January 29, 2011 (Part 1)

Today was a very special day for me-- it was the day I had arranged to visit perhaps the greatest of all excavated Maya sites-- TIKAL. But before I talk about my incredible trip to Tikal, I want to "go back two spaces" to January 27, 2011-- the day I visited both Xunantunich and Cahal Pech". During my visit to Xunantunich I met a young Maya gentleman named "Elmer" near the spot where visitors take the hand-drawn ferry across the river. Elmer was selling hand-carved slate pieces on which he had carefully etched both versions of the Maya calendar -- "glyphs" and all --along with a special drawing in the middle (such as a Maya medicine man or a map of Belize). Elmer had created the slate pieces with only screwdrivers and chisels, and he explained how he had learned his craft from his father. I was sufficiently impressed with these items that, after completing my tour of the Maya site I purchased six pieces from Elmer. He finished a couple pieces he had underway and delivered all six pieces to my hotel in San Ignacio the next day. I have inserted a photo of several of the pieces I purchased below:

Haab' calendar on the outer ring, Tzolk'in calendar on inner ring (Medicine Man)

Haab' calendar on the outer ring, Tzolk'in calendar on inner ring

Haab' calendar on the outer ring, Tzolk'in calendar on inner ring (Map of Belize)

Haab' calendar on the outer ring, Tzolk'in calendar on inner ring (Medicine Man)

Haab' calendar on the outer ring, Tzolk'in calendar on inner ring (Maya Temple)

A couple comments about these awesome art works carved from slate by hand by a young native of the region:  1.) It cost me just as much to ship them back to the USA as I paid for them (but at least they arrived back home undamaged!);  2.) All these interesting glyphs and numbers -- and all the recent talk about the "end of the world" supposedly forecast by the Maya and detailed in a number of recent books and moviesmade me very curious about the history of the history and the science behind the various Maya calendar systems. I never knew the calendar could be so amazing!  My next couple blogs will provide some background for anyone else who is curious about this.