TYPICAL Archives - NOMALAND BLOG

CHIAPAS

NOMALAND — Fri, 12 May 2023 15:06:55 +0000

what to do in chiapas

Hi we are Sami & Valeria, an Italian couple who after traveling around the world, fell in love with Mexico! In our Blog you will discover all sides of this big country, from natural and cultural beauties to exploring the hidden and dark sides. Let’s discover together passion & beauty of this amazing folk which once it enters your heart will never leave it again! Also covering our hometown (Rome) and many other places where we have lived, we wish you a wonderful reading!

Home » BLOG » ARTICLE » TYPICAL

What to do in Chiapas - An Amazing Adventure

We recently had the opportunity of traveling to Chiapas, Mexico, and it was just amazing. Every part of the trip was full of wonder and excitement, from touring Palenque’s ancient ruins to swimming in the turquoise waters of the Agua Azul Waterfalls.

The colonial village of San Cristobal de las Casas was brimming with charm and personality, and the boat journey through the Sumidero Canyon was simply stunning. The trip’s high point was definitely Yaxchilan, with its exquisite stone temples and luscious jungle settings. Chiapas is a real treasure of Mexico, and we can’t wait to go back and discover even more of its distinct culture and breathtaking scenery.

What to do in Chiapas - PALENQUE

The Mexican state of Chiapas is home to the historic Mayan city of Palenque. Certainly for those who are interested in history and archaeology, it is among the top places to see in Chiapas.

The city was founded in the seventh century AD, and basically it reached its zenith in the eighth. The spectacular pyramids, temples, and other remains of the ancient city can still be despite explored by tourists today.

The Temple of the Inscriptions, which contains the grave of the city’s founder, Pakal the Great, is one of Palenque’s most well-known structures. Certainly one of the most important finds in Mesoamerican archaeology, the tomb was found in 1952.

In addition to being significant historically, Palenque is a lovely place to visit, one of the best places to visit in Chiapas. The ruins are situated in a luxuriant jungle setting, offering a fantastic backdrop for exploration. The sculptures and architecture of the old city can be admired by visitors on their own or with a guide.

Furthermore Palenque has a ton of outdoor recreation options, such as hiking, swimming, and exploring the local caves and waterfalls.

Palenque is certainly among the top destinations in Chiapas to visit if you’re fascinated by prehistoric history and breathtaking natural beauty. It is a must-visit location for anybody. Discover its well-preserved remains, stunning surroundings, and interesting history.

What to do in Chiapas - SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASAS

Chiapas, Mexico’s mountains are home to the lovely historic hamlet of San Cristobal de las Casas. It’s regarded as one of the top tourist destinations in Chiapas because of its thriving culture, stunning architecture, and mouthwatering cuisine.

The Zocalo, the town’s main square, is a favorite gathering place for both locals and tourists. It’s a wonderful spot especially to unwind and take in the ambience of the town. Surrounded by stunning colonial buildings and embellished with fountains and trees, just Amazing!

The architecture is certainly one of its features. Churches, houses, and municipal buildings are among the town’s many exquisite colonial structures. The Cathedral of San Cristobal dominating the town’s skyline is the most well-known of these. A must-see for architecture fans!

It’s one of the best place to visit in Chiapas, renowned for both its architecture and its thriving culture. Numerous indigenous cultures reside in the town, and tourists are welcome! You can browse the local markets and shops to find authentic textiles and handicrafts. The town also holds a lot of cultural events all year long, like festivals and music performances.

It offers a wide variety of culinary delights. The community is renowned for its delectable cuisine, which features regional delicacies like tamales and pozol. Pozol is a traditional drink made from corn, as well as standard Mexican cuisines.

What to do in Chiapas - SUMIDERO CANYON

One of Chiapas, Mexico’s most stunning natural beauties and one of the top destinations for tourists, is Sumidero Canyon. With rocks towering up to 1,000 meters above the river below, the canyon is nearly 20 kilometers long.

Taking a riverboat cruise is one of the greatest ways to experience Sumidero Canyon. The excursions normally leave from Chiapa de Corzo and give tourists a distinctive view of the canyon’s soaring cliffs and gushing waterfalls.

In addition, the canyon is home to a wide variety of flora and animals, including birds, monkey, and reptile species. Numerous species of eagles soar over the canyon walls. Tourists frequently see crocodiles lazing in the sun on the riverbanks.

Sumidero Canyon has a rich cultural past in addition to its natural beauty. The canyon was a significant location for the prehistoric Maya culture, and tourists can still see ruins and artifacts that serve as reminders of their existence.

A crucial location for local conservation efforts is Sumidero Canyon. The black howler monkey and the Central American river turtle are two examples of the endangered animals that call the canyon home. Visitors to the canyon can learn about these conservation initiatives and how crucial it is to preserve the biodiversity of the area.

It’s one of the top destinations in Chiapas for tourists interested in natural beauty, cultural history, and environmental education. Travel through the area because of its towering cliffs, gushing waterfalls, and variety of fauna.

A little Paradise: AGUA AZUL WATERFALLS

One of Mexico’s most beautiful natural beauties, Agua Azul Waterfalls is regarded as one of the region’s top tourist destinations. The waterfalls are a collection of streams and ponds with cascading turquoise water that cascade through the deep jungle.

To get near to the waterfalls, visitors can stroll through the beautiful jungle, or they can cool down in one of the natural pools. The water is pleasant and extremely clear, making it the ideal spot to cool off on a hot day.

The Agua Azul Waterfalls are a crucial location for local conservation efforts. The scarlet macaw and the jaguar are just two of the endangered species that call this region home. Visitors can learn about these conservation initiatives and how crucial it is to preserve the biodiversity of the area.

Agua Azul Waterfalls are stunning in nature, but they also have a long cultural history. Visitors can still view ruins and relics that serve as reminders of the ancient Maya civilization’s significance to the waterfalls.

Agua Azul Waterfalls is among the top destinations in Chiapas to visit! Learn about cultural heritage, natural beauty, or conservation. If you are searching for flowing blue pools, thick jungle, and variety of fauna, this is the right place!

Ruins of YAXCHILAN

A historic Mayan city called Yaxchilan can be found in the deep forest of Chiapas, Mexico. It had a vital role in Mayan politics and culture during the Classical era. On the banks of the Usumacinta River, which was a significant commerce route in ancient times, lie the ruins of Yaxchilan.

Yaxchilan’s impressively maintained city remains, which include monuments like temples, palaces, and ball courts, may be explored by tourists. Yaxchilan is known for its stunning stelae, or huge stone monuments, which are adorned with elaborate sculptures and hieroglyphics that shed light on the history and culture of the city.

Visitors must go by boat along the Usumacinta River to get to Yaxchilan, which provides breathtaking views of the surrounding jungle and fauna, including monkeys, crocodiles, and unusual birds. Traveling through the distant and unexplored jungle of Chiapas to reach the ruins is part of the adventure.

For those who are interested in history and archaeology, Yaxchilan is regarded as one of the top tourist destinations in Chiapas. The city’s striking structures and admirably kept relics offer a window into the fascinating Mayan culture.

Visitors to Yaxchilan can also check out adjacent sites like the ruins at Bonampak, which are renowned for their well-preserved murals showing Mayan daily life. Also close is the Lacandon Jungle, which is home to indigenous people and a wide variety of plant and animal species.

Yaxchilan should not be missed by anyone with a passion for history and culture. It is a singular and unforgettable experience due to its secluded location and well-preserved ruins, and its gorgeous natural surroundings only contribute to enhance its allure.

Discover also RIVIERA MAYA

Home » BLOG » ARTICLE » TYPICAL

L'articolo CHIAPAS proviene da NOMALAND.

DAY OF THE DEAD

NOMALAND — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 11:55:54 +0000

day of the dead

Hi everybody we are Sami & Valeria, an Italian couple who after traveling around the world, fell in love with Mexico! In our Blog you will discover all sides of this big country, from natural and cultural beauties to exploring the hidden and dark sides. Let’s discover together passion & beauty of this amazing folk which once it enters your heart will never leave it again! Also covering our hometown (Rome) and many other places where we have lived, we wish you a wonderful reading!

Home » BLOG » ARTICLE » TYPICAL

DAY OF THE DEAD (Dia de Muertos)

The Day of the Dead (Espanol : Día de Muertos or Día de los Muertos) is a Mexican holiday celebrated in Mexico and elsewhere associated with the Catholic celebrations of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, and is held on November 1 and 2. The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pray for and to remember friends and family members who have died. It is commonly portrayed as a day of celebration rather than mourning.

Mexican academics are divided on whether the festivity has indigenous pre-Hispanic roots or whether it is a 20th-century rebranded version of a Spanish tradition developed by the presidency of Lázaro Cárdenas to encourage Mexican nationalism through an “Aztec” identity.

The festivity has become a national symbol and as such is taught in the nation’s school system, typically asserting a native origin. In 2008, the tradition was inscribed in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

The holiday is more commonly called “Día de los Muertos” outside Mexico. Whereas in Spain and most of Latin America the public holiday and similar traditions are typically held on All Saints’ Day (Todos los Santos), the Mexican government under Lázaro Cárdenas attempted to rename the festivity to All Souls’ Day (Fieles Difuntos) in an effort to secularize the festivity and distinguish it from the Hispanic Catholic festival.

The Día de Muertos was then promoted throughout the country as a continuity of ancient Aztec festivals celebrating death, a theory strongly encouraged by Mexican poet Octavio Paz. Traditions connected with the holiday include building home altars called ofrendas, honoring the deceased using calaveras, aztec marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts.

Day of the Dead: HISTORY

The Día de Muertos is commonly associated with Mexican pre-Hispanic indigenous traditions both in Mexico and abroad. However, over the past decades, Mexican academia has increasingly questioned the validity of this assumption, even going as far as calling it a politically motivated fabrication.

Historian Elsa Malvido, researcher for the Mexican INAH and founder of the institute’s Taller de Estudios sobre la Muerte, was the first to do so in the context of her wider research into Mexican attitudes to death and disease across the centuries.

Malvido completely discards a native or even syncretic origin arguing that the tradition can be fully traced to Medieval Europe. She highlights the existence of similar traditions on the same day, not just in Spain, but in the rest of Catholic Southern Europe and Latin America such as altars for the dead, sweets in the shape of skulls and bread in the shape of bones.

Agustin Sanchez Gonzalez has a similar view in his article published in the INAH’s bi-monthly journal Arqueología Mexicana. Gonzalez states that, even though the “indigenous” narrative became hegemonic, the spirit of the festivity has far more in common with European traditions of Danse macabre and their allegories of life and death personified in the human skeleton to remind us the ephemeral nature of life.

He also highlights that in the 19th century press there was little mention of the Day of the Dead in the sense that we know it today. All there was were long processions to cemeteries, sometimes ending with drunkenness. Elsa Malvido, also points to the recent origin of the tradition of “velar” or staying up all night with the dead. It resulted from the Reform Laws under the presidency of Benito Juarez which forced family pantheons out of Churches and into civil cemeteries, requiring rich families having servants guarding family possessions displayed at altars.

Gonzalez further explains that the modern characteristics of the “Día de Muertos” during the first governments following the Mexican revolution led to a nationalist culture and iconography based on pride all things indigenous – portraying Native Americans as the origin of everything truly Mexican.

The historian Ricardo Pérez Montfort has further demonstrated how the ideology known as indigenismo became more and more closely linked to post-revolutionary official projects whereas Hispanismo was identified with conservative political stances. This exclusive nationalism began to displace all other cultural perspectives to the point that in the 1930s, the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl was officially promoted by the government as a substitute for the Spanish Three Kings tradition, with a person dressed up as the deity offering gifts to poor children.

MAGICAL

In this context, the Day of the Dead began to be officially isolated from the Catholic Church by the leftist government of Lázaro Cárdenas motivated both by “indigenismo” and left-leaning anti-clericalism. Malvido herself goes as far as calling the festivity a “Cardenist invention” whereby the Catholic elements are removed and emphasis is laid on indigenous iconography, the focus on death and what Malvido considers to be the cultural invention according to which Mexicans venerate death.

Gonzalez explains that Mexican nationalism developed diverse cultural expressions with a seal of tradition but which are essentially social constructs which eventually developed ancestral tones. One of these would be the Catholic Día de Muertos which, during the 20th century, appropriated the elements of an ancient pagan rite.

One key element of the re-developed festivity which appears during this time is La Calavera Catrina by Mexican lithographer José Guadalupe Posada. According to Gonzalez, whereas Posada is portrayed in current times as the “restorer” of Mexico’s pre-Hispanic tradition he was never interested in Native American culture or history.

Posada was predominantly interested in drawing scary images which are far closer to those of the European renaissance or the horrors painted by Francisco de Goya in the Spanish war of Independence against Napoleon than the Mexica tzompantli. The recent trans-atlantic connection can also be observed in the pervasive use of couplet in allegories of death and the play Don Juan Tenorio by 19th Spanish writer José Zorrilla which is represented on this date both in Spain and in Mexico since the early 19th century due to its ghostly apparitions and cemetery scenes.

Day of the Dead: ALTARS (Ofrendas)

People go to cemeteries to be with the souls of the departed and build private altars containing the favorite foods and beverages, as well as photos and memorabilia, of the departed. The intent is to encourage visits by the souls, so the souls will hear the prayers and the comments of the living directed to them. Celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed.

Plans for the day are made throughout the year, including gathering the goods to be offered to the dead. During the three-day period families usually clean and decorate graves; most visit the cemeteries where their loved ones are buried and decorate their graves with ofrendas (altars), which often include orange Mexican marigolds (Tagetes erecta) called cempasúchil (originally named cempōhualxōchitl, Nāhuatl for ‘twenty flowers’).

In modern Mexico the marigold is sometimes called Flor de Muerto (‘Flower of Dead’). These flowers are thought to attract souls of the dead to the offerings. It is also believed the bright petals with a strong scent can guide the souls from cemeteries to their family homes.

Toys are brought for dead children (los angelitos, or ‘the little angels’), and bottles of tequila, mezcal or pulque or jars of atole for adults. Families will also offer trinkets or the deceased’s favorite candies on the grave. Some families have ofrendas in homes, usually with foods such as candied pumpkin, pan de muerto (‘bread of dead’), and sugar skulls; and beverages such as atole. The ofrendas are left out in the homes as a welcoming gesture for the deceased.

Some people believe the spirits of the dead eat the “spiritual essence” of the ofrendas’ food, so though the celebrators eat the food after the festivities, they believe it lacks nutritional value. Pillows and blankets are left out so the deceased can rest after their long journey. In some parts of Mexico, such as the towns of Mixquic, Pátzcuaro and Janitzio, people spend all night beside the graves of their relatives. In many places, people have picnics at the grave site, as well.

Some families build altars or small shrines in their homes; these sometimes feature a Christian cross, statues or pictures of the Blessed Virgin Mary, pictures of deceased relatives and other people, scores of candles, and an ofrenda.

Traditionally, families spend some time around the altar, praying and telling anecdotes about the deceased. In some locations, celebrants wear shells on their clothing, so when they dance, the noise will wake up the dead; some will also dress up as the deceased.

Day of the Dead: FOOD

During Day of the Dead festivities, food is both eaten by living people and given to the spirits of their departed ancestors as ofrendas (‘offerings’). Tamales are one of the most common dishes prepared for this day for both purposes.

Pan de muerto and calaveras are associated specifically with Day of the Dead. Pan de muerto is a type of sweet roll shaped like a bun, topped with sugar, and often decorated with bone-shaped pieces of the same pastry. Calaveras, or sugar skulls, display colorful designs to represent the vitality and individual personality of the departed.

In addition to food, drink is also important to the tradition of Day of the Dead. Historically, the main alcoholic drink was pulque while today families will commonly drink the favorite beverage of their deceased ancestors. Other drinks associated with the holiday are atole and champurrado, warm, thick, non-alcoholic masa drinks.

SKULLS (Calaveras)

A common symbol of the holiday is the skull (in Spanish calavera), which celebrants represent in masks, called calacas (colloquial term for skeleton), and foods such as chocolate or sugar skulls, which are inscribed with the name of the recipient on the forehead. Sugar skulls can be given as gifts to both the living and the dead. Other holiday foods include pan de muerto, a sweet egg bread made in various shapes from plain rounds to skulls, often decorated with white frosting to look like twisted bones.

A distinctive literary form exists within this holiday where Mexican people write short poems in traditional rhyming verse, called calaveras literarias (lit. “literary skulls”), which are mocking, light-hearted epitaphs mostly dedicated to friends, classmates, co-workers, or family members (living or dead) but also to public or historical figures, describing interesting habits and attitudes, as well as comedic or absurd anecdotes that use death-related imagery which includes but is not limited to cemeteries, skulls, or the grim reaper, all of this in situations where the dedicatee has an encounter with death itself.

This custom originated in the 18th or 19th century after a newspaper published a poem narrating a dream of a cemetery in the future which included the words “and all of us were dead”, and then proceeding to read the tombstones. Current newspapers dedicate calaveras literarias to public figures, with cartoons of skeletons in the style of the famous calaveras of José Guadalupe Posada, a Mexican illustrator.

In modern Mexico, calaveras literarias are a staple of the holiday in many institutions and organizations, for example, in public schools, students are encouraged or required to write them as part of the language class. Posada created what might be his most famous print, he called the print La Calavera Catrina (“The Elegant Skull”) as a parody of a Mexican upper-class female.

Posada’s intent with the image was to ridicule the others that would claim the culture of the Europeans over the culture of the indigenous people. The image was a skeleton with a big floppy hat decorated with two big feathers and multiple flowers on the top of the hat.

Posada’s striking image of a costumed female with a skeleton face has become associated with the Day of the Dead, and Catrina figures often are a prominent part of modern Day of the Dead observances.

Discover JUNGLE HOUSE PdC

JUNGLE HOUSE

A unique experience, living the jungle even at home cooking, watching TV, relaxing in the bedroom or enjoying the outdoor area taking some sun, enjoying a margarita or having a barbecue under Mexican Sun!

DISCOVER

Home » BLOG » ARTICLE » TYPICAL

L'articolo DAY OF THE DEAD proviene da NOMALAND.

FRIDA KAHLO

NOMALAND — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 09:31:47 +0000

frida kahlo

Home » BLOG » ARTICLE » TYPICAL

FRIDA KAHLO

Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (6 July 1907–13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by the country’s popular culture, she employed a native folk art style to explore questions of identity, postcolonialism, gender, class, and race in Mexican society.

Her paintings often had strong autobiographical elements and mixed realism with fantasy. In addition to belonging to the post-revolutionary Mexical movement, which sought to define a Mexican identity, Kahlo has been described as a surrealist or magical realist. She is known for painting about her experience of chronic pain.

Frida Kahlo’s work as an artist remained relatively unknown until the late 1970s, when her work was rediscovered by art historians and political activists. By the early 1990s, she had become not only a recognized figure in art history, but also regarded as an icon for Chicanos, the feminism movement and the LGBTQ movement.

Kahlo’s work has been celebrated internationally as emblematic of Mexican national and indigenous traditions and by feminists for what is seen as its uncompromising depiction of the female experience and form.

Frida Kahlo: EARLY CAREER

Frida Kahlo enjoyed art from an early age, receiving drawing instruction from printmaker Fernando Fernández (who was her father’s friend) and filling notebooks with sketches. In 1925, she began to work outside of school to help her family. After briefly working as a stenographer, she became a paid engraving apprentice for Fernández. He was impressed by her talent, although she did not consider art as a career at this time.

A severe bus accident at the age of 18 left Frida Kahlo in lifelong pain. Confined to bed for three months following the accident, Kahlo began to paint. She started to consider a career as a medical illustrator, as well, which would combine her interests in science and art.

Her mother provided her with a specially-made easel, which enabled her to paint in bed, and her father lent her some of his oil paints. She had a mirror placed above the easel, so that she could see herself. Painting became a way for Kahlo to explore questions of identity and existence.

She explained, “I paint myself because I am often alone and I am the subject I know best”. She later stated that the accident and the isolating recovery period made her desire “to begin again, painting things just as [she] saw them with [her] own eyes and nothing more”.

Most of the paintings Frida Kahlo made during this time were portraits of herself, her sisters, and her schoolfriends. Her early paintings and correspondence show that she drew inspiration especially from European artists, in particular Renaissance masters such as Sandro Botticelli and Bronzino and from avant-garde movements such as Neue Sachlichkeit and Cubism.

On moving to Morelos in 1929 with her husband Rivera, Kahlo was inspired by the city of Cuernavaca where they lived. She changed her artistic style and increasingly drew inspiration from Mexican folk art.

Art historian Andrea Kettenmann states that she may have been influenced by Adolfo Best Maugard’s treatise on the subject, for she incorporated many of the characteristics that he outlined.

For example, the lack of perspective and the combining of elements from pre-Columbian and colonial periods of Mexican art. Frida Kahlo identification with La Raza, the people of Mexico, and her profound interest in its culture remained important facets of her art throughout the rest of her life.

WORK IN THE UNITED STATES

When Kahlo and Rivera moved to San Francisco in 1930, Kahlo was introduced to American artists such as Edward Weston, Ralph Stackpole, Timothy L. Pflueger, and Nickolas Muray. The six months spent in San Francisco were a productive period for Frida Kahlo, who further developed the folk art style she had adopted in Cuernavaca.

In addition to painting portraits of several new acquaintances, she made Frieda and Diego Rivera (1931), a double portrait based on their wedding photograph, and The Portrait of Luther Burbank (1931), which depicted the eponymous horticulturist as a hybrid between a human and a plant.

Although she still publicly presented herself as simply Rivera’s spouse rather than as an artist, she participated for the first time in an exhibition, when Frieda and Diego Rivera was included in the Sixth Annual Exhibition of the San Francisco Society of Women Artists in the Palace of the Legion of Honor.

On moving to Detroit with Rivera, Kahlo experienced numerous health problems related to a failed pregnancy. Despite these health problems, as well as her dislike for the capitalist culture of the United States, Kahlo’s time in the city was beneficial for her artistic expression.

She experimented with different techniques, such as etching and frescos, and her paintings began to show a stronger narrative style. She also began placing emphasis on the themes of “terror, suffering, wounds, and pain”.

Despite the popularity of the mural in Mexican art at the time, she adopted a diametrically opposed medium, votive images or retablos, religious paintings made on small metal sheets by amateur artists to thank saints for their blessings during a calamity.

Amongst the works she made in the retablo manner in Detroit are Henry Ford Hospital (1932), My Birth (1932), and Self-Portrait on the Border of Mexico and the United States (1932). While none of Kahlo’s works were featured in exhibitions in Detroit, she gave an interview to the Detroit News on her art; the article was condescendingly titled “Wife of the Master Mural Painter Gleefully Dabbles in Works of Art”.

Frida Kahlo: RETURN TO MEXICO CITY & INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION

Upon returning to Mexico City in 1934 Frida Kahlo made no new paintings, and only two in the following year, due to health complications. In 1937 and 1938, however, Kahlo’s artistic career was extremely productive, following her divorce and then reconciliation with Rivera.

She painted more “than she had done in all her eight previous years of marriage”, creating such works as My Nurse and I (1937), Memory, the Heart (1937), Four Inhabitants of Mexico (1938), and What the Water Gave Me (1938). Although she was still unsure about her work, the National Autonomous University of Mexico exhibited some of her paintings in early 1938.

She made her first significant sale in the summer of 1938 when film star and art collector Edward G. Robinson purchased four paintings at $200 each. Even greater recognition followed when French Surrealist André Breton visited Rivera in April 1938.

He was impressed by Kahlo, immediately claiming her as a surrealist and describing her work as “a ribbon around a bomb”. He not only promised to arrange for her paintings to be exhibited in Paris but also wrote to his friend and art dealer, Julien Levy, who invited her to hold her first solo exhibition at his gallery on the East 57th Street in Manhattan.

In October, Frida Kahlo traveled alone to New York, where her colorful Mexican dress “caused a sensation” and made her seen as “the height of exotica”.

The exhibition opening in November was attended by famous figures such as Georgia O’Keeffe and Clare Boothe Luce and received much positive attention in the press, although many critics adopted a condescending tone in their reviews. For example, Time wrote that “Little Frida’s pictures … had the daintiness of miniatures, the vivid reds, and yellows of Mexican tradition and the playfully bloody fancy of an unsentimental child”.

Despite the Great Depression, Kahlo sold half of the 25 paintings presented in the exhibition. She also received commissions from A. Conger Goodyear, then the president of the MoMA, and Clare Boothe Luce, for whom she painted a portrait of Luce’s friend, socialite Dorothy Hale, who had committed suicide by jumping from her apartment building.

During the three months she spent in New York, Kahlo painted very little, instead focusing on enjoying the city to the extent that her fragile health allowed. She also had several affairs, continuing the one with Nickolas Muray and engaging in ones with Levy and Edgar Kaufmann, Jr.

In January 1939, Kahlo sailed to Paris to follow up on André Breton’s invitation to stage an exhibition of her work. When she arrived, she found that he had not cleared her paintings from the customs and no longer even owned a gallery. With the aid of Marcel Duchamp, she was able to arrange for an exhibition at the Renou et Colle Gallery.

Further problems arose when the gallery refused to show all but two of Kahlo’s paintings, considering them too shocking for audiences, and Breton insisted that they be shown alongside photographs by Manuel Alvarez Bravo, pre-Columbian sculptures, 18th- and 19th-century Mexican portraits, and what she considered “junk”: sugar skulls, toys, and other items he had bought from Mexican markets.

The exhibition opened in March, but received much less attention than she had received in the United States, partly due to the looming Second World War, and made a loss financially, which led Frida Kahlo to cancel a planned exhibition in London. Regardless, the Louvre purchased The Frame, making her the first Mexican artist to be featured in their collection.

She was also warmly received by other Parisian artists, such as Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró, as well as the fashion world, with designer Elsa Schiaparelli designing a dress inspired by her and Vogue Paris featuring her on its pages.

However, her overall opinion of Paris and the Surrealists remained negative; in a letter to Muray, she called them “this bunch of coocoo lunatics and very stupid surrealists” who “are so crazy ‘intellectual’ and rotten that I can’t even stand them anymore.”

n the United States, Kahlo’s paintings continued to raise interest. In 1941, her works were featured at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, and, in the following year, she participated in two high-profile exhibitions in New York, the Twentieth-Century Portraits exhibition at the MoMA and the Surrealists’ First Papers of Surrealism exhibition. In 1943, she was included in the Mexican Art Today exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Women Artists at Peggy Guggenheim’s The Art of This Century gallery in New York.

Kahlo gained more appreciation for her art in Mexico as well. She became a founding member of the Seminario de Cultura Mexicana, a group of twenty-five artists commissioned by the Ministry of Public Education in 1942 to spread public knowledge of Mexican culture. As a member, she took part in planning exhibitions and attended a conference on art.

In Mexico City, her paintings were featured in two exhibitions on Mexican art that were staged at the English-language Benjamin Franklin Library in 1943 and 1944. She was invited to participate in “Salon de la Flor”, an exhibition presented at the annual flower exposition. An article by Rivera on Kahlo’s art was also published in the journal published by the Seminario de Cultura Mexicana.

Frida Kahlo: LATER YEARS

Even as Kahlo was gaining recognition in Mexico, her health was declining rapidly, and an attempted surgery to support her spine failed. Her paintings from this period include Broken Column (1944), Without Hope (1945), Tree of Hope, Stand Fast (1946), and The Wounded Deer (1946), reflecting her poor physical state.

During her last years, Kahlo was mostly confined to the Casa Azul. She painted mostly still lifes, portraying fruit and flowers with political symbols such as flags or doves. She was concerned about being able to portray her political convictions, stating that “I have a great restlessness about my paintings.

Mainly because I want to make it useful to the revolutionary communist movement… until now I have managed simply an honest expression of my own self … I must struggle with all my strength to ensure that the little positive my health allows me to do also benefits the Revolution, the only real reason to live.” She also altered her painting style: her brushstrokes, previously delicate and careful, were now hastier, her use of color more brash, and the overall style more intense and feverish.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus lePhotographer Lola Alvarez Bravo understood that Kahlo did not have much longer to live, and thus staged her first solo exhibition in Mexico at the Galería Arte Contemporaneo in April 1953. Though Kahlo was initially not due to attend the opening, as her doctors had prescribed bed rest for her, she ordered her four-poster bed to be moved from her home to the gallery.

To the surprise of the guests, she arrived in an ambulance and was carried on a stretcher to the bed, where she stayed for the duration of the party. The exhibition was a notable cultural event in Mexico and also received attention in mainstream press around the world. The same year, the Tate Gallery’s exhibition on Mexican art in London featured five of her paintings.

In 1954, Kahlo was again hospitalized in April and May. That spring, she resumed painting after a one-year interval. Her last paintings include the political Marxism Will Give Health to the Sick (c. 1954) and Frida and Stalin (c. 1954) and the still-life Viva La Vida (1954).

DEATH

In 1950, Kahlo spent most of the year in Hospital ABC in Mexico City, where she underwent a new bone graft surgery on her spine. It caused a difficult infection and necessitated several follow-up surgeries. After being discharged, she was mostly confined to La Casa Azul, using a wheelchair and crutches to be ambulatory.

During these final years of her life, Kahlo dedicated her time to political causes to the extent that her health allowed. She had rejoined the Mexican Communist Party in 1948 and campaigned for peace, for example, by collecting signatures for the Stockholm Appeal. Kahlo’s right leg was amputated at the knee due to gangrene in August 1953. She became severely depressed and anxious, and her dependency on painkillers escalated.

When Rivera began yet another affair, she attempted suicide by overdose. She wrote in her diary in February 1954, “They amputated my leg six months ago, they have given me centuries of torture and at moments I almost lost my reason. I keep on wanting to kill myself. Diego is what keeps me from it, through my vain idea that he would miss me. … But never in my life have I suffered more. I will wait a while…”.

Kahlo’s death mask on her bed in La Casa Azul. In her last days, Kahlo was mostly bedridden with bronchopneumonia, though she made a public appearance on 2 July 1954, participating with Rivera in a demonstration against the CIA invasion of Guatemala. She seemed to anticipate her death, as she spoke about it to visitors and drew skeletons and angels in her diary.

The last drawing was a black angel, which biographer Hayden Herrera interprets as the Angel of Death. It was accompanied by the last words she wrote, “I joyfully await the exit – and I hope never to return – Frida” (“Espero Alegre la Salida – y Espero no Volver jamás”). The demonstration worsened her illness, and on the night of 12 July 1954, Kahlo had a high fever and was in extreme pain. At approximately 6 a.m. on 13 July 1954, her nurse found her dead in her bed. Kahlo was 47 years old.

The official cause of death was pulmonary embolism, although no autopsy was performed. Herrera has argued that Kahlo, in fact, committed suicide. The nurse, who counted Kahlo’s painkillers to monitor her drug use, stated that Kahlo had taken an overdose the night she died. She had been prescribed a maximum dose of seven pills but had taken eleven. She had also given Rivera a wedding anniversary present that evening, over a month in advance.

On the evening of 13 July, Kahlo’s body was taken to the Palacio de Bellas Artes, where it lay in a state under a Communist flag. The following day, it was carried to the Panteón Civil de Dolores, where friends and family attended an informal funeral ceremony.

Hundreds of admirers stood outside. In accordance with her wishes, Kahlo was cremated. Rivera, who stated that her death was “the most tragic day of my life”, died three years later, in 1957. Kahlo’s ashes are displayed in a pre-Columbian urn at La Casa Azul, which opened as a museum in 1958.

Discover JUNGLE HOUSE PdC

JUNGLE HOUSE

DISCOVER

Home » BLOG » ARTICLE » TYPICAL

L'articolo FRIDA KAHLO proviene da NOMALAND.

MARIACHI

NOMALAND — Sat, 25 Feb 2023 18:22:29 +0000

when was mariachi invented

Home » BLOG » ARTICLE » TYPICAL

When Was Mariachi Invented?

When was Mariachi invented – Mariachi is a style of music and musical group performance that dates back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. It has a distinctive instrumentation, musical genre, performance and singing styles, and clothing.

From the 19th to 20th century, migrations from rural areas into Guadalajara, along with the Mexican government’s cultural promotion gradually re-labeled it as Son style, with its alternative name of “mariachi” becoming used for the “urban” form. Modifications of the music include influences from other music such as polkas and waltzes, the addition of trumpets and the use of charro outfits by mariachi musicians.

The musical style began to take on national prominence in the first half of the 20th century, with its promotion at presidential inaugurations and on the radio in the 1920s. In 2011 UNESCO recognized mariachi as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, joining six other entries on the Mexican list of that category.

When was Mariachi Invented: NAME

The origin of the word is disputed, but prominent theories attribute it to deep roots. One states that it comes from the name of the wood used to make the dance platform. Another states that Mariachi comes from the indigenous name of a tree called pilla or cirimo; yet another states that it came from an image locally called María H (pronounced Mari-Ache).

In many Mexican cultures they are also called Marietti. Mariachi can refer to the music, the group, or just one musician. The term “Mariachi band” is also a redundant term for a Mariachi because the word ‘Mariachi’ itself in Spanish implies a group of musicians playing Mariachi music.

The word “mariachi” was thought to have derived from the French word “marriage”, dating from the French intervention in Mexico in the 1860s, related to the music’s appearance at weddings. This was a common explanation on record jackets and travel brochures. This theory was disproven with the appearance of documents that showed that the word existed before this invasion.

When was Mariachi Invented: HISTORY

Prior to the arrival of the Spanish, indigenous music was played with rattles, drums, flutes, and conch-shell horns as part of religious celebrations. The Spanish introduced violins, guitars, harps, brass instruments, and woodwinds, which mostly replaced the native instruments. The Europeans introduced their instruments to use during Mass, but they were quickly adapted to secular events.

Indigenous and mestizo peoples learned to play and make these instruments, often giving them modified shapes and tunings. In addition to instruments, the Spanish introduced the concept of musical groups—which, in the colonial period, generally consisted of two violins, a harp, and various guitars. This grouping gave rise to a number of folk musical styles in Mexico.

One of these folk musical styles was the son. This music featured string instruments. Son music divided into various regional varieties—the variety popular in the Jalisco area was called son jalisciense, whose best known song, also referred to as “the mariachi national anthem,” is “La Negra.” Modern mariachi music developed from this son style, with “mariachi” as an alternative name for son jalisciense.

Early mariachi players did not look like those of today; they played only string instruments such as guitars and harps and dressed in typical peasant clothing: white pants and shirts with huarache sandals. Those who could play the son jalisciense/mariachi music could find work at haciendas at a higher rate than those who could not.

When Was Mariachi Invented: PASSIONATE

The distinction of mariachi from the older son jalisciense occurred slowly sometime during the 19th century. The music originated in the center-west of Mexico. Most claims for its origin lie in the state of Jalisco but neighboring states of Colima, Nayarit, and Michoacán have also claimed it. However, by the late 19th century, the music was firmly centered in Jalisco.Most legends put the origin of the modern mariachi in the town of Cocula, Jalisco.

The distinction from son to modern mariachi comes from the modification of the music. By the end of the nineteenth century, the European art music tradition was firmly transplanted to Mexico, with opera, salon music, waltzes, and more written and performed both by Europeans and Mexicans in the country.

One variety was the salon orchestras called orquestas típicas that performed in more rural settings, notably in charro outfits. This use of the charro outfit was repeated with urban mariachi in the 1920s.

The Charro outfit was also used in the national Orquestra Típica Mexicana (Mexican Typical Orchestra), organized in 1884 by Carlo Curti, and touring the United States and Mexico as part of a presentation of nationalism for the Mexican president Porfirio Diaz. Curti’s Orquestra Típica Mexicana has been called the “predecessor of the Mariachi.”

After the Mexican Revolution, many haciendas had to let workers go, including mariachis. Groups began to wander and play for a fee, which obliged them to incorporate other music into their repertoires, including waltzes and polkas. It also required them to play in public venues. From the late 19th century to the 1930s, Mariachi groups were semi-professional.

In the early 20th century, U.S., record companies began actively recording rural music in other parts of the world. One of these as a recording called Cuarteto Coculense by Columbia, Edison and Victor in 1908 and 1909, recognized as the “first” mariachi recordings. The music also gained attention in Mexico City when a wealthy hacienda family brought an early Mariachi from Cocula to play for President Porfirio Díaz in 1905.

When was Mariachi Invented: MODERN DEVELOPMENT

The common perception of the music and look of mariachi developed in the 20th century, as the music was transformed from a regional rural folk music to an urban phenomenon that came to represent Mexico. The music was first introduced to Mexico City in 1905. During this time, many farm workers moved to the city, including those from Jalisco, which settled around Plaza Garibaldi.

These mariachi musicians developed new practices, such as performances in plazas and restaurants. However, it also continued its more traditional venues such as serenades, and performances at major family events.

During this time, the Mexican government was heavily involved in cultural promotion as a way to create a unified Mexican identity after the end of the Mexican Revolution. One of these efforts was the promotion of mariachi as an international symbol of Mexican identity, first with radio and sound recordings and later with films.

FOLK

Mexico built a nationwide radio broadcasting network in the 1920s such as XEB and XEW, which began broadcasting mariachi music as a media production, rather than as a music for social events. This music was already being modified in part due to the advent of sound recording.

For example, most son jaliscense songs were longer than the standard three-and-a-half minutes of the then-standard 78 rpm record, forcing the shortening of tunes. Around the same time, the popularity of jazz and Cuban music introduced the trumpet into mariachi, pushing the violins into second place and in some cases, replacing the harp.

The most prized of the mariachis remained those from the state of Jalisco, particularly the areas of Cocula and Tecalitlán. They represented Mexico to the people during the Independence Day celebrations in Mexico City in 1933 as well as during Lázaro Cárdenas’ election campaign in 1936.

When was Mariachi Invented: CHARACTERISTIC

The charro tradition was strong in Jalisco, especially in a region called Los Altos. After the Revolution, the charreada became a national sport in Mexico and rings were constructed specifically for them, followed by professional charro associations. With the breakup of the large haciendas, charros were no longer economically necessary but were used as a cultural ideal, especially by the film industry in the mid-20th century.

The first charro movies date from the 1920s, but the first to sing mariachi was Tito Guízar in Allá en el Rancho Grande in 1936. The character was played by Jorge Negrete in films such as ¡Ay, Jalisco… no te rajes! and ¡Así se quiere en Jalisco!The main characters used his ability to sing mariachi as a way to show strength, virility, and aesthetic beauty. Its use in film also made the music popular and a symbol of ethnic pride for Mexican Americans in the United States.

Its use in film also promoted a negative perception of mariachi music. The films associated the charros and mariachi music with machismo, womanizing and drinking, especially of tequila. The reason that the movies did this was that mariachi music was associated with bars and the lower classes in a number of segments of Mexican society in the early 20th century. This would change in the latter half of the 20th century, but the music remains strongly associated with tequila.

Mariachi music and musician became more professional with more formal training starting in the late 1940s and early 1950s, principally due to the success of a major Mariachi by the name of Mariachi Vargas. Their appearance in many films, backing many singing stars and their hiring of a formal musician prompted other mariachis to do the same. The group also expanded adding trumpets, violins and even a classical guitar to become a kind of orchestra, keeping the traditional son/mariachi base while integrating new musical ideas and styles.

SPECIAL

One other innovation, in contrast to the machismo of the style were the first female mariachi performers, Lola Beltránand Lucha Villa. One night Mariachi Vargas put Beltrán on stage when she was a teenager. Her versions of “Cucurrucucu Paloma” and “Tres Dias” are now considered classics. Many of the traditional sounds of Cocula were lost as mariachi groups incorporated other musical styles that were popular on the radio. New influences have come into the tradition from the Mexican American community in the United States.

In both countries, however, the learning of traditional pieces and repertory is still stressed to form a base. The International Mariachi Festival in Guadalajara is an annual ten-day event that attracts more than 500 mariachis, who perform in concert halls and city streets. Past players include Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, Mariachi los Camperos (led by Nati Cano) and Mariachi América.

In Mexico City, the center of mariachi music remains Garibaldi Plaza. The plaza fills with mariachi musicians to solicit gigs from individual songs for passers-by to being hired for events such as weddings and baptisms. They even stand on Eje Central in front of the plaza to flag down passing cars.

In 2010, the government renovated the plaza to make it more tourist-friendly, adding new paving, gardens, police, security cameras, painted facades, and a museum dedicated to mariachi and tequila.

Although mariachis can be hired in Mexico City over the phone or on the internet, many people still prefer to come to the plaza, hear the musicians and haggle over the price. About 2,500 mariachis hold union cards to work in the plaza, but as many as 4,000 may circulate through on a busy weekend.

Discover JUNGLE HOUSE PdC

JUNGLE HOUSE

DISCOVER

Home » BLOG » ARTICLE » TYPICAL

L'articolo MARIACHI proviene da NOMALAND.

MEXICAN MAIN DISHES

NOMALAND — Sun, 05 Feb 2023 17:00:46 +0000

mexican main dishes

Home » BLOG » ARTICLE » TYPICAL

MEXICAN MAIN DISHES

The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire occurred in the 16th century. The basic staples since then remain native foods such as corn, beans, squash and chili peppers, but the Europeans introduced a large number of other foods, the most important of which were meat from domesticated animals, dairy products (especially cheese) and various herbs and spices, although key spices in Mexican cuisine are also native to Mesoamerica such as a large variety of chili peppers and cilantro.

TACOS

A taco is a traditional Mexican dish consisting of a corn or wheat tortilla folded or rolled around a filling. A taco can be made with a variety of fillings, including beef, pork, chicken, seafood, vegetables, and cheese, allowing great versatility and variety.

Tacos are generally eaten without utensils, often garnished with salsa, chili pepper, avocado, guacamole, cilantro (coriander), tomatoes, onions, and lettuce.

Mexican Main Dishes: BURRITOS

A burrito is a dish in Mexica and Tex-Mex cuisin that consists of a flour tortilla with various other ingredients It is wrapped into a closed-ended cylinder that can be picked up, in contrast to a taco, where the tortilla is simply folded around the fillings.

The tortilla is sometimes lightly grilled or steamed to soften it, make it more pliable, and allow it to adhere to itself when wrapped. A wet burrito, however, is covered in sauce and is therefore generally eaten with silverware.

In Mexico, meat and refried beans are frequently the only fillings. In the United States, however, burrito fillings may include a large combination of ingredients such as Spanish rice or plain rice, boiled beans or refried beans, lettuce, salsa, meat, guacamole, cheese, sour cream and various vegetables. Burrito sizes vary greatly and some can be very large.

ENCHILADA

The Real Academia Española defines the word enchilada, as used in Mexico, as a rolled maize tortilla stuffed with meat and covered with a tomato and chili sauce. Enchilada is the past participle of Spanish enchilar, “to add chili pepper to”, literally to “season (or decorate) with chili”. The idiomatic American English phrase “the whole enchilada” means “the whole thing”.

Mexican Main Dishes: FAJITA

A fajita in Tex-Mex cuisine is any grilled meat that is served as a taco on a flour or corn tortilla. The term originally referred to skirt steak, the cut of beef first used in the dish. Popular meats today also include chicken and other cuts of beef, as well as vegetables instead of meat.

In restaurants, the meat is usually cooked with onions and bell peppers. Popular condiments include shredded lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, pico de gallo, shredded cheese, refried beans, and diced tomatoes. Arrachera is a northern Mexican variant of the dish.

MOLE DE OLLA

Mole de olla is a Mexican traditional soup. It is made of xoconostle, squash, zucchini, green beans, corn, potato, chambarete and aguja meat, submerged into a broth of chile guajillo and chile pasilla, seasoned with garlic, onion, and epazote.

It is served with pieces of chopped serrano pepper and lemon. The term mole means a mix of ingredients or sauce.

Mexican Main Dishes: NACHOS

Nachos is a Mexican dish from northern Mexico that consists of heated tortilla chips or totopos covered with melted cheese (or a cheese-based sauce), often served as a snack or appetizer.

More elaborate versions of the dish add other ingredients, and may be substantial enough to serve as a main dish. Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya is credited with creating the dish around 1943; the original nachos consisted of fried corn tortilla chips covered with melted cheese and sliced jalapeño peppers.

PARRILLADA

Parrillada or barbeque (informally BBQ or the Australian term barbie) is a cooking method, a style of food, and a name for a meal or gathering at which this style of food is cooked and served.

Parrillada can refer to the cooking method itself, the meat cooked this way, or to a type of social event featuring this type of cooking. Barbecuing is usually done outdoors by smoking the meat over wood or charcoal. Restaurant barbecue may be cooked in large, specially-designed brick or metal ovens. Barbecue is practiced in many areas of the world and there are numerous regional variations.

Parrillada techniques include smoking, roasting or baking, braising and grilling. The technique for which it is named involves cooking using smoke at low temperatures and long cooking times (several hours). Baking uses an oven to convection cook with moderate temperatures for an average cooking time of about an hour.

Braising combines direct, dry heat charbroiling on a ribbed surface with a broth-filled pot for moist heat. Grilling is done over direct, dry heat, usually over a hot fire for a few minutes.

Mexican Main Dishes: PICADILLO

Picadillo is a traditional dish in many Latin American countries and the Philippines(where it is known as giniling, and also arroz a la Cubana) that is similar to hash. It is made with ground beef, tomatoes (tomato sauce may be used as a substitute), raisins, olives, and other ingredients that vary by region.

It is often served with rice or used as a filling in dishes such as tacos, savoury pastries or croquettes. The name comes from the Spanish word picar, which means “to mince”.

QUESADILLAS

A quesadilla, or sometimes specifically a cheese quesadilla, is a Mexican dish and type of taco, consisting of a tortilla that is filled primarily with cheese, and sometimes meats, beans, vegetables, and spices, and then cooked on a griddle.

Traditionally, a corn tortilla is used, but it can also be made with a flour tortilla, particularly in northern Mexico and the United States.

Mexican Main Dishes: AGUACHILE

Aguachile (“chile water” in Spanish) is a Mexican dish made of shrimp, submerged in liquid seasoned with chili peppers, lime juice, salt, cilantro, slices of cucumber and slices of onion. Raw vegetables such as cucumber are usually added.

This raw seafood dish comes from the Northwest region of Mexico and is normally prepared in a molcajete. The origin of aguachile lies in the coast of Sinaloa, originally made with boiled water and chiltepines, small round chili peppers from Sinaloa.

Discover JUNGLE HOUSE PdC

JUNGLE HOUSE

DISCOVER

Home » BLOG » ARTICLE » TYPICAL

L'articolo MEXICAN MAIN DISHES proviene da NOMALAND.

MAYAN HISTORY

NOMALAND — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 16:43:07 +0000

mayan history

Home » BLOG » ARTICLE » TYPICAL

MAYAN HISTORY

The Maya Empire, centered in the tropical lowlands of what is now Guatemala, reached the peak of its power and influence around the sixth century A.D. The Maya excelled at agriculture, pottery, hieroglyph writing, calendar-making and mathematics, and left behind an astonishing amount of impressive architecture and symbolic artwork.

Most of the great stone cities of the Maya were abandoned by A.D. 900, however, and since the 19th century scholars have debated what might have caused this dramatic decline.

Mayan History: LOCATING THE MAYA

The Maya civilization was one of the most dominant indigenous societies of Mesoamerica (a term used to describe Mexico and Central America before the 16th century Spanish conquest). Unlike other scattered indigenous populations of Mesoamerica, the Maya were centered in one geographical block covering all of the Yucatan Peninsula and modern-day Guatemala; Belize and parts of the Mexican states of Tabasco and Chiapas; and the western part of Honduras and El Salvador.

This concentration showed that the Maya remained relatively secure from invasion by other Mesoamerican peoples. Within that expanse, the Maya lived in three separate sub-areas with distinct environmental and cultural differences: the northern Maya lowlands on the Yucatan Peninsula; the southern lowlands in the Peten district of northern Guatemala and adjacent portions of Mexico, Belize and western Honduras; and the southern Maya highlands, in the mountainous region of southern Guatemala.

Most famously, the Maya of the southern lowland region reached their peak during the Classic Period of Maya civilization (A.D. 250 to 900), and built the great stone cities and monuments that have fascinated explorers and scholars of the region.

EARLY MAYA - 1800 B.C. to A.D. 250

The earliest Maya settlements date to around 1800 B.C., or the beginning of what is called the Pre-classic or Formative Period. The earliest Maya were agricultural, growing crops such as corn (maize), beans, squash and cassava (manioc). During the Middle Pre-classic Period, which lasted until about 300 B.C., Maya farmers began to expand their presence both in the highland and lowland regions.

ADVANCED

The Middle Pre-classic Period also saw the rise of the first major Mesoamerican civilization, the Olmecs. Like other Mesamerican peoples, such as the Zapotec, Totonac, Teotihuacán and Aztec, the Maya derived a number of religious and cultural traits–as well as their number system and their famous calendar–from the Olmec. In addition to agriculture, the Pre-classic Maya also displayed more advanced cultural traits like pyramid-building, city construction and the inscribing of stone monuments.

The Late Pre-classic city of Mirador, in the northern Peten, was one of the greatest cities ever built in the pre-Columbian Americas. Its size dwarfed the Classic Maya capital of Tikal, and its existence proves that the Maya flourished centuries before the Classic Period.

Mayan History: CITIES OF STONE : THE CLASSIC MAYA - A.D. 250-900

The Classic Period, which began around A.D. 250, was the golden age of the Maya Empire. Classic Maya civilization grew to some 40 cities, including Tikal, Uaxactún, Copán, Bonampak, Dos Pilas, Calakmul, Palenque and Río Bec; each city held a population of between 5,000 and 50,000 people. At its peak, the Maya population may have reached 2,000,000.

Excavations of Maya sites have unearthed plazas, palaces, temples and pyramids, as well as courts for playing the ball games that were ritually and politically significant to Maya culture. Maya cities were surrounded and supported by a large population of farmers. Though the Maya practiced a primitive type of “slash-and-burn” agriculture, they also displayed evidence of more advanced farming methods, such as irrigation and terracing.

The Maya were deeply religious, and worshiped various gods related to nature, including the gods of the sun, the moon, rain and corn. At the top of Maya society were the kings, or “kuhul ajaw” (holy lords), who claimed to be related to gods and followed a hereditary succession. They were thought to serve as mediators between the gods and people on earth, and performed the elaborate religious ceremonies and rituals so important to the Maya culture.

The Classic Maya built many of their temples and palaces in a stepped pyramid shape, decorating them with elaborate reliefs and inscriptions. These structures have earned the Maya their reputation as the great artists of Mesoamerica. Guided by their religious ritual, the Maya also made significant advances in mathematics and astronomy, including the use of the zero and the development of a complex calendar system based on 365 days.

MYSTICAL

Though early researchers concluded that the Maya were a peaceful society of priests and scribes, later evidence–including a thorough examination of the artwork and inscriptions on their temple walls–showed the less peaceful side of Maya culture, including the war between rival Mayan city-states and the importance of torture and human sacrifice to their religious ritual.

Serious exploration of Classic Maya sites began in the 1830s. By the early to mid-20th century, a small portion of their system of hieroglyph writing had been deciphered, and more about their history and culture became known. Most of what historians know about the Maya comes from what remains of their architecture and art, including stone carvings and inscriptions on their buildings and monuments. The Maya also made paper from tree bark and wrote in books made from this paper, known as codices; four of these codices are known to have survived.

LIFE IN THE FOREST

One of the many intriguing things about the Maya was their ability to build a great civilization in a tropical rainforest climate. Traditionally, ancient peoples had flourished in drier climates, where the centralized management of water resources (through irrigation and other techniques) formed the basis of society (This was the case for the Teotihuacan of highland Mexico, contemporaries of the Classic Maya).

In the southern Maya lowlands, however, there were few navigable rivers for trade and transport, as well as no obvious need for an irrigation system. By the late 20th century, researchers had concluded that the climate of the lowlands was in fact quite environmentally diverse.

INTRICATE

Though foreign invaders were disappointed by the region’s relative lack of silver and gold, the Maya took advantage of the area’s many natural resources, including limestone (for construction), the volcanic rock obsidian (for tools and weapons) and salt. The environment also held other treasures for the Maya, including jade, quetzal feathers (used to decorate the elaborate costumes of Maya nobility) and marine shells, which were used as trumpets in ceremonies and warfare.

Mayan History: MYSTERIOUS DECLINE OF MAYA

From the late eighth through the end of the ninth century, something unknown happened to shake the Maya civilization to its foundations. One by one, the Classic cities in the southern lowlands were abandoned, and by A.D. 900, Maya civilization in that region had collapsed. The reason for this mysterious decline is unknown, though scholars have developed several competing theories.

Some believe that by the ninth century the Maya had exhausted the environment around them to the point that it could no longer sustain a very large population. About Mayan History, other Maya scholars argue that constant warfare among competing city-states led the complicated military, family (by marriage) and trade alliances between them to break down, along with the traditional system of dynastic power.

As the stature of the holy lords diminished, their complex traditions of rituals and ceremonies dissolved into chaos. Finally, some catastrophic environmental change–like an extremely long, intense period of drought–may have wiped out the Classic Maya civilization. Drought would have hit cities like Tikal–where rainwater was necessary for drinking as well as for crop irrigation–especially hard.

All three of these factors–overpopulation and overuse of the land, endemic warfare and drought–may have played a part in the downfall of the Maya in the southern lowlands. In the highlands of the Yucatan, a few Maya cities–such as Chichén Itzá, Uxmal and Mayapán–continued to flourish in the Post-Classic Period (A.D. 900-1500). By the time the Spanish invaders arrived, however, most Maya were living in agricultural villages, their great cities buried under a layer of rainforest green.

Discover JUNGLE HOUSE PdC

JUNGLE HOUSE

DISCOVER

Home » BLOG » ARTICLE » TYPICAL

L'articolo MAYAN HISTORY proviene da NOMALAND.