Uxmal & the Witch’s House

Hi again,

Miriam and I went to Uxmal again this morning. We had spent about an hour the previous day between 4 and 5 pm, just before the ruins area closed, taking photos of the stone carvings on the West Building of the Nunnery Quadrangle.

I suspected the photos would not look as good as they should because we had visited the Uxmal Archeological Zone late in the day when the sun was setting behind the West Building, making the stone carvings look grey and flat.

Last night, when we reivewed the photos and footage we had taken the previous day, as we do most nights, I could see we would need to go back to the ruins and take the photos again in the morning when the sunlight would impart definition and a golden glow to the ancient rocks, many of which are covered in dark mold.

We hoped to be at the ruin early when the air would still be relatively cool. However, we took a long time saying good-bye to Kristine Ellingson and Santiago Dominguez, our hosts at Flycatcher Inn, the bed and breakfast where we stay when visiting Uxmal. They are becoming great friends. As a result, we did not get to the ruin until 10:30 am.

John chose to spend his time at the Uxmal Villas Archeologicas pool where we would meet him for lunch after our jaunt through the ruins.

It was hot. Unlike the coast, where cool breezes blow from the water to constantly refresh us, inland in the Puuc highlands, the sun pours down on us unrelenting. The only sanctuary is the shade or to hope for clouds or even the blessing of rain.

During our exploration of the Nohpat ruins yesterday, Santiago had commented that we were fortunate because some rain had fallen and that our whole time in the unexcavated ruin had been under cloudy skies. He said that a man he had taken to the ruins previously, on a very hot day, had fallen to his knees because of dizziness, and had to be helped out of Nohpat.

Unlike the heavy cloud cover of yesterday, puffy cumulus clouds only occasionally blocked the unrelenting rays of the sun. I did not know I could sweat that much!

We were sure to stop and sit in the shade of a tree every once in a while, especially after climbing hot stone stairs. Miriam is my daughter and I feel I should be taking care of her. However, she takes care of me like a Mother Hen, reminding me to drink water, to wear sunscreeen, to wear my sunhat, and to take occasional rests after exerting myself. I appreciate her help!

I am excited by the stone images carved on the side of the West Building of the Nunnery Quadrangle in Uxmal because they show the man in the feathered serpent’s mouth as well as the dwarf who became the king of Uxmal. This is the same dwarf who is the magician or sorcerer that legend says built the Pyramid of the Sorcerer in one night.

Because of this legend, I believe that the Uxmal area is likely a place where Atlanteans came when they fled the geologically unstable Atlantis. Edgar Cayce’s psychic readings say that Atlanteans fled to Egypt, Peru, and Yucatan.

After completing our photographic survey of the carvings on the West Building, we headed out to find the ruin that is presently called, “The House of the Old Woman.” In books about Mayan ruins published before the 1980s, I have seen this ruin called, “The House of the Witch,” referring to the witch who hatched the sorcerer dwarf out of an egg.

Today, as we approached the ruin, I asked a guide who was leading a group through the ruins, where to find the path to the House of the Old Woman.

“Oh, that’s not an old woman. It’s really about Ixchell, the Mayan Fertility Goddess of both humans and animals.”

I find it interesting how, depending on what the latest trend is in archeological myths, the name of various ruins change.

We found the ruin by following the path the guide suggested. The ruin has not been excavated or reconstructed very much. There were no interesting carvings on what remains of the building.

However, we did find a stone carving under a palapas roof, which might have been a carving of the witch/old woman/Ixchell. Miriam and I had a disagreement over whether the hole in the middle of the goddess’ torso represented her womb or whether she was actually a squat, sturdy woman and the hole was actually the space separating her legs.

It was easy to have thoughts of her womb, because nearby, under a separate palapas roof, there were many stone carvings of falluses. The ancient people of Uxmal seemed to have a great fascination with this part of the male’s anatomy.

I remember seeing a book from the library – it must have been published before 1980 – which showed a photograph of the House of the Fallus in Uxmal. The photograph showed the falluses sticking out of the walls of the building. Was this a place for ritual sexual liasons?

When I’ve asked guildes to take us to the House of the Fallus during previous Uxmal visits, they have said the building was too far away or it was in accessible or out-of-bounds for tourists or some other reason.

By the looks of the dozen or so falluses protected under the palapas roof, I wonder if they came from the House of the Fallus. In any case, they were displayed in an area where few people ever visit because guides no longer take people to the House of the Old Woman/Witch/Ixchell.

I am glad we came upon these out-of-the-way, non-publicized ruins. It made our visit interesting and has given us a lot to think about.

Carol Chapman

Copyright (c) 2009 Carol Chapman