Le 06/02/14, 5:31
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Ola to all of you,
After the faces of Chiapas, go deep on the main subject...the Mayas ! The Chiapas, the Yucatan, the Belize and the Guatemala are the heart of Mayas. Should I say 2 words about Mayas ? Or should I give you the link to wikipedia ? You will think that I treat you as dummies. Eh, yes !
Of course not. It is just that this blog need to appear serious and bring some knowledges, not only pictures. Even though, I I think that some of you are only looking at pictures... Why not ! And if my long description are too boring do not hesitate to mention it.
Les Mayas
What is remarkable with the mayas, it is there high level of organization, politic, social that you could compare to the antic Greece... This is due to early sedentarization. I am not going to give a lesson on this subject but you should know that the creation of social, politic, cultural, army organizations need first a sedentarization and then a knowledge of agriculture.
Then, what we can notice, it is their faculty to build huge monument without usage of metals, animals or even with no wheel !
What is also fascinating with them is their knowledge in science (mathematics, astronomy...). For example, they calculated the lasting of a year so precisely 365,2420 days without any instrument, just with eyes. Only in XIX, we will be able to confirm it with instrument. Today, we consider that this lasting is 365,2422 days.
Finally rise the ultimate question...on the decline of this big civilization ?
Why / how at the top of its Age the maya civilization extinguished ? According Wikipedia few directions are given and a multi factorials answer is preferred. The factors are internals and externals : internal war between them, soil overused, earthquake, drought, religion believes...)
I will introduce some (a lot of them during my trip) of Mayas' cities. The most important are : Palenque (Chiapas), Chichen Itza & Uxmal (Yucatan), Tikal (Guatemala) and Copan (Honduras). I didn't plan to go through Honduras but according time I may go there. We will see.
I forget to mention that the area of Mayas in Chiapas and Guatemala is in the middle of jungle. The temple, cities are sometimes lost in the middle of forest, and in these case after 800 years, the forest grew over the cities and pyramids. It is somehow like the temple of Ta Prohm at Angkor Wat ( see the picture on the top of my blog). End of the speech, and here are the pictures of Palenque :
As you noticed, I included the maya calendar... You can find your astrological sign.
After, I went deep in the forest to visit some sites less touristic like Yaxchilan or Bonampak. To go to Yaxchilan, I took a boat during 20km... I arrived the first on the site and I made a first tour without anybody, the maya city just for me. It was fascinating and sometime frightening ???
We are going to make an experience which will be pleased by Donatien who is a specialist of such effect. I remind you his website La route des ondes).
Sure that mine will be shorter but intense
) I am going to ask you to open the next videos, push the sound to to maximum and close your eyes... Shut, listen the jungle.
Video1-Yaxchilan
Vidéo 2 -Yaxchilan
Vidéo 3 - Yaxchilan
I was alone... And all this noise around me... In fact, no fear to have, it is only howler monkeys. And I knew they could be here. Anyway, there are also jaguars and other felines for those who want to try a visit inside the forest. Now, you can look the videos.
I add some pictures also.
I wanted to spend a night in a very local village in the jungle with the Lacandon.they are Mayas, and not so long ago they wear white dress, hunted... Unfortunatelly, In few years, their tradition are gone, disappeared. And once again, it is due to religion...their new christian belief turn them away from their origins, and for example request them to wear "normal" cloth, occidental cloth. I know that they can not live years with their customs, but I just dreamt about it. It become harder and harder to find Ethnic groups which preserved their culture, customs and tradition like the ones I met in Laos or in Vanuatu.
Close to the village there is the site of Bonampak, known for its frescoes and paintings.
And I had the opportunity to make a hike in the jungle with a Lacandon girl up tp a waterfall and another archeological site lost in the forest
It is in such site, that we realize that they are such maya cities everywhere... And lot of discoveries are to be done.
I will finish with the picture of a butterfly resting on the step at Palenque's pyramid.
Why ? I just learn that at hundred kilometers from Mexico city, there is the famous place where the monarch butterfly migrate. (4000 kilometers of migration). It a a mystery from nature this migration of monarch butterflies. End of march they return to Canada.... I will try to make a tour there, if there are still there and if I have time.
The news are just not stopping as a volcano, el Fuego, in Guatemala are waking up also (I should be there in 3 weeks) and today a volcano in Equator, the Tungurahua, worries the local authorities because of its strength of activity. I will be in Equator from march 21st... I have time. All these, give me some hope for lot of photographic activity on volcanoes in the next months.
After the faces of Chiapas, go deep on the main subject...the Mayas ! The Chiapas, the Yucatan, the Belize and the Guatemala are the heart of Mayas. Should I say 2 words about Mayas ? Or should I give you the link to wikipedia ? You will think that I treat you as dummies. Eh, yes !
Of course not. It is just that this blog need to appear serious and bring some knowledges, not only pictures. Even though, I I think that some of you are only looking at pictures... Why not ! And if my long description are too boring do not hesitate to mention it.
Les Mayas
What is remarkable with the mayas, it is there high level of organization, politic, social that you could compare to the antic Greece... This is due to early sedentarization. I am not going to give a lesson on this subject but you should know that the creation of social, politic, cultural, army organizations need first a sedentarization and then a knowledge of agriculture.
Then, what we can notice, it is their faculty to build huge monument without usage of metals, animals or even with no wheel !
What is also fascinating with them is their knowledge in science (mathematics, astronomy...). For example, they calculated the lasting of a year so precisely 365,2420 days without any instrument, just with eyes. Only in XIX, we will be able to confirm it with instrument. Today, we consider that this lasting is 365,2422 days.
Finally rise the ultimate question...on the decline of this big civilization ?
Why / how at the top of its Age the maya civilization extinguished ? According Wikipedia few directions are given and a multi factorials answer is preferred. The factors are internals and externals : internal war between them, soil overused, earthquake, drought, religion believes...)
I will introduce some (a lot of them during my trip) of Mayas' cities. The most important are : Palenque (Chiapas), Chichen Itza & Uxmal (Yucatan), Tikal (Guatemala) and Copan (Honduras). I didn't plan to go through Honduras but according time I may go there. We will see.
I forget to mention that the area of Mayas in Chiapas and Guatemala is in the middle of jungle. The temple, cities are sometimes lost in the middle of forest, and in these case after 800 years, the forest grew over the cities and pyramids. It is somehow like the temple of Ta Prohm at Angkor Wat ( see the picture on the top of my blog). End of the speech, and here are the pictures of Palenque :
As you noticed, I included the maya calendar... You can find your astrological sign.
After, I went deep in the forest to visit some sites less touristic like Yaxchilan or Bonampak. To go to Yaxchilan, I took a boat during 20km... I arrived the first on the site and I made a first tour without anybody, the maya city just for me. It was fascinating and sometime frightening ???
We are going to make an experience which will be pleased by Donatien who is a specialist of such effect. I remind you his website La route des ondes).
Sure that mine will be shorter but intense
) I am going to ask you to open the next videos, push the sound to to maximum and close your eyes... Shut, listen the jungle.
Video1-Yaxchilan
Vidéo 2 -Yaxchilan
Vidéo 3 - Yaxchilan
I was alone... And all this noise around me... In fact, no fear to have, it is only howler monkeys. And I knew they could be here. Anyway, there are also jaguars and other felines for those who want to try a visit inside the forest. Now, you can look the videos.
I add some pictures also.
I wanted to spend a night in a very local village in the jungle with the Lacandon.they are Mayas, and not so long ago they wear white dress, hunted... Unfortunatelly, In few years, their tradition are gone, disappeared. And once again, it is due to religion...their new christian belief turn them away from their origins, and for example request them to wear "normal" cloth, occidental cloth. I know that they can not live years with their customs, but I just dreamt about it. It become harder and harder to find Ethnic groups which preserved their culture, customs and tradition like the ones I met in Laos or in Vanuatu.
Close to the village there is the site of Bonampak, known for its frescoes and paintings.
And I had the opportunity to make a hike in the jungle with a Lacandon girl up tp a waterfall and another archeological site lost in the forest
It is in such site, that we realize that they are such maya cities everywhere... And lot of discoveries are to be done.
I will finish with the picture of a butterfly resting on the step at Palenque's pyramid.
Why ? I just learn that at hundred kilometers from Mexico city, there is the famous place where the monarch butterfly migrate. (4000 kilometers of migration). It a a mystery from nature this migration of monarch butterflies. End of march they return to Canada.... I will try to make a tour there, if there are still there and if I have time.
The news are just not stopping as a volcano, el Fuego, in Guatemala are waking up also (I should be there in 3 weeks) and today a volcano in Equator, the Tungurahua, worries the local authorities because of its strength of activity. I will be in Equator from march 21st... I have time. All these, give me some hope for lot of photographic activity on volcanoes in the next months.
