By Shenzhan/申展
Cover photo: Shenzhan standing on top of the Sun, Teotihucán, San Juan, Mexico, May 2019
该文有中文版本 “走进中美洲（三）：Oaxaca与墨西哥之旅——古文明一瞥”
I went to Monte Albán in the morning of May 24, 2019, a hot and dry Friday. It’s an archaeological site of an ancient city over 6,400 feet (1,900 meters) above the sea level, higher than Oaxaca City. After a 20-minute ride in a small yet comfortable van from Hotel Rivera del Angel, M and I entered the site from its north-east corner, with a 2007 Lonely Planet as our guide.
A city from 500 B.C. is below us. To the south is the Main Plaza, the largest and tallest among all stone structures on site. Small buildings are laid out in the vast flat space between the Main Plaza and a north plaza. Scattering in the space, there were a group of students led by their teacher explaining the drainage system running underneath the ground; random vendors with small artifacts to sell; and a couple of tiny lizards sunbathing on the side. The space is said to be an ancient court for the Mesoamerican Ballgame*(more in Shenzhan’s THOUGHT BUBBLE), a ritualistic game dated back to 1200 B.C.. Covered by only grass (there is one lush giant tree standing at a corner to offer some shade from the brutal sun in the high land), this court now is still lined up with platforms, stone structures probably built for aristocracies to watch the game, and for priests to perform sacrificial rituals. One structure nearby was identified as los Danzantes (the Dancers), as carvings of dancers were discovered inside.
Monte Albán from the Main Plaza to the south, Oaxaca, May 2019
“Shenzhan’s THOUGHT BUBBLE: I am fascinated by the ancient Mesoamerican Ballgame. According to archaeological discoveries, the Mesoamerican Ballgame was highly symbolic: the ball might represent the sun, and the court the sky. Evidently it was very sacred and popular among all Mesoamerican civilizations (Omelc, Maya, Zapotec, Mixtec, etc.) since similar courts were built in almost every ancient city discovered. The game is said to be played by two teams chasing a rather heavy ball made of hard rubber. Over centuries, there were variations in different regions and at different times. Some later courts would have a ring in the middle for goal. While the purpose of the ballgame and exactly how it was played are still a mystery, it’s almost certain that they were symbolic and religious. Some even argue that they were also for settling disputes among tribes in order to avoid wars (how civil!). One object called the “yoke”, often in the shape of frogs or toads and carved with motifs of local gods, is associated with the game. I tend to believe that the yoke was only used for rituals as I can hardly imagine any player could wear it while chasing the hard rubber ball. It does look powerful and full of magic, though.”
A Ballplayer, Mexico, Jalisco, 100 B.C. to 300 A.D., the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Frog Yoke, Mexico, Classic Veracruz, 6th - 8th Century, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
All the structures on the site are along a north-south axis except for one, uncharacteristically named in Lonely Planet as “Edificio J” , in front of the Main Plaza. Its 45-degree angle is said to be built for astronomical observations in order for the priests to track the passage of the sun and calculate the seasons. Standing on top of the steps of the Main Plaza, I tried to imagine the priests standing on these structures to provide guidance for agricultural activities in ancient times. Mesoamerican civilizations in general followed a 360-day solar calendar (plus 5 unnamed days to make it 365 days in total) for agricultural cycles and a 260-day calendar for ritual activities, which is remarkably similar to Chinese yin-yang calendars!
“Edificio J”, Monte Albán, Oaxaca, Mexico
Not surprisingly, unlike Oaxaca City, there is little trace of colonialism except for a new fresco of Alfonso Caso (1896-1970) at the entrance of the site. Caso is called the “Discoverer of Monte Albán”, and was responsible for the 1931 archaeological excavation of the site, which by then has been abandoned for centuries since 850 A.D. Caso appears in the fresco with a pair of glasses, western-style shirt and pants, and knee-high boots. But at least he’s Mexican!
Even with very brief time in Mexico, one could tell its history is essentially divided into two by the year of 1521: pre-colonial period and after. Like many old empires encountering Western European colonialism (including China's Qing Empire), it is the year when Tenochtitlán, the capital of the Aztec Empire and current day Mexico City fell under the attack of the Spanish general Hernán Cortés , who started conquering Central America with a couple of ships, 600 soldiers, a few cannons ( not always functioning but nevertheless very scary to the natives), dogs and horses (creatures natives haven’t seen before), etc. Today when one walks in the streets of Oaxaca and Mexico City, its colonial past is quite obvious: the language spoken is largely Spanish (I guess, since I couldn’t tell if an indigenous language -- there are over 68 or more of them -- is spoken anyway…), the buildings are mostly in European style*(more in Shenzhan’s THOUGHT BUBBLE), and the churches are by and large Catholic.
“Shenzhan’s THOUGHT BUBBLE: Mexico City was rebuilt by the Spaniards after the conquering. In its recent modern history, Mexico City underwent many construction projects erecting structures by architects from Italy and France, especially during the 31-year presidency of Porfirio Diaz (1876–1880, 1884–1911), who was determined to build a modern, sophisticated capital of Mexico that could rival Paris or London. Sitting on the top deck of the Turi City Bus touring around the historical district of Mexico City, I learned most of the buildings, monuments and statues were built during the Porfirio. A major street in Oaxaca City is named after the president too. Porfirio is controversial though: his presidency is for sure too long; Major cultural projects can easily be controversial anyway. Plus he ended up in Paris and is still buried there!”
However, for a land where ancient civilizations can be traced back to 3500 B.C. and earlier times, its colonial history is the only very recent. Like other regions in the world, civilizations here clustered in certain geographic areas, goods and people were traded and exchanged, cities like Monte Albán were built, reached their peaks as the center for certain civilization, and were abandoned when the civilization collapsed. Unlike China, Rome or Egypt, no single Mesoamerican civilization overcame the entire region of Central America. Obviously civilizations in this region shared lots of similarities such as their religions, calendars, architecture, etc. However the word “Mesoamerican civilization” is merely a concept for the convenience of western-eccentric archaeologists, anthropologists and historians.
Historians generally divide pre-Columbian Mesoamerican history into several major periods: Archaic era (before 2600 B.C.) when archaeological discoveries suggest agricultural settlements already existed; Pre-classic or Formative era (2000 B.C. to 250 C.E.) when Olmec (1200 B.C. to 400 B.C.) centered around Veracruz and Tabasco in the Gulf of Mexico came to known today for their colossal heads and jade masks. In the south, Zapotec people in the Valley of Oaxaca started to build Monte Albán and the process continued for centuries; Classic era (150 - 900 C.E.) during which Zapotec continued to flourish while Maya civilization started to dominate the east part of the Gulf of Mexico, eventually compassing a large area from modern-day Yucatán, Quintana Roo, Campeche, Tabasco, and Chiapas in Mexico and southward through Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras. In today’s Valley of Mexico, the ancient city of Teotihuacán was built, though its founder was a long debate. At the end of this era, several civilizations declined or collapsed. Cities like Monte Albán and Teotihuacán declined and eventually were abandoned; Post-classic era (900 to 1521) saw a few civilizations continued such as Maya and Zapotec, and the rise of newcomers such as the Aztec. The Aztecs were late to the political scene in the Valley of Mexico but managed to start its empire in the 15th Century and was on its way to dominate Central Mexico until it was met (and stopped) by the Spaniards. The history after is changed by colonialism.
This super simplified history of the Central America region obviously fails to include many important details, peoples and civilizations, as well as the complex relationships among them. However, keeping this rough timeline in mind did provide me a helpful historical orientation on day trips to ancient sites like Monte Albán in Oaxaca and Teotihuacán near Mexico City. Not only it was helpful, it was also inspiring to realize that Mesoamerica has much older civilizations that have completed many cycles in the pre-colonial period. Yet, the stunning signature of their wisdom has survived thousands of years, numerous wars, and cultural genocide when civilizations clash.
Olmec Colossal Head, Museo de Anthropologia de Xalapa, Xalapa, Mexico.
Source: TripAdvisor
Jade Mask, Mexico, Olmec, 10th - 6th Century B.C., the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
In a much larger scale, Teotihuacán to Mexico City is like Monte Albán to Oaxaca City. Leaving at 6: 40 am on May 30, 2019 from Cayoacán, I took an Uber, a subway and a bus from Mexico Norte Bus Terminal. By 9:00 am, I was standing (somewhat proudly, for my skill navigating the public transportation system in the humongous Mexico City) in front of the entrance to Teotihuacán. To get the best of the trip, I managed to hire Manuel, an English tour guide. Whenever Manuel wanted to call my attention, he would start with “hei, lady!” (versus “Ladies and Gentlemen”, as he would usually do to address a group). Teotihuacán, named by the Aztecs as “the birthplace of the gods”, was built around 100 B.C. and at its peak the largest city in America with a population likely surpassing 250,000. Its three main pyramids, the Moon, the Sun and Quetzal (bird) Coatle (serpent), “the Feathered Serpent”, are positioned according to the three stars of the Orion, the same constellation which guided the ancient Egyptians to build their great pyramids, over 2,500 years earlier. The luxury of having Manuel was to learn many amazing tales of ancient science, symbolism and astrology. However, being the only one bearing the cost, I literally gave him my last MX dollar in cash when we departed, amusingly, at the central sacrificial platform in front of the Moon! After Manuel left, I climbed up the Moon, which offers the unparalleled view of the magnificent axial avenue; and the Sun, which was most tough as it is the tallest of all the structures at Teotihuacán. Looking up from the foot of the Sun, the steps literally looked like the stairs to heaven! With the temperature rising as the day went, and absolutely no shades, the journey certainly reminds me that the Aztecs called the pyramid “the Sun” for a good reason!
the Moon, Teotihuacán, San Juan, Mexico
the Moon and the Avenue of the Death, from the Sun, Teotihuacán, San Juan, Mexico
the Sun, Teotichuan, San Juan, Mexico
I love ancient sites. It’s exciting to know that ancient people might have been standing exactly the same spot as I was, as if energies mysteriously overlap with each other, several thousand years apart. It is also a tremendously humbling experience to realize that ancient civilizations, despite the fact that they have disappeared long time ago, did leave these amazing structures standing in front of my eyes, telling me, an individual who doesn’t speak their language and hasn’t encountered a single soul of their time, their ways of thinking and understanding of the universe. I am not sure that any nation, state or cultural groups today, no matter how powerful they appear on media, will be certain to achieve the same.
Seriously, what can we leave behind for people after thousands of years to visit, and to admire?
Astoria, New York
6/17/2019
Related essay：
Entering Mesoamerica (2): Exploring Oaxaca and Mexico City - from the Street to the Church
Entering Mesoamerica (1): Exploring Oaxaca and Mexico City - Preface
Read more of Shenzhan Liao’s blog Making Sense. 意