Advertisement
Published: October 6th 2008
Aztec stone
The Aztecs used this carving as one of many ways to tell the date.You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one.
~James A. Froude
Arriving in a place that u don’t speak the language is a bit daunting. U feel like a fool because one of the things you’ve never really questioned, that is a vital skill in life is suddenly redundant, communication. Luckily I have spoken Spanish before, albeit badly at best, and know the utmost basics, can I have a water melon… The hostel (Moneda) was fine, two meals a day, free internet and all for the equivalent of 8 pounds a day. Not venturing too far for my first few days I just tried to get my sleep pattern back and get online blogging and photos. Part of the arrival prepaid package included a trip to the Teotihuacan (tay-o-ti-whak-an) pyramids. Now these little guys are pretty much the main reason for me coming to Mexico, along with the other ruins I’m going to see. So, up at dawns crack and into the bus.
*
I never knew what to expect of Mexico, and as a result of this, i have not been dissapointed nor surprised. I do however, find the culture fascinationg and have my eyes open wide every where I
Aztec ruins
You can see here each section of pyramid buils every 52 years. go. It hasn't been a shock to see so many police, armed with hand guns, machine guns and shotguns. Every store have their own security guard, armed. I have not seen any violent act either, and a lot of people have told me bad things about Mexico, nor I think would it be of any surprise if I did. The first week had the president arriving right beside the hostel in the Plaza de Constitution. there were riot police everywhere, in full armour. just couldn't quite get a photo of me standing smug infront of them!
*
The trip started with two little appetizers of ruins and buildings before moving onto the daddy of the trip. First, in the city centre, we went to an ancient Aztec site that showed partial remains of one of the sites of the Mexican ancestors. It was actually really interesting as our guide, Alexandro, made it all worthwhile and went in depth into the histories surrounding everything. Without going into too much depth yet, and I probably will in time, mid trip round the ancients tour when I have gathered enough information to give a good historical and cultural
The Guadalupe
Inside the Guadalupe cathedral blog, the Aztecs built solid structures. Every 52 years (number 52 comes from the 13 full moons each year, 13X4 …) they would rebuild another structure on top of the existing one. You can get an idea from this in the photo. When the Spanish came along they discovered that it wasn’t the buildings so much as the ground that was sacred so they built a cathedral on the ground and took down their pyramids, slowly converting the Mexican Indians to Catholicism. Now this took a long time and the Spanish their fair work of pretty much destroying a beautiful culture and place. Mexico city used to be a whole lake, the city built on top, they even drained the last of the lake dry. Today, because of the dry ground, the city is sinking and at quite a rate too. Some buildings are empty, too dangerous to habit and the rest are crumbling slowly. In some streets you can see the lean of the buildings.
Now, one such building that is sinking uniformly and therefore not being damaged, is the Cathedral Guadalupe, where we visited next. The reason its sinking so well is due to its unique structure
The Maguey plant
This plant was used for o many different things, from medcine and alcohol to weaving and paper. and round design with its centrally distributed weight. The Cathedral Guadalupe was built as dedication to the virgin Mary, as she is said to have told a young Indian to go to the priests and request it. They did not believe him and asked for proof that she had come to him. He returned later with roses, which could not be found in Mexico at that time saying she had given then to him as a sign, and so the Cathedral was built as her house, in her honour. The Guadalupe (virgin Mary) is so very sacred here in Mexico and she is celebrated on the 10th December, more important than Christmas (but pared to the day of the dead (el dia de los muertes) on the 2nd November).
*
Watching people I find fascinating, truely fascinating. And no better experiance then to do it in a new culture when everything is different. Everywhere you go you see people doing things that you are just not used to. At the traffic lights you will have people asking for money in all sorts of ways. Selling cheap goods to washing windows, breathing fire, begging and so
Maguey Paper
Th paper is plasti to feel and stripped from the inside of the plant. on. Even in the street there are a lot more poor asking for money than you may be used to. The driving in this contry is amazing. Its like dodgems for grown ups, there seems to be no law on the road, just hit the accelerator and go. I will try to get some footage of this as you really wont believe it unless you have witnessed it first hand.
*
The Cathedral itself is magnificent inside. There is a painting of the Guadalupe that hangs above the alter, it too is a sacred picture and said to have come from her herself. Now at this stage there was a ceremony in full swing but it didn’t seem to mater that we were a tour group at the back. Alexandro said we were going to go and have a closer look from underneath and march off towards the painting. Now my heart jumped, I know I was still unfamiliar with Mexican culture, but was he really going to get us to stand under the painting during a full swing sermon of hundreds in the Cathedral?! So relieved when he went down some stairs at the
Stich and colour
The tip can be removed and woven with the strong thread that comes with it. It can also be dyed with the colour of other plants. side and revealed to us that there was a walkway underneath and out of sight and sound of the pulpit!
Lunch was, well, interesting. We headed out of town to an Obsidian factory and tourist stop. There we were shown the wonders of the Mugeuy plant. It is used to make so many a great thing. It is stripped and used for paper as has a strong plastic inner coating. It s used to make the Pulque drink. The tips are so sharp and strong with twine hanging when removed that it was also used for weaving blankets. There we were all give a shot of Pulque and Tequila and shown the tourist shop, a good ploy to try and get us to buy things by getting us tipsy! Thankfully I left with wallet in tact. Lunch was a local dish with lots of singing and dancing. Kinda fun but way too staged and put on, they looked as uncomfortable as we felt.
*
Its not only the driving side of transport that is new to experiance, but all forms so far. The metro train is actuallly really good. but again, you find every
Teotihuacan
The temple of the sun. stop peope getting on and trying to either sell you cheap goods or beg in all sorts of manors. Yesterday I witnessed probably thje most harrowing thing I have ever seen in my life, and yet, remained unmoved by it, no surprise or shock. On the metro train, standing in the stuffy carridge and starring out the gap in the window between the people, I heard the next person annuoncing something in spannish and moving theri way through to us. I did feel pity for the woman who was crawling, literallly dragging herself, along the floor, wiping everyones feet with a tiny filty rag. she was followed closely by, whom I would imagine to be, her son, with a small carton held up for money. This was, and I hasten to add, for about 30 seconds, the sadest begging I had ever seen.
*
Teotihuacán. For years I had seen this wonder on TV, heard about its marvel and seen its photos, to arrive there was incredible. The pyramids themselves weren’t even built by the Aztecs, they were found by them, deserted. Thankfully when the Spanish were doing a good job of destroying all the
Ancients pictures
Original design in Toetihuacan temples they left the pyramids of Teotihuacán because they weren’t in use and therefore considered them not necessary to demolish as they posed no threat to the Catholic ways. The pyramids are amazing, more than that, to be able to stand in a place that is still surrounded by so much mystery that are thousands of years old, built by the ancients who had an incredible knowledge of the sun, moon and stars, was just mind-numbing. The layout of the site is built in such perfect alignment of the stars and built with such a knowledge of the shape of the earth and its rotation around the sun. this was done two thousand years ago and its just boggling as to how, back then, people knew without the technology that we need today, the fact the earth was round and could even navigate their way round it precisely.
Now climbing them was even more of a feat as their bloody steep and its really quite hard work, especially the big one, the pyramid of the Sun. The vie from the top was breathtaking. To be able to stand there adnsee all of Teotihuacan, still verymuch standing and glorious was
Teotihuacan
the temple of the moon a moment to remember. What a thing it would be to be able to step back in time 2,000 years and watch what went on here. The rest of the afternoon was spent looking round them and basking in their glory, wondering at every what went on here. By the end of the day we were all shattered and I pretty much passed out back at the hostel.
*
Right after the lady crawling through the train and her son had gone past, I looked down the carridge, hearing the next coming person talking to the train. This time it was different. There stood a young male, early twenties, in bare feet and shorts, with nothing else but a small full pillow case in his hand. His chest was smeared in blood, presumably his own. He acted in no way violent to everyone but kept taking, taking the odd donation and moved into our carridge. As he passed me I could see so many scars and his back had fresh blood running down it from two cuts, amid what I coud only call a plethora of damage to his torso. Unfortuantly my spanish still isn't
Totihuacan
View from the temple of the moon good enough to pick up exactly what he was saying but the words, gun, knife and his childhood were very much in my understanding. What he did next stirred no reaction from anyone on the train, but I know it must have inside a lot of them. He laid his bag down in the middle of the floor, I was so curious to understand what was going on but didnt want him to see me, the tourist, looking at him. With his feet and and hand and arm started to smash the already broken glass even more. Sitting down in fron of it, opened to view, he then threw his back down onto it, driving the galss into his back repeatedly before pulling the shrapnel back out. Casually as if it didn't even happen, he gathered up his glass in the bag and walked up and down the train with his hand out, fresh blood running down his arm and back. I can only assume he had said to everyone, pay me stop myself self-harm, or pay me to see it. Head looking back out the window, I refused to make eye contact, I wanted not to be a part
of paying for that poor, unfortuante specticle. Unmoved and without shock I stood I scilence untill we were ready to get off.
*
The following day I decided to go to hostel amigo, at Saoirse’s recommendation as she had been there b4 and loved it. Well it proved to be the right move as immediately I felt more relaxed and comfortable in its surroundings. They had a great bar with a crazy barman, Herrado, who is responsible for my losing my memory twice now, thanks Herrado, no really. There is every Friday a trip to see some live wrestling. Well, when in Rome… it was awesome, ok so we got the cheap seats at the back of the arena and the beers were a rip off but it was a great night out, midget wrestling to start, brilliant! It was all a great show, I do feel sorry for those that think the whole thing is real and not staged, but still, it was a lot of fun to watch. Back at the hostel Herrado did what he does best and kept pouring tequila down everyone’s throat, literally, all night long. And that was that
Teotihuacan
temple of the moon from temple of the sun for week one. Check out and on to the hotel for the start of my ancient civilisations tour.
I feel already that even in my first week in the city, I have seen the best and the worst , of Mexico.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.11s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 8; qc: 48; dbt: 0.0368s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
