Weeks 6 and 7: Out of the City and into the Puuc

Kaxil Kiuic (2/10/08 - 2/22/08)

After driving through uneven terrain from Mérida, we arrived to the private biocultural reserve of Kaxil Kiuic in the Puuc region on February 10. The next day consisted of an orientation hike of the area with the expatriate and anthropologist James Callahan, who lived in the Yucatán for many years. The area receives $40,000 for the archeological zone, and the archaeologists work together with the local communities. While the zone is relatively unknown to the public, the people in charge of the reserve do not want it to become overwhelmed by tourism. In Mayan, the name Kiuic means “A Place of Gathering” and kax means “forest”. The Mayans lived here in the Late to Terminal Classic (as indicated by pottery analysis) and settlement was different from now, though the scarcity of water in this Puuc region never changed.

Despite the scarcity of water, the Mayans could make use of the resources available. They constructed chultunes (cisterns to store water) or extracted their water 235 feet below the ground or from holtunes (limestone pools created from receding water).The dry season lasts from November to June, so such a civilization cannot rely on rainwater alone to sustain itself. The people who live in the area now extract their water from a well, which goes to 70 meters down below the limestone. Limestone was an important material for the Maya in many ways. People could use a mixture of maral (eroded limestone) and fire to create quicklime, which was utilized for the softening of corn or the creation of cement. One of their major creations from limestone was the matate, a primitive form of mortar and pestle useful preparing food. Another natural resource that the Maya could use here were acacia ants, which had medicinal value. The balche tree could be used for ceremonial alcoholic drinks. However, the civilization here experienced collapse like other Mayan communities due to drought, warfare, climate change and overpopulation.

Several buildings stood out during the tour. Early on during the tour, we came across a residential or administrative structure which had a potential bedroom or living room. Archeologists think that this was a living space for the elite, as indicated by the height of the mound where it was built. It would make sense that the elite constructed their buildings on high mounds to represent supremacy, close connection to the gods, protection, or oversight. The archeological zone and civic center had ceramics dating back to 700 AD. Archeologists now remove stones for excavation purposes and create computer models to provide insight to the original scale of structures in the past. Like the cities of Chichén Itzá and Labná, John L. Stephens arrived to Kiuic. When he arrived in 1860, he tried to remove a capstone from the stucco-covered House of Diamonds but his attempt caused its collapse. The work of the archeologists is not yet finished, as they are still trying to understand the functions of Kiuic’s structures and restore them.

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Uxmal (2/12/08)

            Our class arrived to the ruins of Uxmal, which dated back to the Terminal Classic. The city flourished from 800 to approximately 1000 AD, but reached its demise from 925 to 975 along with other Puuc cities. There is uncertainty regarding the meaning of “Uxmal”. Some speculate it means “good harvest”, while others think it might mean “built three times”. Lord Chan-Chak-K’ak’nal-Ahaw (aka Lord Chak) was considered to be one of the city’s greatest leaders, and the construction of Uxmal’s major structures such as the Ballcourt (905 AD), the Adivino aka Temple of the Magician (approximately 800 AD) Governor’s Building and the Nunnery Quadrangle took place under his reign. The Adivino was rectangular, covered in stucco, and had a smoother surface in contrast to the Castillo at Chichén Itzá. There is a pillar in a space in front of this pyramid, which stands as a symbol of life. While we were not allowed to climb this structure, the sheer size of it was amazing and present everywhere we went. Another incredible complex was the Nunnery Quadrangle, which was built in 907 and served as a conjuring house. The North Structure had images depicting captives, war, and the elite; additionally, there were double-headed serpents, and 11 doors representing the levels of Xibalbá. When walking through the pelota court, we noticed how the walls were sloped for the game and that there were hieroglyphics on the stone rings.

Two of the highlights during this trip were the ascent up the Great Pyramid and the Governor’s Palace. The Great Pyramid (approximately 700 AD) stands 30 meters high and 80 meters long on the North side, and has nine tiers. There was a little temple on top to honor a Macaw deity. The panorama was incredible, as you could see the Adivino, the Nunnery Quadrangle and the Governor’s Palace. We later descended to visit the Governor’s Palace, which had three buildings in one complex and many beautiful stone mosaics. If you align the front door with a pillar in front, and a platform with a two headed jaguar in front of that, there is an imaginary line to the horizon pointing towards Venus. That planet in particular was important to the Mayans, as it was a symbol of bad omen and a time of war.

The expanse, the size of the buildings, and the mosaics at Uxmal were incredible. No wonder this is a World Heritage Site. During the early phases of the city becoming an archeological zone, Uxmal was used for tourism rather than understanding the actual purposes. Even though not all functions may be understood, archeologists have come a long way.

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Kabáh, Sayil and Labná (2/13/08)

            Kabáh was the first of three sites that we visited today. The city flourished in the 9^th and 10^th centuries in the Puuc region, and its name possibly means “Lord of the Strong Hand” as indicated by a priest that John Lloyd Stephens met in Tikul. The city had a 23-km sacbe, or road, that led to Uxmal extending from an incredible arch that bore and early Puuc style with booted (long and smooth) stones. Later on, we walked to the Temple of the Masks which contained many masks along the exterior. Additionally, there were captives as well as warriors depicted with pseudo-wings, feathers, and other décor. There were two statues evident, with one of them having no head since it now resides the Museum of Anthropology in Mérida. There were possibly seven other statues, but the status of them is unclear. We also came across the Palace complex, which contained a pillar used as an early compass since it corresponded with the Cardinal Points. Like the other sites we visited today, this was very compact yet ornate.

            Sayil was our next destination. The 5 to 7-km² city was occupied since the Preclassic and flourished during the Terminal Classic. The name Sayil means “Place of the Ants” in the Mayan tongue. Unlike some of the other places we visited, there were garden areas interspersed within the residential areas. Two stelae were present at the entrance (dating back to the 4^th Century), but they were eroded beyond repair. The Puuc-style Palace was incredible as it was decorated in a mosaic of masks, serpent imagery, and depictions of the Diving God representing the descent from heaven. In its zenith, the Palace held approximately 94 rooms and could fit as many as 350 people! Later on, we stumbled upon El Mirador which had five vaulted rooms and a 13-foot high rectangular base. The roof comb added to the height of the temple and was decorated on its front side. There were some blue, red and green paint residues, but they are ultrasensitive to light. For a moment, we stood in front of a stela bearing an image of a man with enlarged private parts representing fertility and later walked to a residential complex which still had its hieroglyphics preserved. Our trip would not end here as we would drive to Labná next.

            The Late to Terminal Classic site of Labná was the final stop of the day. The Palace here went through twelve construction periods from 750 to 1000 AD. There were a total of 67 rooms and 7 patios along with passages and stairways for this structure, which was limited to the elite class. Like the other Puuc sites of Kabáh, Sayil, and Uxmal, there were carvings with serpents (including the vision serpent, where a human head protrudes from a snake’s mouth), descending gods, and Chaak masks. The sacbe led to the mirador, where a temple stood upon a crumbling pyramid that looked more like an anthill than a structure reminiscent to Mayapán’s and Chichén’s Castillos or the Adivino in Uxmal. Nearby was an incredible arch, which Frederick Catherwood drew in 1842. The portrait was amazingly accurate for a drawing by hand, and Catherwood became famous in America as well as Europe. The malaria must have been worth it for Frederick after all the awe-inspiring structures he came across in his travels in Mexico. Like the two earlier sites, Labná was compact yet impressive in the ornate nature of its buildings.

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Loltún and Maní (2/14/08)

            Today’s trip consisted of visits to Loltún and Maní. Loltún is the largest cave in Yucatán with 6 km in space, yet only 2 km of the whole cave is excavated! The name of the former cave and cenote means “Stone Flower”. This was an important place for the Mayans as it was used for religious purposes (as evident with a 100-300 AD Chaac mask) and protection from the Spaniards during the bloody Caste War. In archeological evidence following Edward Thompson’s research in the late 1800s, hand prints, obsidian tools and bones from animals such as saber-toothed tigers (which were chased off cliffs) were found to date as far back as 10,000 BC. As many as 250 grinding stones were also present, which acted as early mortars and pestles. As many as 800 pre-Mayan people lived near Loltún, but later on people never lived inside it permanently. The Mayans were not the only ones that used the cave, as evident with an Olmec head inside (the two were recorded to have traded with each other). Even dry places have to have water somewhere, and Loltún is one of them. There are both holtunes and chultunes, natural and artificial water holes within the cave. However, there is no life within the cave except for bats and cave swallows which have to forage for food outside and rest inside. The only plant life present was within a gaping hole at the roof of the cave, where rays of sun could pass through. The “cathedral” section measured to be 20 m wide and 45 m high, and the “Grand Canyon” further into the cave serves as a reminder of a meteor collision. As mentioned earlier, the cave was a sort of “fort” used against the Spaniards between 1847 and 1858. The Mayans here were able to hold the Spanish at bay. What was unusual in our tour was that the guide kept speaking of the Caste War in Loltún as resulting in Mayan victory and independence. This seemed unusual considering that the war was recorded to last five decades and that the Mayans did not have the upper hand in Mexican society since. I wonder if he meant that they were able to resist better than other cities. This reminds me of the Civil War in the U.S. (or the War of the States if you live in the South), where despite U.S. victory, people in the South today feel like they still won. Is the truth hard to swallow, or is it something else that I cannot understand?

            Our next stop took us to a Franciscan church in Maní, which dates back to 1547 during the conversion of the Mayans in the Yucatán. The church was initially based in Oxkutzkab before arriving here due to threats of attack. The Franciscans initially saw themselves as saviors against the encomenderos, land owners who would have forced the indigenous people to work long hours for little profit. As mentioned in previous blogs, the Franciscans arrived to Mexico with little support from Spain and they set out to make a new life for themselves. They tried to communicate with the Maya in the hopes of sending them to heaven, so they established churches and schools. One side of the church was reserved for Spanish worshippers while the left atrium was for the Mayans. Friar Diego de Landa arrived after establishing a convent in Izamal, and figured that his men had controlled the Mayans in Maní by 1642. However, the Franciscan-Mayan relations took a turn for the worse after two young boys reported to the priests about human sacrifices within a cave. The friars responded by seizing 40 men and forcing them to confess how they sacrificed in hopes of appeasing their gods for a good harvest. The inquisition, aka auto de fey, did not stop as the Franciscans indiscriminately seized anyone and tortured them into submission under the cross for practicing idolatry behind their backs. “Offenders” were whipped, splashed with hot wax, and jailed for not paying fines. Landa pressed for the inquisition for three months until a bishop in Spain condemned the proceedings and forced him to return for trial. In the end, 4,500 Mayans were tortured, over 158 were killed, 13 committed suicide, and many others either followed suit or were crippled during the interrogations. Additionally, many Mayan texts were wiped out of existence. It is ironic that the encomenderos later appeared as saviors as they denounced what happened, though they probably had ulterior motives for protecting the Mayans. This was a serious cultural clash that did not help Spanish-indigenous interactions in Mexico’s early history.       

            When we left Maní, Robert and I were curious to know how people in Mexico were friendly despite the turbulent history. When you look at all the events that transpired, you would expect to encounter unfriendly attitudes. In many of the places we ended up in, I did not get the sense of outright hostility against me. Maybe it is subtle or depends on which city or town you visit. I don’t know how it happens.

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The Maya Family (2/15/08)

While much of the past lessons were based on ancient Mayan lifestyles, today’s lesson provided us with insight to how their descendents live now. We trekked for 2.5 kilometers to visit a farmland owned by a Mayan family. They still live like their ancestors did during the Classic Period, using what resources are available to them in predominantly dry conditions. The family lived in huts made of stone, sticks, palm fronds, and mud. They stored maize and kindled firewood within such structures as well as beehives, which they made using hollowed-out logs plugged with mud to allow bees to tunnel through. Carlos, the brother of the farm-owner, acted as the host and showed us how his family lives in Kiuic. We observed him as he created twine by extracting fibers from henequen as he scraped the plant’s frond with a pestle against a plank of wood. Later on, he took us to the kitchen and displayed the essential crop of the Maya – maize. To bring out important but inaccessible amino acids and make nixtamal, he soaked the kernels in water mixed with lime. Important foods containing this mixture include tortillas and tamales. Soon enough, they brought us to a cave with a well descending down as many as 235 feet. While they might not have much, they know what resources they can use around them.

               There were some stark contrasts with our own lifestyles. When you look at the modern conveniences available for the average American such as electricity, Internet and running water, it is easy to take them for granted. It’s easy to get such things back at home. When you live like the family we visited in Kiuic with few monetary resources, you need to take advantage of what is available to you.