Chairman’s Chat

As I stood at the apex of the Pyramid of the Moon and gazed transfixed down the Avenue of the Dead, I tried to imagine what the scene may have been around 300 BC, when this was a bustling city of perhaps 250 000 people.  For this is Teotihuacan, or "Place of the Gods", the original builders of which remain a mystery.  The numerous altars below me, in the Plaza of the Moon, are definite indicators to the sacrificial ceremonies (possible human) that were being practiced at Teotihuacan long before the arrival of the Aztecs to the valley of Mexico.

The moment I arrived at this mysterious monument, a mere 40-minute bus ride out of Mexico City centre, I was impressed by the vastness of the complex: 6km by 3km.  Many mounds and hillocks in the vicinity, known to contain smaller pyramids and altars, are yet to be excavated.  Our Mexican guide explained to the small party that there had been thousands of skeletons excavated from the Avenue of the Dead, adding, with a nervous chuckle, that there was now nothing to be concerned about.

To the west of the Pyramid of the Moon (which was an exhausting 48 meter climb for an unfit me) is the Palace of Quetzalpapalotl (go ahead, work on that pronunciation!).  This is the Palace of the Precious Butterfly, where priests serving the sanctuary of the Moon lived.  The highly decorated carved pillars of great feathered creatures, jaguars, shells and flowers.

After a 1km walk southwards, it was time to attempt the climb to the apex of the great Pyramid of the Sun (64m high, 213 square metres at the base, and covering almost the same space as the great Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt.  The sides are terraced and wide steps lead to the summit. Incidentally, the original 4m covering of stone and stucco was removed by mistake in 1910.  After an agonising climb, and with calves and knees burning in protest, the summit at last.  And worth every painful step!  The view from the top gives a wonderful perspective of the entire Teotihuacan complex and an idea of the enormity of the ancient civil engineering feat.  The view of the rest of Mexico City, the largest city in the world and home to 22 million people, was stupendous.

Excavations into the Pyramid of the Sun have shown there to be no fewer than 6 separate pyramids constructed beneath the existing visible structure.  The Aztecs are thought to have built a new pyramid structure, above the previous one, every 52 years.  

Finally, 3km from the Pyramid of the Moon and at the southern-most end of the Avenue of the Dead, lies the Temple of Quetalcoatl (the plumed serpent, lord of air and wind).  During my walk through the complex, my thoughts kept drifting to the astronomical significance of the structures to the original builders.  Unfortunately, our guide was not keyed into the astronomically-related significance of Teotihuacan, but he could tell me that at the stroke of noon on the March Equinox, the sun is perfectly aligned to the west face of the Pyramid of the Sun and not a single shadow is cast by the pyramid.  I really needed to ask him the effects of precession of the equinoxes with respect to the original structural alignments, and any connection to other astronomical objects, but I think I will need to research that one for myself.

Dave Gordon

Dave Gordon

Some additional communications from Dave

From: David Gordon
[mailto:dave5@corpdial.co.za]
Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2004 9:39 PM
Subject: Hi From Puerto Escondido

Hi All

Arrived yesterday after 12 hour overnight bus journey (jam packed) in Puerto Escondido from Zihuatenejo - which is a beautiful and quaint little Mexican fishing town.  Found a coffee shop on the beachfront of Zihuatenejo that serves the most amazing blend of dark strong coffee.

Very tempted to go scuba diving but at US$80 I'll blow my budget before I get to Machu Pichu and Inca Ruins.

Puerto Escondido is surfers paradise and I'm staying at a hippy hotel called Rockaways. Full of ZZ top looking people (long beards and long hair, all in their 50s and 60s) and flower-power types. I thought this hippy-thing died in the sixties.  A Californian, taking a break from his construction business, tagged along with me from Zihuatenejo.  A rather strange, very loud fellow, who drinks far too much beer, belches a lot and curses plenty.  He carries a small furry hippo in his backpack for good luck - figure that one out!

This evening, I catch a bus to Tapachula on the Mexico/Guatemala border (15 hour bus journey).  I keep asking why the heck I'm putting myself through this but the thought of seeing the live volcanoes of Antigua keep me going.  

A bit concerned about travelling in Guatemala but I'll try and run through as safely as I can.

I'll stay in touch and send another update soon.

From: David Gordon
[mailto:dave5@corpdial.co.za]
Sent: Saturday, January 24, 2004 4:55 AM
Subject: Hi from Antigua, Guatemala

Hi All

I successfully negotiated the border between Guatemala and Mexico after a 13 hour bus ride from Puerto Escodido to the border town of Tapachula (Mexico).  The change in scenery, people, architecture  was immediate.  More poverty, informal business, touts, money changers and chancers.  Caught a taxi, then a mad dash for a bus, where my back pack was simply thrown onto the roof of the bus and I was shuffled into the bus as it was accelerating away.  The destination was completely unknown to me.  I met 4 other backpackers on the bus (Swede, German, Dutchman and Swiss) and we decided to hang together and see how the destination panned out.

After a 3 hour race through the Guatemalan countryside (overtaking on blind rises is a new phobia for me), arrived at a town called Quetzaltenango.  Very picturesque, baroque architecture, narrow streets, each building coloured differently, and the Volcano Maria as an amazing backdrop to the city.  Found a little hostel for $3 per night.  The Guatemalans appear quieter, more reserved than the Mexicans.  They are very quiet on the buses.

This morning, found my way to the bus stop and again, with backpack thrown onto roof-rack and me doing a mid air flying leap to jump onto the moving bus.  I needed to change buses at a town I couldn’t remember the name of nor pronounce when I could.  Something like Chimaltenango.  The locals somehow just shepherded me onto the right bus bound for Antigua.  Another 45 minutes later, and another picturesque town, this time surrounded by 3 volcanoes, Vocan Fuego is live and belching ash.  Wouldn’t mind seeing if I can find a guide to take me to the top of that one.

I’m not sure what me next move will be but thinking of going to Flores, which is the town nearest Tikal in Northern Guatemala, a huge complex of Mayan pyramids and ruins.  On the down side, my lack of Spanish is really getting me down.  My inability to converse with the locals in any way other than the very basic is extremely isolating.  More frustrating on my part than I ever imagined.  My current feeling is that I need to build a fluency in Spanish before attempting South America proper because I definitely am missing a part of the culture in being non communicado.

I’ll stay in touch
Bye for now
Dave

p.s. Please extend a little license on the spelling and punctuation.  No spell check and I’m still trying to figure out the Spanish keyboard.