tzintzuntzan

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So we hop back on a second class bus to view the ruins at Tzintzuntzan, "the home of the hummingbirds", and major political and religious center for Michoacan in long ago days. These people couldn't be conquered by the Aztecs, in part due to their vantage point high above the lake. And yes, smallpox later did conquer them. But back to the story...we took off to go to the ruins and I'm all excited that this could be some existential, or universe-touching-me-through-it's-sheer-awesomeness moment. I have this build-up because at our hostel in Patzcuaro, this British girl Julie had told us the night before how she spent the day up there meditating, and that she was STILL tingling and that it was "really weird and powerful". She also met some dude there, who told her he had much to teach her and the next day she met up with him for destinations unknown. I really hope she has tapped into the secrets of the universe and isn't floating in the lake by now. It is probably this particular cynicism that led to my tingling moment on Tzintzuntzan.

We pay our 41 pesos and look in the registry book. Remember we were on the trail of Jim and Rosita? Looks like we've missed them AGAIN! Unbelievable. And really laughable. But wait, it gets better. Back to the tingles. We stroll around and take in the grandeur of the place. It truly is amazing and the location is primo above the lake. So I decide to test the whole "power point" of the earth kinda thing. I find the most powerful-looking spot ( I mean look at it, big pile of rocks, corner spot,, with stair-step patterns. This looks powerful, right?) So I assume the closest thing to a lotus position I can muster. I try to meditate. I mumble a bit, but I'm enjoying the sunshine. Stefan is around the corner. I yell out that, "I got nada! No tingling! Godammit" I laugh. Bad idea. I don't know if it was the demi-gods buried inside, if it was the new and all-powerful Julie controling nature from some remote locale, or if it was the Christian God that supposedly inhabits the place now, but SOMEBODY sent the huge-ass hornet (we're talking the size of a vulture!) out of the rocks and it latches onto my arm. I scream. Perhaps a few 'fucks" were thrown in, I dunno. Stefan comes running. I AM tingly now, and dizzy and I have this searing pain shooting down my spine after about 30 seconds. Luckily for me (because I do control some small parts of the universe), I have benadryl in my handy-dandy pill case. (Some of you have reaped the benefits of said case. You know who you are).

So then I lie on the grass and roll around and my arm swells and throbs. About 20 minutes and it's not so bad, unless you touch the arm. We wander around some more and go back into town for some mucho tasty tongue tacos. Yummers! And I've been waiting forever to say "I've got a tongue stuck in my teeth and it's not my tongue!". See, dreams can come true if you visit ancient ruins.

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