Incidents of Travel in the Yucatan Peninsula part II

Dear friends:

As you may have noticed I've been taking a few days off from writing the blog.  I've been working closely with my translator, Tapanandini D.D. on a series of projects, one of which is the creation of an art catalogue for some private collectors in Yucatan.

At Marketplace in Homun, Yucatan with Aurora, Paty, and Tapanandini

Teresa Loret de Mola, Tapanandini is a follower of Govinda Maharaja. She is also a distinguished artist in Merida, Yucatan. Teresa Loret de Mola is the daughter of former governor of Yucatan, Carlos Loret de Mola Mediz. She recently ran for mayor of Merida as a citizen-candidate. While the ruling party won, she ran a successful campaign, raising important issues about ecology, education, and spirituality.

We were asked to create a catalogue for an important private art collector. The offer was attractive not only for the work itself and the chance to see Tapanandini, but also for a chance to visit Yucatan again.

Last year we spend two weeks visiting the pyramids of Uxmal and Chichen Itza.

Mayan Arch at Uxmal

Pyramid of the Magic Dwarf, Uxmal, Yucatan, Mexico

The Pyramid of the Dwarf, Uxmal

Cambodian Vishnu Temple, Koh Ker, Cambodia. Note the pyramid-like shape

Vishnu Temple, Koh Ker, Cambodia.

The parallels between the Vishnu temples of Cambodia in Angkor Wat and the ancient pyramids of Mexico has long been a source of personal fascination for me.  Some question whether these ancient temples in Cambodia were actually Vishnu temples, but recent enforcement of laws against the looting of archeological ruins have returned these statues to the local museum:

Hanuman, left, Warrior, right

Koh Ker was a rich source of statues that were looted over the centuries. These artifacts confirm that the temple was used for Vishnu worship. There was an especially exquisite group of figures from the Mahabharata, celebrated Bhima's mace-fight with Duryodhana from the Mahabharata.

These statues of Bhima and Duryodhana dueling with maces were looted from the Koh Ker site and only recently returned.

Together with the other sculptures that were originally found at the entrance of the pyramid or temple, they may have looked like this:

Here, Bhimasena, left center, confronts Duryodhana. His mace touches the ground at the beginning of the fight as they are about to engage in mortal duel to the death.  This imposing group is only one of thousands of such groups of figures adorning the Cambodian temples, telling the story of the Mahabharat in marble statues that were to have lasted throughout the ages. Unfortunately, since the Angkor temples were brought to Western attention by the French Explorer Henri Mouhout, they have been subject to generations of looters who have destroyed Cambodia's heritage, the memory of the Khmer Empire, and the ability of archeologists to ferret out the ultimate connection between the Khmer and Hindu empires of the greater Bharata civilization.

To what extent was Indian and Vedic knowledge current in the Indochinese world of the past? We may never know.  The ancient Vishnu temples of Angkor were hidden for centuries in the overgrown jungles near the Tonle Sap lake. The Khmer civilization disappeared gradually, probably as a result of drought, overuse of their sophisticated irrigation systems, and invasion by the rising Thai cultures that later constructed Ayutaya. Neglected for years they were ¨discovered¨ by French explorer Henri Mouhout in 1859.Henri Mouhot The French, looking to advance colonial interests in Indochina and convinced there was gold to be found in the ancient ruins, began systematic exploitation and looting under the auspices of archeology. Cambodian archeology has never developed properly, having been interrupted by war, colonialism, greed, more war, and corruption. The French Culture Minister and war hero Andre Malraux made his bones by stealing the famous bas reliefs of Banteay Srei. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/André_Malraux https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banteay_Srei ) As a consequence, despite caricatures of Cambodian culture and history such as those found in the Lara Croft movies, we may never know who the Khmer were, or how their culture was related to India, thanks to looting.

It's hard to believe that the Khmer had anything to do with the Maya, and yet... Both these great cultures thrived on flat land, overgrown with banyan trees. Both cultures created their most important pyramids and temples between around 800 and 1400 AD. Both cultures were incredibly sophisticated, the Khmer developing  vast waterworks and irrigation systems, the Mayans deeply intricate calculations of the movements of the planets. Their mythology involved the worship of the Naga Snake warriors by the Khmer and the Quetzalcoatl Serpent king by the Mayan and Aztecs. Could they be related?

With no discernible budget, but with a deep curiosity, I have spend some time investigating over the past few years. I have been through library after library of translations and studies and have had the chance to visit the ruins both in Cambodia and Mexico.

In the last few years, with the help of Swami Avadhuta and other friends, I have been lucky enough to visit many of these ancient sites. Last year took me to Uxmal and Chichen Itza.

Chichen Itza, 2016

While the Pyramid of the Dwarf at Uxmal is mystical and shrouded by jungle, Chichen Itza is exposed to the sun, majestic, and more formal. Millions of visitors are drawn to these sites every year. They have an overpowering mystic presence and connection with the sun.

Last year, I visited the above sites. This year we saw an archeological site that has only recently been excavated: Ek Balam, close to Valladolid.

Jungle outside Ek Balam

Ruins of Ek Balam: The Jaguar Palace.

The Summer Palace of the Jaguar King, Ek Balam

 Ek' Balam is a Yucatec-Maya archaeological site not far from Valladollid, Yucatan, Mexico. It fits within the municipality of Temozón, in the Northern Maya lowlands, close to Chichen Itza. From the Preclassic until the Postclassic period, it was the seat of a Mayan kingdom and a small city, where people gathered around the cooling waters of the Cenote or underground water caves.
It houses the  tomb of Ukit Kan Lek Tok', an ancient Mayan king buried in the side of the largest pyramid.

Ruins at Ek Balam, King's pyramid in the background.

Plaster Stelae at the King's tomb

The "Parthenon."

Main Building at Ek Balam

Ek Balam is a more intimate space than Chichen Itza. It's easy to see how the ancient Maya must have lived here, close to the underground water source in jungles surrounded by coconuts, papaya, and good land for planting corn and beans.

We stayed in Valladolid at the Zentik Project Hotel, run by my old friend, Alberto Jordi. Last year I painted a mural of tango dancers for the snack bar. It's still there.

Relaxing at the Zentik Project Eco-hotel in Valladolid, Yucatan, Mexico last year.

Jose is prepping the wall for the mural.

Aurora relaxing at the cottage. This was last year. 

Checking out the ruins of Chichen Itza.

The Quetzalcoatla "Naga" motif at Chichen Itza

Lizards still abound.

My friend Alberto Jordi, proprietor of the Zendit Project, last year.

Working on the sketch for the mural.

Since I had already created a series of tango dancers as easel paintings, I was confident that I could pull off a mural, even though I hadn't much experience as a mural painter.  Nonetheless, last year's tango painting was a big success, and Alberto and his daughter really loved it.

 This year, I was invited back to the Zentik Project Hotel, which was our base while doing archeological studies at Ek Balam and working on the Art Catalogue in Merida. I visited the snack bar with the finished painting a year later. Mr. Jordi was away on business.

The remaining paint from the mural was used on the tables and chairs to give the whole space a colorful atmosphere.  Aurora and I relaxed at the Zentik Project Hotel which has an ecological Mayan theme and delicious vegetarian cuisine.

Here's the view from our room, with the spa-palapa in the foreground. 

The mural I painted is in the background. The snack bar is set in a jungle garden. It's a quiet place to relax in the evenings with a glass of jasmine tea.

The bed hangs from the ceiling

Aurora shopping for hammocks

Ek Balam

Ek Balam is the place of the Jaguar.  The Jaguar is an important aspect of Mayan mythology. The Mayan mythology celebrates a number of animistic gods including Serpents, Jaguars, and others in ceramics and stone carvings. The king here was considered a representative of the Jaguar. 

The Mayan arch is not a true arch, but is angled like this one which is at the entrance of Ek Balam.

Valladolid, in Yucatan is a quiet town with a picturesque center. Here's the main church. After visiting here we took off for the sleepy fishing village of San Felipe to see the beach.

You can rent a launch to take you out past the lagoon here to the beaches on the islands off the coast, called Ria Lagartos. It's an ecological reserve, especially for the pelicans which are now endangered.

 The pelicans perch all over the boats docked in the bay.

This group of islands is about 15 minutes by launch from San Felipe. It's an ecological reserve for flamingos and pelicans. 

There's a small beach with some palapas where you can relax in the hammock with a coconut. 

Or stroll out into the cooling waters. There's no waves here, and the water is quite shallow out to where the water turns a deeper blue. It's only about a foot deep and swarming with tiny minnows and fish about the size of your pinky finger. The Pelicans don't even bother with these fish, they're so small, but they dart in and out of your feet as you walk through the sand.

After a long year, it was time for a rest and some relaxation on the beach.

Ria Lagartos islands, off the coast from the sleepy fishing village of San Felipe is about as remote as it gets. We were the only people on the beach. It's close enough to Cancun and Playa del Carmen, but no one ever goes here. Let's keep it a secret. The pelicans will be glad you did.

After a long walk on the beach, it was time for me to begin planning my return.  If you haven't seen any new posts about divine sound, this is because I have been on vacation. I'll be back soon with some new reflections.  So, thanks for checking in and reading the blog. Stay tuned for further adventures.