There were a lot of quasi informed fellows at the gates this morning who, for $30 wanted to guide me through the ruins. Nuts to that I thought. Just as I was paying the entrance fee and wondering how to manage, I heard a fellow giving lots of detail to a group of young people. I joined the group as surreptitiously as I could with a bright yellow back pack. They were a group of university students from Oregon working for the non profit organization Stove Team.
As in Nepal, cooking involves deforestation, respiratory problems and burns, especially among young children. A woman working with a medical team in Guatamala noticed the problems and in 2004 began the org which now has factories in five countries, one here in Copan. The stove manufactured is very hot and fuel efficient.
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| the national bird of Honduras. The Scarlet Macaw. |
In this post, you'll see some of the ruins but also important trees in the area. Scarlet Macaws flew overhead today in great sweeping arcs as they used to in Mayan times. In those days, they were sacred, representing the daylight and the rising sun. After sunset, the Lord of the Night, a stalking Jaguar appeared.
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| Naked Indian |
The sap of the Naked Indian tree, named for its peeling bark, was used as an anti inflammatory and also coagulent. The Mayas cut their skin in ceremonies, and after cutting applied this sap to stop bleeding.
The Mayans had an excellent underground pipe system and areas to collect water.
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| Mayan gutter |
When archeologists arrived on a scene, they looked for square stones, stones shaped by people.
In the next post you'll see photos of stelae, a learning centre, a ball court, the large stones used for various stages of human sacrifies and the impressive Hieroglyphic Stairway. As a sidebar, the Mayan calendar lacked five days to cover a full year. So children born between August 8 and 12 were from birth on deemed for human sacrifice. This was an honour apparently.
Along the lines of birth past and present, Stinging Nettle was used as an abortive in Mayan times. Mayan women today receive contraception injections. The doctors tell the husbands that the injections are vitamins. Poor Mayan families don't name their children until they are two because infant mortality is high and they don't want to waste names. So until the age of two, children are called "El Nino" or La Nina."
On Tuesday I move to a new home and new instructor. This is Easter Week here and a holiday for many. I bought my bus ticket to San Pedro Sula in the nick of time.
At the moment I'm hot and tuckered. The posted temp for here was 88. But it felt like 95.
Hasta Manana
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| nature and man made |
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| finding what once was |
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