Hi again,
Today, we are in Akumal, an area known as the most Americanized part of the Riviera Maya.
Strangely, as we entered the well-manicured yards, tiled sidewalks, and area of luxurious condos, my gut felt tight and I realized I felt afraid. Of what, I don’t know – that I’m not wealthy enough, cool enough, or that I couldn’t compete well enough . .. . something like that.
In the modest Mayan villages there was more of a feeling of people helping each other out.
I was unable to write yesterday because my mini laptop/netbook developed a connection problem at the more Americanized hotel where we are staying. Ironic, isn’t it?
Today, I’m in a noisy internet cafe with kids playing on a pinball machine and a slightly sticky mouse. That’s OK, at least I can communicate with you today.
Yesterday, we scourged the huge Coba ruin, to find something I could not find last year – the stela with the Long Count Calendar Date of 41.9 billion billion billion years into the future. I think we found it.
This is an important stela because it proves that the Mayan Long Count Calendar does not end on December 21, 2012, if the ancient Maya carved a date 41.9 billion billion billion years into the future. Furthermore, it proves that the ancient Maya did not believe the world would end in 2012.
Today, we were in Tulum, the gorgeous Caribbean seaside ruin, to find and videotape images of Itzamna. This time, I’m sure these are actual images of the son of the creator god, Hunab K’u. Many Tulum guides brought tourists to the place that Victor Olalde our Chichen Itza friend and guide, had told us would be there.
I am feeling pretty good. At last, I know for sure, that I have an image of Itzamna, the old wise prophet.
Carol Chapman
Copyright (c) 2009 Carol Chapman
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Last night, we visited our friend Victor Olalde. He had been our guide in Chichen Itza a year ago. He always knows a lot and shares with us.
I’m looking for an image of Izamna, the Maya equivalent of Christ – son of the creator god, Hunab K’u. Victor said we would find the image carved on the east wall of the Nunnery building beyond the Observatory at the Chichen Itza ruins.
We woke early, checked out of the hotel and headed to the ruins. it was strange to walk along the entrance path and NOT see any craft vendors. Some were setting their stalls up but none approached us to buy their wares. It felt good.
We knew, from our Moon handbook, that the Nunnery Building would be a long walk on this huge site, which is traditionally known as Itzamna’s ceremonial center.
We finally got to the building and saw the carving over the doorway just as Victor had said. Only a couple of German tourists shared the space with us. I set up my video camera on its tripod so I would be sure to get the image without any camera movement.
After a couple of minutes, an ancient Mayan guard turned up and told me I could not use a tripod. So, I took the camera off the tripod, telescoped the tripod legs and took the rest of my footage. The old guard also said the image was not Itzamna. I don’t know who to believe – Victor or the old guard.
We also quickly took footage to illustrate information I’d learned in the archives of Hacienda Chichen yesterday – that August Le Plongeon had excavated the Platforma de Venus. We also photographed and videotaped the chac mool that I believe Alice Le Plongeon, his wife, found with her psychic powers. Did I tell you that Alice also had memories of Atlantis and that was one of the reasons the Le Plongeons were in Chichen Itza . . . because they thought the site had an association with the lost continent.
At 10, we had an appointment with Jose at Hacienda Chichen. Miriam is considering being a volunteer with local Maya people for a month or so, which the Hacienda arranges. Jose is not only an elder-in-training, but also the head of their volunteer program.
He told us that he is presently too young to be consider as an elder. You can only be an elder after the age of 52.
Jose took us to his village where we saw children in the local school, the room where they ate and the infirmary associated with the school. The school meal area has been improved by Belisa Barancache, the “keeper” of Hacienda Chichen.
I loved the beautiful children’s inquisitive eyes. The little ones crowded around the back of the video camera to see the moving image being recorded.
My favorite part of the tour with Jose was a visit to a very traditionally Maya village in which women, in a business cooperative, were making the beautifully embroidered traditional white dresses called huiptil on sewing machines outside under the protection of a roof of a building in the village center. They spoke in Mayan. I asked to take their “photographia . . . OK?” They nodded.
I got some great pictures of some lovely women. I feel so happy to have seen the women – about a dozen of them – drawing the patterns on the cloth and then embroidering the design in bright colors on their sewing machines.
Carol Chapman
Copyright (c) 2009 Carol Chapman
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