More Temples & Pyramids

Before we left Mexico to visit Berlize and Guatemala and other pyramid sites, we went to Chitzen Itza, probably the most visited Mayan site in Mexico. Staying at a hotel inside the park but outside the archaeological area, allowed us an early start, before the bus load hoards of day trippers arrived. On the way to Chetumal on the Mexico-Belize boarder, we also visited another amazing Mayan temple site - this one on the coast with a spectacular view. No temple climbing allowed at either site.


View of the Mayan Observatory from the hotel lobby
Chitzen Itza




Mayan columns, use to support a false arch to build
covered / rooved buildings




Sacrificial altar on top of Temple, Chitzen Itza





Main Temple, Chitzen Itza

 



View from Tulum, Mexico





Main Complex, Tulum

The whole gang, Tulum

Furry Friend at Tulum

Temples, pyramids and other interesting things

When thinking of Mexico, one of the prominent thoughts that occur, is the Aztecs and the coming of the Spanish Conquistadores. Few people really consider the Mayan or pre-Mayan inhabitants of this narrow peninsula between two great continents. In Australia, our education regarding other major civilisations that didn't occur in the Mediterranean or Middle East is a bit deficient, I think. We may aware of the Mayans, Aztecs and Incas but with little knowledge of exactly who is who and where they were, or whether they were contemporaries etc. I found the tours we did of the temples & pyramids extremely fascinating. The personal challenge of climbing those that were permitted was also a source of pride as I made it up all of them! Jan and Don are my witnesses to this with John climbing a couple with us as well. If nothing else, the view from the top of each was spectacular. For those of us with shorter legs than others, some of the climbs presented more of a challenge! 

 

Teotihaucan (outside Mexico city) - was already long abandoned before the Aztecs found it.

The Aztecs believed it was the place where gods were made. The Sun pyramid was built to resemble the shape of the mountains in the distance and from one angle this is abundantly clear. Nothing is known about the people that built the pyramids at Teotihaucan. It is built on a grand scale that my photos do not to justice for. One of the biggest challenges in climbing these two temples / pyramids was not so much the height of each but the altitude at which they were built. Breathlessness was a significant factor in both climbs and meant lots of stops to catch one's breath!! If we look puffed, it's because we were!

 

 

Moon Temple, Teotihuacan

View from top of Moon temple towards Sun Temple

 

Sun Temple, Teotihuacan

Successful climbers: Don, Pauline, John, Jan and me. Only allowed to climb to half way point on this pyramid (Moon).

Me at the top of the Sun Temple with moon temple in background

View of Moon temple from top of Sun Temple, Teotihuacan

 

 

Home of Tequila

As mentioned in a previous blog, Jalisco State is home to Tequila, both the town and the drink. In fact they have right of origin so only a few places are allowed to call the drink tequila. For those who don't know, tequila is the distilled alcoholic drink made from the blue agave plant (a type of cactus) grown in Mexico. Whilst in Guadalajara, we went to Tequila (the town) and toured a tequila factory and had a sample. Let's just say I won't be taking up tequila drinking any time soon.

Another interesting fact, the Mayans used the agave plant for a variety of uses - needles and thread, paper, shampoo etc. It seems it is a very versatile plant. Nothing appears to be wasted so they were the original recyclers.

Utensils used for harvesting the heart of the agave

Agave plants



Billboard looking back to Tequila and the Sierra Madre Mountains

Guadalajara

Guadalajara, a city in Jalisco state, epitomises all that is the international image of Mexico. The costumes, Mariachi bands, tequila etc. All come from this fascinating area. Guadalajara, as many places in Mexico, have interesting stories attached to their foundation. This one involves a woman basically refusing to go any further. Thus the city was founded.

However, the story is a little more involved. Hernan Cortes, the conqueror of the Aztecs, had carved out a territory for himself with great wealth due to the Aztec gold. He had commenced his conquest from the island of Cuba. Later one of his followers in Cuba came to Cortes and basically demanded to be given a share of the profits. Cortes is reported to have told him to find his own lands, outside of Cortes territory. So said adventurer moved into other areas, further south but didn't find the wealth he was expecting. He tortured and killed a local Aztec king because they didn't have any gold.

Anyway, this said adventurer was from Guadalajara in Spain and had declared he would found a city in Mexico with the same name. So after 3 attempts of found a city in Mexico (he was chased out by the local tribes), they came to the place of modern day Guadalajara. One of his captains' wives refused to move any further so hence they stayed. There is a statue to her in one of the plazas, detailing the legend. Latitudinally, I understand it is in a similar line (south of Madrid) to the Guadalajara in Spain.


Guadalajara, approximately the same size population as Brisbane feels more like a large regional town than a city. It's altitude and climate make it a very comfortable places to be and we found it very safe and easy to navigate. However, we were staying in the old historic centre so it's fairly compact and we didn't have far to go to see most of the sights. Jan and I had an unexpected bonus when we decided to go visit the regional museum. Nothing prepared us for what we found there!   See below:

Guadalajara Regional Museum.

 Who would have thought we'd be confronted by a mammoth skeleton!! Very interesting museum, was free when we went due to the time of day and well worth the look. The history displayed here is from paleontological times to post revolution and had many surprises including the fertility rites once practiced by men. The photo below is courtesy of Jan, I couldn't bring myself to take a photo but it did provide an amusing topic of conversation with the ladies when we went to dinner that night!

Figure masturbating (fertility ritual)

Volaradores ( Flying Men)

 

One of the highlights of Xcaret was the many re-enactments that take place throughout the day. From Mayan village living, to horse shows and rituals etc. I was lucky enough to see the Volaradores twice, once during the afternoon and again as part of the History of Mexico show that night. Very spectacular but I must admit I wondered how this ritual came into being and how it was interpreted. However, in any terms, it is a very exciting event to watch, heart in mouth, as 5 men climb a very tall pole, sit on an open platform at the top whilst one of them plays a musical instrument, and the others toss themselves over the edge and, on the end of long ropes, spiral down to the ground. Not your everyday activity and I expect not one for the faint of heart (or those with no head for heights).

 

 

Xcaret

As it is a long weekend here in Spain, I'm going to take a short detour back to Mexico for some more bite size tours of some of the places we visited.

Exotic names and exotic locations, that's what Mexico is all about. There is an enormous amount of history here with spectacular monuments and landscape. Although, some of the scenery is a little more decorative. The photos below are from a Cultural and Nature Reserve that we visited named - Xcaret (kind of pronounced Shcaret). In the local language (not Spanish) X is pronounced "sh". My apologies to Stella and Horacio if I have the above information slightly incorrect. 


Xcaret proved to be an amazing experience and one day was not enough to see everything. Whilst it was a very long day, it was well worth it and anybody travelling to Mexico should consider visiting if in the Yucatan Peninsula. You get Mexico in miniature with Mayan culture, history of Mexico, flora and fauna, rafting down rivers, swimming in underground rivers and so much more. The dinner show at night showcasing the history of Mexico in song and dance was absolutely wonderful. I think our entire group thought the same thing.
Set on shore overlooking the Caribbean Sea, they also had fabulous lunches. I had a seafood buffet. The hammocks looked inviting for resting, but we really didn't get the chance!

Red Macaws

River Cruise, Paradise River

Peccary

Turtles

Yellow Robin?

Spider Monkey

Flamingoes

Tapir

Volaredores (Flying Men)

Black-headed seagull or tern

Green Macaws

Dolphin

Dolphins in action

Unknown but very cute bird

Cougar

Toucan

Stuck in the Past

Day 2 - Clasé de español

Spanish has several ways for saying things happened in the past. Which one you use depends on a few rules that by themselves are quite easy to understand. However, in day to day use, I'm finding it hard to remember which one is used for what. Every time I think I now have it down pat, I make another mistake. Given how long I have been learning Spanish, it's a bit frustrating to not have this topic solidly understood yet. Hence, I feel "stuck in the past".

Today was the second lesson with this as a subject and I'm pleased to say I got all but one question of my homework correct. At least this shows some improvement. Writing sentences and reading an article written entirely in past tense (both preterito perfecto & preterito indefinido) was an interesting exercise. Reviewing the article and marking which verbs were in what tense was a great way to check comprehension. We also had to say the verb infinitive for each one (got most of them right, except a few reflexive verbs). So progress is occurring, and I'm finding the instructions generally understandable. All the teachers are quite patient and happy if you ask questions to clarify. Having a class of only two has been a help as well. Next week, we are expecting bigger numbers so this will change the dynamics.

Now all I need to master to progress to the next level is those damned imperatives!!

























 
 

El Primer Dia (The first day)

Salamanca turned on its best winter weather (even though its supposed to be spring) to welcome me - intermittent showers, icy breeze, clouds and less than 10 degrees Celsius. Having said that, it is still a beautiful city with a long and interesting history. I have already fallen in love with this wonderful town.




View near the school

Salamanca is a city of approximately 179 000 people, situated in northwest Spain, approximately 200 km from Madrid and near the Portuguese border. It is a university town, the university being founded in 1218 by royal charter from Alfonso IX of Leon. I understand formal teaching has been occurring here since at least 1130. It is the oldest university in Spain. Today it still holds a strong reputation for it's teaching. However, the town itself has existed since pre-Ancient Roman times. The old city section has been granted World Heritage Status by UNESCO. From what I've seen so far, it is definitely deserving of such status. More on Salamanca in a later blog when I've had time to explore.

Today was the first day of my language course and I survived!! The exam was quite simple, 24 multiple choice questions, a short essay on learning Spanish and an oral section. This was to test my level and understanding and was not as threatening as I thought it might be. As expected, I was placed in the advanced beginners group. This week, there are only two people in my class, Freya, a young woman from Holland and myself. Freya arrived approximately 4 weeks ago and is really enjoying the city and the study. However, having only 2 people in the class makes it quite intense so my brain is reeling and may eventually spontaneously combust!

I can now confirm that whilst I know a lot of vocabulary, I am a bit deficient in some of the Spanish verb tenses, particularly the different past tenses. I also had trouble with remembering some conjugations but overall, I'm pleased with my performance today, particularly after 2 quite long days of travel, limited sleep and a early morning start (the exam was at 8.00 am today). I think I have spoken and listened to more Spanish today than in the 5 years I have been learning!! I can feel myself improving by the minute! I managed to follow all the teaching and activity instruction without getting lost and was able to engage in the conversations okay. I believe I am off to a good start.

Espana

I have finally arrived in Spain! (Can I get excited now, I mean really excited?)
Those of you who know me well, know I believe anything can be a cause for celebration. So, any excuse for a party!! I plan to revert to normal drinking habits here as Spain is quite famous for it's red wine. Although, if other options present, I might just give them a try.

Well, might be of interest to fellow Australians? Flight from Dallas to Madrid approx. 9.5 hours but we did it in 8.5. It is quite cold here still although spring has officially started (I believe on 21/03/2013). Madrid was 8 degrees on arrival and Salamanca much the same.
As we travelled west to Salamanca, a large mountain range was visible (Sistema Central) which still had snow on many peaks. It was also raining intermittently and at one point the temperature dropped to 4 degrees.  Jan will be happy to know that Spain has several tunnels and I travelled through one today to get to my lodgings. Despite the cold temperature, I feel quite comfortable as all transport is heated, the place I am staying is heated and I understand the school is heated as well. Only really need a good coat getting out and about - lucky for me I used to live in Toowoomba so have winter clothing of good quality and travel to Melbourne regularly. I managed to get my coat in within my luggage limit. Yeh!

A bit about my host family - Carmen & Jose Ramon Lopez. Carmen is a housewife, no children but they do have a wonderful dog, Tango. Jose Ramon runs his own business and I understand Carmen is close to my age. They live in a 4 bedroom apartment not far from the school. Carmen is going to walk with me tomorrow so I know where I'm going. Very kind of her. Tango is a 4 year old cross between a Samoyd and a Golden Retriever. He is a bundle of energy and very affectionate (and a bit naughty but obedient). I think I'm in heaven - lovely people, 20 min walk to school, and a dog!! So far, no major trouble with communication although trying to explain my job was a bit difficult!

Until next time, enjoy the pictures and enjoy the warmth in Australia.
PS: has it stopped raining yet?

Wildlife of Mexico

I had a wonderful time watching and trying to take photos of the local wildlife. Below is some of my efforts. Unfortunately, I don't know the local names of the birds even though I bought a bird chart. Also, many of the birds are quite small and rarely stay still. Hope you enjoy.

Iguana, Chitzen Itza

Bird, Chitzen Itza

Yellow Bird, Chitzen Itza

Red Cardinal?, Chitzen Itza

Monkey-like mammals, Yucatan

Green Iguana, Cancan

Bird, Tulum

Cheeky bird, Tulum