The Magic of the Cities.

Zen promotes the rediscovery of the obvious, which is so often lost in its familiarity and simplicity. It sees the miraculous in the common and magic in our everyday surroundings. When we are not rushed, and our minds are unclouded by conceptualizations, a veil will sometimes drop, introducing the viewer to a world unseen since childhood. ~ John Greer

Showing posts with label Mayas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mayas. Show all posts

Monday, February 28, 2011

Tulum








Tulum (Yucatec: is the site of a Pre-Columbian Maya walled city serving as a major port for Cobá. The ruins are located on 12-meter (39 ft) cliffs, along the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula on the Caribbean Sea in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. Tulum was at its height between the 13th-15th centuries and managed to survive about 70 years after the Spanish began occupying Mexico. Old World diseases brought by the Spanish settlers appear to have been the cause of its demise. One of the best-preserved coastal Maya sites.

Architecture
Main temple at Tulum has architecture typical of Maya sites on the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. This architecture is recognized by a step running around the base of the building which sits on a low substructure. Doorways of this type are usually narrow with columns used as support if the building is big enough. As the walls flare out there are usually two sets of molding near the top. The room usually contains one or two small windows with an altar at the back wall, roofed by either a beam-and-rubble ceiling or being vaulted. This type of architecture resembles that done at the nearby Chichen Itza, just on a much smaller scale.
Tulum was protected on one side by steep sea cliffs and on the landward side by a wall that averaged about three to 5 meters (16 ft) in height. The wall also was about 8 m (26 ft) thick and 400 m (1,300 ft) long on the side parallel to the sea. The part of the wall that ran the width of the site was slightly shorter and only about 170 meters (560 ft) on both sides. This massive wall would have taken an enormous amount of energy and time, which shows how important defense was to the Maya when they constructed the site here. On the southwest and northwest corners there are small structures that have been identified as watch towers, showing again how well defended the city would have been. There are five narrow gateways in the wall with two each on the north and south sides and one on the west. Near the northern side of the wall a small cenote would have provided the city with fresh water. It is this impressive wall that makes Tulum one the most well-known fortified sites of the Maya. [Wiki]

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Monday, August 24, 2009

Cat Stela / Estela del gato



Maya Stela Day (8/24/2009) / Estela Maya del Dia

Astronomy
Uniquely, there is some evidence to suggest the Maya appear to be the only pre-telescopic civilization to demonstrate knowledge of the Orion Nebula as being fuzzy, i.e. not a stellar pin-point. The information which supports this theory comes from a folk tale that deals with the Orion constellation's area of the sky. Their traditional hearths include in their middle a smudge of glowing fire that corresponds with the Orion Nebula. This is a significant clue to support the idea that the Maya detected a diffuse area of the sky contrary to the pin points of stars before the telescope was invented.[23] Many preclassic sites are oriented with the Pleiades and Eta Draconis, as seen in La Blanca, Ujuxte, Monte Alto, and Takalik Abaj.

The Maya were very interested in zenial passages, the time when the sun passes directly overhead. The latitude of most of their cities being below the Tropic of Cancer, these zenial passages would occur twice a year equidistant from the solstice. To represent this position of the sun overhead, the Maya had a god named Diving God.

The Dresden Codex contains the highest concentration of astronomical phenomena observations and calculations of any of the surviving texts (it appears that the data in this codex is primarily or exclusively of an astronomical nature). Examination and analysis of this codex reveals that Venus was the most important astronomical object to the Maya, even more important to them than the Sun. (Wiki)

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Gracias por su visita. / Thanks for visiting, its most appreciated.


Apologies for not being very responsive lately due my work load. Please be sure that I read each and every one of your kind comments and I appreciate them all. Stay tune.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Tulum







In the ancient times, the Mayan developed a holy inner city that ascended high above the majestic cristal blue seaside of the Caribbean and was protected by 3 enormous walls and a steep cliff. This walled abode was given the honorary name of Tulum, the walled Mayan city.

With over 60 restored temples, Tulum has hidden secrets that are spoken within the sacred walls with genuine paintings of the mysterious hieroglyphic writings. Only the high priests, mathematicians, astronomers, architects and engineers were allowed to dwell within the arms of this sacred city while the commoners remained living beyond this holy city.

These gifted Mayans invented a calendar more accurate than the one existing today and also left the legacy of the creation of the zero. These inventions and calculations are clearly proven by the distinct position between the temples and the precise timing of the sun called the Equinox. The most important structure is called The Castle, situated on a 40 foot bluff overlooking aqua blue waters. This temple is considered the tallest in the city.

Also examine the walls of the temple of the frescoes that was known for having great social and religious influence. This temple still has detailed carved figures with the original colored paintings. The risen cliff of Tulum has a break in it and has formed an accessible cove area with a white sandy beach. This location gave easy access to fishing boats. Trade was an essential living for the Mayans and the Quintana Roo coast was the primary route for Mayan trade of the time.

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Gracias por su visita / Thanks for visiting.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Cancun I






In the fall of 1968, the creation of the resort city of Cancun was nothing but a gleam in the eye of a young Mexican banker named Enrique Savignac. The young banker and a small group of optimists searched every inch of the exotic Mexican coastline in search of the ideal spot to built their vacation paradise.

The lost civilization of Quintana Roo was nominated the future location where the young banker's dream would soon become a reality. This thin sandy strip of land was basically molded and shaped by hand to create 15 miles of modern five star hotels along the white sandy shore that have been enticing the world ever since. Cancun has grown to be one of the most renowned resorts in the world

Cancun has a big international airport and you can get cheap flight from many cities of the world with a none stop flight, competitive airfares year round on regular and charter airlines. If your cheap airfare comes with 3 or 4 nights in a Cancun Hotel, snap it up. Extend your ticket and spend at least 3 days exploring the rest of the Yucatan Peninsula.

Then you can rent a car or take a bus, and head South and see the best of Mexico's Caribbean coast.,Virgin beaches, Mayan Ruins, beautiful reefs, cenotes and many natural wonders as Garrafon in Isla Mujeres, Xcaret and Xel-ha.
Cancun is a wonderful resort town with a lot to offer. It is a top location for a big city, shopping and partying,a wonderful experience. It is great for a little weekend get away - stay at a nice five star hotel, drink margaritas, dance at the night clubs, play, the golf courses, dineout, and relax or shop during the day.

Cancun offers a large variety of aquatic sports and tours, as the pirate night, the jungle tour, snorkeling, diving, fishing, parasailing, almost everything.
Cancun is the preferred place for high school and college Spring Break students, and they have a huge Spring jazz festival and many concerts, special events and Dj´s in some night clubs like the City . You will have a guaranteed good time, a splendid vacation.

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Gracias por su visita / Thanks for visiting.