OR ANOTHER GOOD THING CAME OUT OF CAMPECHE.
Although I had had a great time in the museums with the magnificent jade masks the day before, I had also had a drama at the bank after, and a miserable, bad dinner in the evening. I had drank the last of my six pack in my fluorescently lit room and felt glum and anxious about the following day. I was to be pleasantly surprised however.
An hour up the road with the collectivo is Edzna. Without Lariza at my hotel, I wouldn’t have known anything. She was excellent for the proper local information and knew exactly where to get what, and what was open. The other shitheads were full of false info. Despite the hotel being eccentric, she was my rock.
I zoomed up to the shabby back street which I had checked out the day before and saw a bunch of the little white van buses. Mine wasn’t leaving for another half hour so I went round the corner for a takeaway coffee from the ubiquitous OXO. The day was already sweltering and at the market, next to us trade was in full swing with the delivery boys rushing with their trolleys laden with goods and the sound of choppers thwumping on their chopping blocks dissecting or beheading some poor unfortunate creatures lifeless body, shouting and haggling and the normal mayhem of any Mexican market. While sipping my coffee I could at a distance view the brightly coloured scene and feel the world was normal and that all was well. Markets always give you the feeling that you can look back in history for they haven’t changed since humans started trading
ALERT ALERT ALERT: A WORD OF CAUTION. GOOGLE PHOTOS, mysteriously disappeared swathes of photos from all of my trip thus far. Then a few days later more vanished back to September 2020. This is happening to many angry people apparently. They do not respond with this complaint by a crowd of furious clients who have lost precious memories. The fact mine went in swathes was very odd too. Lucky I am an anorak on trips and download to an external hard drive but I don’t have any pre trip photos and videos from September. Warn everyone as it seems to be a huge problem and they don’t respond. I seem to have permanently lost all Christmas pics and am heartbroken.
Edzná Archaeological Zone.
After an hour on the bus, I arrived at a thus far very empty site and what a treat. So much very intact and a huge pyramid visible and climbable, a thatch covered hut on a building that meant some ancient carvings. I was so excited and again happy I had made it to Campeche after all. Alone at this huge site bar two ant-like tourists climbing the double-tiered pyramid.
Over the huge central arena was where the carvings were and I headed there before anyone else arrived such is my jealousy of sharing with other idiots and being able to peruse in silence. The Temple of the Masks is a structure that has “two representations of the solar god that have anthropomorphic characteristics with aesthetic attributes typical of the elite, such as strabismus, dental mutilation, nose rings, ear flaps and large zoomorphic headdresses”. The goodies were worth it as was the climb up the pyramid (halfway) and the steep steps up one of the pair of towers opposite it.
Top Tip: I know I sound a baby and cautious, but a small miss-step could send you hurtling down. I have no health insurance but plenty of vertigo and, if you remember broke my foot last trip on a bathroom step. There is a lot of loose debris too so just be careful if you do it and hold on to step above. You might look like an antiquated crab in a homemade skirt but fuck ’em all. I came down the Temple of the Feathered Serpent on my bum in Mexico City’s Teotihuacán. If it seems too much just don’t do it and remember coming down is usually more scary. Always wear trainers or shoes of that ilk, don’t try when it’s crowded it’ll raise your anxiety and rush you.
some history.
My Luckily Downloaded pics. Not all, but Most.
From small acorns and all that, just a small community started this grand project. An efficient rainwater catchment, storage (chultunes) Due to the type of soil, the valley in which it is located is flooded in the rainy season and maintains high humidity almost all year round. To remedy this inconvenience, the Mayans developed an advanced system of hydraulic works: a network of canals drained the valley and the water was led to a lagoon, which was transformed into a dam., through retaining walls, while other channels served to irrigate the fields. This provided an optimum degree of humidity in the land, for intensive cultivation, while the canals provided abundant fishing, in addition to being used as communication routes and, in some cases, they served as a defence. Its squares had a magnificent drainage system and the rainwater reached artificial reservoirs
‘Production was concentrated, great buildings were erected, and the surrounding villages were dominated. Edzná constituted a powerful regional capital of the western peninsula between 400 and 1000 AD. The following four centuries lost political and economic strength until their abandonment around the year 1450 AD. As in other places in the Mayan world, the first buildings of Edzná were lined with large blocks of limestone, regularly cut, covered with thick flattened stucco and painted deep red. Many facades were decorated with the faces of gods, with mythical animals and symbols; the motifs were of modelled stucco and were painted in various colours. All these elements are considered characteristic of Petén architecture. The development of the site later led to the creation of buildings with other architectural styles such as Chenes, Puuc and Tardíos. So in Edzná, we find a long sequence of constructions over little more than 15 centuries. The development of the site later led to the creation of buildings with other architectural styles such as Chenes, Puuc and Tardíos. So in Edzná, we find a long sequence of constructions over little more than 15 centuries. The development of the site later led to the creation of buildings with other architectural styles such as Chenes, Puuc and Tardíos. So in Edzná, we find a long sequence of constructions over little more than 15 centuries’
I was going to stay an extra hour but the sun had started making me a little dizzy despite my cap and guzzling a litre of water. I can’t emphasise enough the power of the sun on these sites. The humming heat released from the stone as well as the general heat from the sun. While waiting in the carpark I felt close to collapse so I was delighted to get on the bloody transport before I passed out. Returning was the usual low. When I start on the wrong foot in a place it’s hard to shake off the hatred unless I meet another who feels the same as me. It’s a quality in myself I dislike but it stubbornly remains ingrained in my character. So I had a quick last walk along the boardwalk and buggered off to bed. Palenque next day and I couldn’t wait.
Old Bird Travels Solo! 