columns and blocks every other one.  We saw the Nunnery, the name came from when the Spaniards came and the square ruins reminded them of their nunneries.  One of the structures had a carved snake across it with a very distinctive head.  All of this would have been very colorful, because they painted it, but they used vegetable based paint, so eventually it wore away.  Uxmal also had a somewhat large ball court.  We got to see a statue of El Trono del Jaguar, the double-headed jaguar throne, which was in front of the Governor’s Palace.  We saw a ruin called Dove Cots: El Grupo del Palomar.  The name came from Spaniards thinking the upper “ceiling/roof” looked like a place to keep doves.  The last ruin we saw was the burial grounds, which had skull and crossbones engraved on a lot of stones.  I noticed that it is completely amazing how many ruins still need to be excavated.  On our way out, Dr. de la Cova tried to get a receipt, but they gave us one that only declared half the price that we were charged.  We think that they pocketed part of it.  Also on our way out, a lot of us were going to buy some T-shirts, but we found out that they had offered us a much higher dollar cost than they did to the rest of our group.  Dr. de la Cova told us that the corruption starts form the top and trickles down.

Background information about Uxmal:
Uxmal is just a few kilometers down the road from Kabah. The Arch of Kabah marked the beginning of the Mayan road from Kabah to Uxmal (12 miles). Uxmal is the thrice-built city with the colossal Magician’s Pyramid, impressive Governor’s Palace, intricate Doves Cotes and Grand Nuns Quadrangle.

Major things we saw at Uxmal included the following: Ball Game Court, Cemetery Quadrangle, Nunnery Quadrangle, Pyramid of the Magician, Quadrangle of the Birds, Governor's Palace, The Great Pyramid, House of the Doves (Quadrangle of the Pigeons or Doves), and the House of the Turtles.

 On our way back to Merida, we went through many small towns and villages.  We stopped at the town called Muna, which is a colonial zone.  We were able to observe a colonial church, in which they were having a prayer service.  At the head of the church, there was a statue of the Virgin of the Assumption, which represents the day when the Virgin Mary went to heaven.  She was dressed in a Yucatan dress so the people can identify with her.  This religious syncretism was explained in class by Dr. de la Cova. There were burials on the walls of the church and in the floors.  There was an altar with a statue of Jesus as a little boy.  It had balloons on it that said something to the effect that “My destiny is in your hands.”  We went around the town square.  There was a statue in honor of Benito Juarez.  He is a full-blooded Indian that was the most popular President ever in Mexico, which was pointed out in lecture and in our text.  As we walked through the town, everyone looked at us strangely, since hardly any tourists go there.

Information about Muna:
Major things we saw at Muna included the following: main altar in church, image of Virgin of Assumption wearing an indigenous dress, status of St. John Bosco, shrine to the child Jesus, and a bier with electric lights containing the image of Christ.

 On the way back, to Merida we went through a couple towns and noticed that some families still built their houses like the Mayans used to, but some have started to use a rubber-like roof and possibly some steel corrugated roofs.
 When we got back to Merida, we went back to the hotel and took much-needed showers and ate a very good Mexican meal.  We got to see some Yucatan dancers and were able to see and hear some Spanish singers.  The dancers balanced bottles and trays with glasses and bottles, while dancing on a small cube box.  At dinner, we talked about the day's events and Dr. DelaCova looked over our journals.  Claudia, the little girl that we got roses form yesterday, came back and we bought some roses again.  She told Dr. de la Cova that she has seven siblings and that they range from ages three to thirteen.  She goes to school from l p.m. to 5 p.m. and then has to sell the flowers until they are all gone.  She can’t go home until she does.  She speaks Spanish and very little Mayan.  She wants to learn English.  She said her grandmother speaks Mayan, but she doesn’t understand her.  That was pretty much my day!!!

4-10-02 Sites Visited: Market and Museum

 Today was “Market Merida Day.”  We went through the market today and saw pretty much exactly what we saw on the videos that we watched in class (Food for the Ancestors).  There were sections of the market for:  clothing, jewelry, shoes, meat (open air meat market, meat just hanging around no refrigeration, bloody floor...), noodles, tortias, fruits, vegetables, etc….  We didn’t get to be in the Market very long, but we were able to haggle a bit with the ladies and salesmen.  Some of the guys bought Guayabera shirts, which we talked about in class.

Background information about Guayaberas:
Dr. de la Cova’s shirt
· Guayabera (Yucatan specializes) - for men, popular
· Huipil - for women, peasant like shirt

Towards the late 1800’s, guayabera was the shirt of choice of the upper-class Yucatecans.  They bought these comfortable shirts on their frequent trips to Cuba.  When Castro came into power in the early 60’s, things changed.  This was when a group of industrious Yucatecans decided that they would produce guayaberas here in the Yucatan.  Since 1970, the guayabera became so popular locally, nationally and internationally that a slogan was born that says “Yucatan is the door to the Mayan World and Merida is the world capital of the Guayabera.”
 Guayabera Jack is one of the oldest and best known producers of guayaberas.  They owe their worldwide fame to their quality and constant innovations.  To this day they sew these with the finest materials, threads and buttons.  When you wear one of these shirts, you will feel elegant and proud to be the wearer of a fine 100% Yucatecan guayabera.

The market and the interaction with the people is what I liked the most, so I really hope we get to go again before we leave.  Once we left the market, we went to the downtown plaza area.  There we saw Montejo’s house, he was the founder of the city.  It is a 16th century house, with an internal patio, which would have (does have some) many trees (some fruit trees); it also had an internal garden.  The house is colonial architecture.  It had a painted (very colorful) ceiling!  We got to see the Cathedral, which was very big and beautiful.  There were many beggars and hagglers.  Three men pretty much followed us through the plaza.  One was selling hats and the other two were selling hammocks.
 From there, we went to the museum.  It was a family Montejo house built in the 1900s, during the time of beautification, which was like the time of beautification in Mexico City, during the Porfirio Diaz government, that was lectured on during class.  It was later sold to the Government and then was turned into an art school and then became a museum.  The following is a list of things that we got to see.  Many if not all were talked about in the video we watched before coming during class and in our text book that has been given to us.  Also many of these were a better up close look at what we have been seeing:
-Atlantean figure used to be a type of column to hold up parts of ruins (Chichen Itza)
-artifacts from Mayapan (“small Chichen Itza”)
-colored artifacts (yellow, red, blue, turquoise)
-statue with open mouth, serpent
-jaguar from Chichen Itza
-Male skull:  dental mutilation (file teeth down), jade on teeth (mentioned and shown in lecture), calculus build up, different shaped teeth, lines on teeth, middle aged male
-different methods of shaping their heads; as from lecture, this is a sign of royalty, the use of cranial deformation
-if you study bones you can tell what diseases that the person had
-18 month old Mayan that had a flat squarish head
-skulls show iron deficiencies on back of skull
-wall of El Mural de la Batalla,  not finished yet some what like the one discussed in class
-A photo of the pyramid that we climbed in Coba before its excavation, almost all covered with vegetation
-sculpture on stone representation of “Chaac” the god of rain at Chichen Itza 900-1200AD nose missing as well as arms
-ring of ball court from Uxmal
-Anillo del Juego de pelota Oxkmtok Yucatan (looked like another ring from a ball court)
-burials found on pots in rock with lid (on Jaina Island, over 20,000 found; on very rocky island)
-no two Chutulns alike
-suspected that copper and bronze tools came from Panama and Colombia
-Estella 26 from Oxkmtok depicting prisoners
-jade necklace (very large) and earrings and jewelry
 Today we also ate at the Burger King in Merida.  At every fast food restaurant they pay someone to tell people where to park.  The parking attendant has a whistle.  At Burger King there was also a young man in the parking lot selling candy and gum.  When we went into Burger King it was much cleaner than the ones back home and there was a sign up sheet in the bathrooms, where workers had to come in every 15 minutes and clean the bathroom and then sign the sheet saying they had done so.  The bathrooms were very clean!!
 From the museum, we went back to the hotel.  First, before dinner, we went to Wal-Mart.  It was very similar to back home except there were a lot of “Mexican” products, which were really cool.  Then we headed back to the hotel to get cleaned up and to eat dinner.  After dinner, Matt bought a rose from Claudia again and got us a carriage ride, while Val, Skip, and I went to the mall across the street.  Our carriage ride was very informative and nice.  Antoni was our driver, and he took us all around Merida and gave a great tour.  We also got to talk to him about Christianity and Jesus and God, which was very nice.

4-11-02
Sites Visited: Bolonchen (Xtampak), Tahcok, and Edzna

 Woke up bright and early once again, got ready, and went down to breakfast.  After breakfast, Skippy and I walked down to Wal-Mart to get shoe inserts, but they didn’t have any of the ones that we wanted (the gel kind) and to get some snacks because we were supposed to have a late lunch.  I also got some film and Q-tips.  I got snacks and we both got water.  The funny thing about the water is that it has been selling for about $1 to $2, which is about 9 to 18 pesos, but at Wal-Mart it was 4.8 pesos, which is less than $0.50!  After Wal-Mart, I exchanged some money. The exchange rate went up to 8.93 and tonight it was up to 8.96.  Soon after that, we left for the ruins.
 We went to three sites today, the following are descriptions of them and what we saw:
First Stop:  Santa Rosa Xtampak:
We had to travel on a very very very bad Swiss cheese road; even though we later found out that it was only two years old, it was an awful road.  The site had no electricity (the radio they had ran on batteries), no water (that we could drink), no tourists since two days earlier, did have a cistern for the workers, it cost 30 pesos to use a video camera, 22 pesos for the admission.  Things I saw or noticed:
-The Palace:  lintels above the door were taken down to preserve them, (we weren’t “supposed” to climb it, but we did because the guide let us)~ (2 to 3 signs);
-El Palacio, 3 levels, 28 rooms on 1st floor, 12 rooms on 2nd floor, 5 rooms on 3rd floor
This site has only been open to the public for two years and there has been very little excavation done to it.
-La Casa Colorada y el Edifico Adjunto was a red building, Maler was here and took pictures in 1902
-Edificio con Boca de Serpientes:  some elements of Puuc architecture, the doorway shaped like a snake's mouth.
1-El Cuartel: quadrangle, 44m by 53m
2-El Cuadrangulo del Sureste: Chenes-Puuc style
1 & 2 probably used for different ceremonies.
-Chenes style: lintels made out of rock, not wood

Background information about Bolonchen (Xtampak):
The extensive site of Santa Rosa Xtampak in Campeche, Mexico belongs to the Late Classical period of Maya-culture (700-800 AD). It contains a number of buildings which are in comparatively good condition. In the center of this Maya city there is a three story palace consisting of 44 interior rooms and two almost symmetrical staircases. Influences of the weather have considerably damaged the facade of this palace, so that it is difficult to distinguish any clear lines or structures. This site is considered as the largest and most important city in the Chenes region. It became a regional capital in the Maya area.
In Maya, Xtampak means "old or ancient walls". The evidence of the first human occupation of the site dates from the Late Pre-Classic period (300-250 BC). During the 200 year period from 600-800 AD, in the Late Classic period, Santa Rosa Xtampak became an important political entity of the Chenes region, which is clearly reflected on the extension of its nucleus and the amount and monumentality of its edifices. The decline of the site seems to have started during the early Terminal Classic, from 800-1000 AD.

Major things we saw at Xtampak included the following: El Palacio, Edificio con Boca de Serpientes, the Casa Colorada and the Edificio Adjunto, the Cuartel, and the Cuadrangulo del Surestre.

Second stop:  Tohcok (on side of road):
-one main building - only ruin you could see pretty much, there are tons to be excavated still.  It looked like the government had just plowed right over a ruin and made a road.  This was a little sad to see
-stone lintels
-had ponds and chultunes to collect water and use during dry season
-ball court, hoop preserved inside main building
-has columns and lintels that are made out of stone not wood
-eyeball and ear off of a god mask are preserved inside main building, as well as a door hinge
-there were “peach” trees (a brown round seed with stuff inside that was sweet and edible, and the tree is used to build chairs…
-also “white papaya” trees

Third Stop:  Edzna:
-stella
-broken up stella
-Nohochana (large house):  very large staircase 135m, 15 ignoramus steps, 4 long rooms used for hearings, accounting… steps used for seats
-Gran Acropolis:  quadrangle measure 160m has base and then pyramids built on top of base (very very very large); a little Greek style like, there is a plaza as well as pyramids on base
-(center) Edificio de los Cinco Pisos:  27 rooms, started to build in 625AD, but took many many years to finish
-(left) Templo del Norte:  Puuc, Chenes, Chantal architecture
 As we were traveling, we went through many small towns.  They all pretty much looked the same as described before.  Three things that caught my attention though were:

1.  There was a house that was part Maya structure, like thatched house and part cement
2.  There was a house with Direct TV satellite dish
3.  The animals around some of the places hadn’t seen very many cars so they didn’t know what to do (get out of the way).

Background information about Edzna:
This Mayan city was founded around 600 to 300 BC as a small agricultural community. As the years passed it became an important economical, political, and religious entity. Edzna reached its most important era between 600 and 900 AD as a grand regional capital.

Over the years an important hydraulic system of aqueducts, holding tanks and canals was developed, allowing Edzna to be independent, as it had water, the vital source for life. It is located about 60 kilometers from Campeche.

The translation of the name Edzna has caused quite a bit of controversy over the years. Some scholars think it means “House of the Itzaes” (a group of Indians), while others think it is “House of Echoes.” To add to the confusion, there are also a significant number that believe it means “House of Gestures”.

Edzna is one of Campeche’s most visited sites and is considered very important to the Mayan world. Edzna was discovered in 1906, but excavation did not begin until around 1927. After a long period of leaving the site alone, it has just recently undergone more study and restoration.

Major things we saw at Edzna included the following: Gran Acropolis, Edificio de los Cinco Pisos, Temple of the Mascarones, Templo de Norte, the Platform of the Cuchillos, Stela 21, La Pequena Acropolis, and the Platform of the Embajadores.

We headed back and ate dinner and went to bed.
 

4-12-02
Sites Visited: Ake and Itzamul

Once again I woke up bright and early, got ready, ate breakfast, and got ready to go.  Exchange rate was 8.96 to 9.00.  The following are where we went today and descriptions of what I picked up…
Our first stop was in the town of Ake.  Ake was also the name of the ruins.  The ruins were pretty much on the out skirts of town.  They were just off a little bit of one of the roads in the town actually.   The town’s church was built on top of the pyramid.  Right below it we saw some chickens running around.  And just beside the ruins were small hut-like homes.  There were a couple of more ruins that we could see.  One in particular had a lot of columns.  There was still a lot that needed to be excavated.  The town also had a 19th century Rope Fiber Factory, which is still in use today.  We got to go through it and it was very very neat!  This factory was much in demand in the 19th century when this sisal rope was used a lot before synthetic material came along and in turn made this town flourish in the past.  This town has a lot of henequen plants, which were used for the fiber for the rope.  You can also make tequila out of the Henequen plant.  People bring the leaves of the plant into the factory in bundles.  One man had pulled out one and put his name and how many leaves he had brought in.  Example:  (nombre, 14,000) and this was the real number!
 There is a small railroad track going from outside to the inside of the factory (building #1).  There was a type of conveyor belt that had claws on it and this used to make rope fiber.  The rest is used for fertilizer and cattle fodder. They lay the fibers out to dry and then bring it to another nearby building (maybe half a block, if that).  This is where they process it… “combing” it, “twisting” it, and putting it on spools.  They sold some to us for 20 to 25 pesos depending on the thickness of the rope.  One machine was as old as 1896 and the newwest was dated 1947!  We saw a Zapote Tree, which is a fruit tree.  The fruit is very sweet inside.  We also got to go into the small Catholic Church that was on top of the pyramid.  We got to go into a Hacienda, which was very neat.  The owner lives in Merida, and we were told that an actress rented it for a week.

Background information about Ake:
Major things we saw at Ake included the following: main temple with columns and stairs, ceremonial plaza, some large un-carved stelae, unexcavated pyramid in ruins, old hacienda, and the colonial church. In the church we saw the main altar, photos of a sick child who needed prayers, and statues to various saints. We also got to visit a henequen hacienda. Here we got to see the henequen leaves that were ready for harvesting, a tour of the mansion, the hacienda workshop, and the henequen factory. While we were here we also saw bundles of henequen leaves being delivered, the lift that hauls the leave bundles to the upper loft of the workshop, the workshop loft, henequen leaves being shredded, the worn pulleys and gears of the machinery, shredded henequen fibers drying, shredded leaf waste that they use for fertilization, fiber strands being processed, fiber being braided, and the final product.

 Our second stop was Itzamal, which means “morning mist.”  We ate at a local restaurant.  I tried to feed a dog, but it wouldn’t eat the food.  All of the dogs down here are very skinny.  I saw a couple of dogs carrying bloody bones with some meat on them.  We saw a dog fight in front of our restaurant, not a real bad one though.  The first place we visited was Convento de San Antonio de Padua.  It is very big and it is yellow and white.  Many of the houses are yellow and white as well.  This is because, maybe, of corn~Maya people of the sun.  They started using the yellow powder that the Spaniards brought with them mixed with water to paint with (much easier) rather than using eggs which is what they were previously using.  We got to see some frescos that were painted on the convent.  They were painted in 1558 and were uncovered in 1992.  The Pope also visited here.  They had archeologist working on the convent, but money ran out, before he was finished. We went into the church.  There is a legend that people from another village tried to steal the Virgin of Immaculate Conception statue centuries ago, but she became too heavy and they couldn’t carry her out.  Around the back we got to see a 200-year-old avocado tree.  The north part of the convent is not open to the public, it is home for six Franciscan friars.  Zabna was /is the Mayan god.  He looked similar to Jesus, a short, white man.  He came to Ake around 300A.D. and taught about astronomy, said to “wish on a falling star.”  The church was built on top of a pyramid.  Zabna told his people to cut his body in four pieces when he died and to bury his head at the north, torso at the south~at the pyramid here in the church, legs in the east, and hands in the west.  There are ruins for all four of these places.  There is a “Chapel of the Virgin.”  In 1553, fray Diego de Landa founded this church.  He was the one who burnt the Mayan codexes that we studied about, and later regretted it.  De Landa was the second Bishop of the Yucatan.  He opposed the encomienda system, because the Spaniards were very abusive.  De Landa was described in much detail in a movie we watched and in class lectures.  Used Maya holy object for baby baptism.  We got to go to a ruin in this town called Kinich KaKmoo.  We saw the pyramid of Itzamatul, which was right in the middle of town right by homes and restaurants.  They built city hall on a pyramid platform.  We got to go to the market for a bit, but it started to rain and everybody closed up shop.

Background information about Itzamul:
Itzamul is said to possibly be the oldest of cities in the Yucatan. The history of Itzamul is very attached to its religious facts. It was conquered by the Spaniards, and it was the monks that worked hard to convert the Indians to Catholicism that has given the city its distinction. The monks still to this day are very devoted to the Immaculate Virgin. The same history also accounts for the egg-yolk yellow color throughout the entire town. This has to do with the fact that the Mayans believed thay they were created out of corn dough (maize), which was a similar yellow color.

The most important thing to see here is the “Franciscan Convent” that was built over one of the Mayan pyramids using its stones. This convent is also famous for the story of the monk Fray Diego de Landa, its founder, who burned all the Indian scripts, and then feeling remorse for what he had done, he tried rewrite all he could remember of the ways of the Indians.

It is also here where Pope John Paul II visited in 1993. This has been one of Itzamul’s claims to fame ever since. From the opened area in front of the convent there are beautiful altar pieces. There also is a very nice stained glass window of St. Francis of Assi, as well as many statues along the walls.

Major things we saw at Itzamul included the following: Convento de San Antonio de Padua, Immaculate Virgin image, stained glass window of St. Francis of Assi, statue commemorating Pope John Paul’s visit in 1993, statue of Our Lady of Itzamul, gold leaf paint, crystal chandeliers, flowers, elegantly painted walls, Government Palace, Kinich Kakmo, Itzamatul, the Conejo, City Hall, the market, the plaza, and statues of Fray Diego de Landa.

 We headed for Merida arrived at the hotel, went for a swim, got cleaned up, ate dinner, got ice cream, went to the mall across the street, and hit the hay.

4-13-02
Sites Visited: Market, Cancun Airport, and Indianapolis Airport

 Woke up bright and early, got ready, and went to breakfast.  Since today was going to be such a short day and because of the fact that check out was at 1:00 p.m., we got to go to the market again for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.  We were allowed to split up into small groups and go wherever we wanted.  We went through the market and also to some side streets.  I noticed though that the side street stores do not haggle!  Once we were done shopping, we met back together and headed back to the hotel, where we packed, cleaned up a little, and loaded the van.  We ate at McDonalds for lunch.  Both times we went to get fast food it was much faster and much cleaner than in the United States.  Then we made our way back to the Cancun Airport.  On the way, we had to pay a toll, but one of the cars in front of us got stopped and pulled over.  We thought he just didn’t have the money, but later he passed us by.  Also on the way there, we drove through a rainstorm.  We could see the line of rain coming towards us.  It was windy too, but it didn’t last very long.  Once we got to the airport, we checked in, looked through some stores (they have a lot more than in the USA, looked through a Duty Free Store, that was neat), ate at Dominos, and waited for the plane to arrive.  When the plane arrived, we boarded with no problem, and we had plenty of room because there are about 140 extra seats on board.
 I would just like to conclude by saying that anyone who thinks that this was a vacation, is crazy!  It was a learning experience that was very, very, very tiring with 12-hour days and really no free time.  It was fun, but hard, and I really don’t think just anybody could do it, but it would be nice if everyone could have the opportunity to experience what we were all able to experience.