Tenam Puente – Chiapas – Mexico

Posted on 12/07/2023 by Michael

Tenam Puente – Chiapas

Location

From the point of view of its physical geography, the Comitan Plateau situated in the eastern Chiapas Highlands presents groups of moderately high elevations ranging between 1,600 and 2,000 m above sea level; the climate is mild, with an average annual temperature of 24° C and a rainy period between June and October. The vegetation, nowadays greatly transformed, comprises some of the original pine forests and different varieties of oaks or holm oaks. There are also large quantities of bromelias and orchids, which are used as offerings in the various traditional religious processions held in the region. Due to the local karst characteristics, defined by permeable limestone soils, large masses of water are very infrequent; the Rio Grande is the only river that crosses the Comitan Valley and flows into the Montebello Lakes. For the ancient Maya groups who populated the highlands, the physical geography played a key role in the location and construction of their ceremonial centres. Elements such as caves, springs, cenotes and mountains were regarded as holy places, manifestations not only of the sacred but also of earthly power. Proof of this is the diversity of constructions to be found at the numerous pre-Hispanic settlements on the hilltops surrounding the Comitan Plateau, including the site known as Tenam Puente. The word Tenam is derived from the Nahuatl tenamitl, meaning ‘fortified place’. The second name is a reference to the old ‘El Puente’ (‘Bridge’) estate that once existed on what is now the heart of the cooperative in the village of Francisco Sarabia. According to the Danish explorer Frans Blom, the name Tenam was habitually used in the region to refer to the groups of hilltop mounds. The turn-off for the site is situated 10 km south of Comitan, on the Pan-American Highway.

Pre-Hispanic history

This site was one of the most important polities in the eastern Chiapas Highlands, occupying a prominent place in the ritual landscape not only during pre-Hispanic times but nowadays as well. The Acropolis was conceived as a sacred space with clearly defined circulation areas. We now know that this was the result of successive construction phases consisting in the modification and levelling of the hill through terraces excavated at different heights. The presence of three ball courts denotes the importance of the site within the region; to date, no other site with so many ball courts has been found either in the Comitan Valley or in the neighbouring areas. Situated in a mountain range separating the warm land from the cold land, Tenam Puente must have participated in the trade networks between the two regions.

Despite the ceramic remains from the Late Preclassic found in the eastern and uppermost section of the Acropolis, the architectural expansion of the site commenced in the Early Classic, when the western section of the Acropolis was defined. When the majority of the sites in the lowlands had been abandoned at the end of the Late Classic, Tenam Puente and other nearby sites such as Hunchavin, Chinkultic, Tenam Rosario and Santa Elena Poco Uinic continued to be occupied. The tradition of erecting stelae was a relatively late arrival in the Comitan Valley. The only complete monument that has survived to this day is currently on display at the Regional Museum of Tuxtla Gutierrez. Due to its stylistic similarities with the stelae in the Usumacinta region, Frans Blom and Oliver La Farge attributed the date of this monument to 9.18.0.0.0 in the Maya Long Count (AD 790). The presence of cultural traits from the Maya lowlands suggests a vast migration to the plateau at the end of the Late Classic. Other fragments of stelae depict a warrior with a spear grasping a prisoner by the hair.

At the end of the Late Classic, several events occurred and appear to have given rise to new funerary customs. The rectangular cists used for burials were looted and, occasionally, reused. During this phase, square tombs with seated dignitaries were used as burials, and the ceramics are of the Fine Orange and Plumbate varieties. Some of the sculpted monuments were destroyed and scattered around the Acropolis and inside a few of the temples. Funerary urns containing cremated human bones were introduced for burials, placed either at the foot of temple stairways or as offerings in the buildings at the top of the Acropolis.

Site description

Tenam Puente is an example of architecture integrated with the landscape; the buildings exploited the natural topography of a hill, modified to meet the needs of the ancient settlers. The core area comprises an acropolis situated at varying heights with plazas delimited by temples and platforms for different uses. The residential units are located around the edges, alongside crop fields and probably workshops for making lithic tools; additional temples were built on the adjacent hills. The sacred precinct contained the seat of a political power associated with religious manifestations; its topographical location was clearly strategic, representing the concept of the sacred mountain. The numerous burials recorded suggest the presence of a place where ancestors were worshipped. Buildings 17, 21, 20 and 29 formed a symbolic axis that crosses the Acropolis and divides the sacred precinct into two separate sections. The orientation of the buildings holds great significance and bears an extraordinary similarity to Santa Elena Poco Uinic, a site with very poor access which has not yet been explored. As a result of this division, the ball courts were confined to just one section of the Acropolis. The most outstanding construction on the symbolic axis is building 29, whose main facade must have been covered with modelled stucco depicting representations of Venus and other symbols associated with death and the sun gods. In front of the stairway stood a stela, probably smooth, with traces of reddish paint, suggesting that the text or iconographic motifs were painted rather than carved like the other stelae; stucco modelled masks were habitually buried beneath this stela. Another important construction along this axis is building 21, where the tomb of one of the governors of the site was found. Now sealed, the tomb had masonry walls and a flat mud roof with stucco painted in red and blue. Inside it was a large funerary urn with a rich offering comprising sea shells, the claw of a feline, a large pyrite mirror, numerous green stones and several representations of the quincunce symbol which represents the four cardinal points and the centre of the universe. Fragments of modelled stucco representing reptiles and the bones of the macaw, a bird associated with the celestial sphere, were found on the floor of the south bay. Due to its situation within the Acropolis, this building represents the axis mundi. Both the offerings and the architectural elements suggest the representation of the three planes of the universe: the tomb symbolises the underworld, the building the terrestrial plane and the bay the celestial sphere.

All three ball courts adopt the form of a double T, as well as being sunken and enclosed. The first one is situated in front of the first large terrace, in the lowest part of the Acropolis. Various alignments with slab stones were excavated on the south side, as well as a channel that may have been a steam bath. The ancient inhabitants probably used this court to watch or participate in the ceremonial game, an event that must have been associated with the underworld. The other two ball courts are situated on higher levels, are smaller than the first one and were probably restricted to use by the elite or ruling class. They have furnished several fragments of sculptures of prisoners, very similar to those reported at Tonina. The third court was probably used for settling disputes with neighbouring polities, while the adjacent plaza (Plaza B) must have hosted ceremonies to legitimise the site’s power. The architecture of the site is defined by the regional style that characterised the eastern Chiapas Highlands at the end of the Classic era. This is reflected in the use of masonry, which was initially composed of coarsely cut stones but gradually evolved, as techniques were perfected, to the use of finely cut veneer stones. By the end of the Late Classic, this system was used to clad the majority of the buildings. Stairways divided into two sections were used, recalling the late styles of the Guatemalan Highlands. Floors were made of stucco, sometimes painted red; stucco was also used to cover the treads on the stairways and for modelling different representations of gods and celestial elements to cover the main buildings. There is evidence of the use of drainage systems in some of the Acropolis buildings. Although the Acropolis was abandoned at the end of the Late Classic (c. AD 900), the settlers of the common ground, related to the Tojolabal, maintained the sacred precinct thanks to their devotion and pilgrimage to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in the northern section of the Acropolis (building 14).

Legend has it that the former owners of the ‘El Puente’ estate presented this statue of the Virgin Mary to the townspeople when the common land was created. The festivities are held in the middle of August to request rain and good harvests, which are vital for the community. Next to Building 14, the settlers erected a wooden cross where the statue is placed for the duration of the festivities. An old xhinil or holm oak on the north side of the building forms part of the sacred elements, and the pilgrims walk anti-clockwise around the tree three times after placing the statue next to the cross. However, the inhabitants of Francisco Sarabia are not the only ones who use this space; at different times in the past other communities have visited the site to conduct rituals associated with the so-called Indian theology; both groups coincide in their belief that mountains are important sacred places.

Gabriel Lalo Jacinto

From: ‘The Maya: an architectural and landscape guide’, produced jointly by the Junta de Andulacia and the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico, 2010, pp461-464

How to get there:

From Comitan. Combis going Sarabia can be flagged down opposite the Centro de Abastos, on the main road through town, the Pan-American. They will take you to the site. Not sure if all combis will go there so you might have a wait coming back. M$15-20 each way.

GPS:

16d 08’ 29” N

92d 06’ 21” W

Entrance:

M$70

More on the Maya

Comitan Archaeological Museum

Posted on 12/07/2023 by Michael

Comitan Archaeological Museum

More on the Maya

Comitan Archaeological Museum

Prior to the arrival of the Spaniards, the former ‘Province of the Plains of Comitan, situated in the eastern half of the state of Chiapas, was inhabited by various human groups dating back to the hunter-gatherers, and the city’s archaeological museum attempts to provide an overview of this development. The Comitan Museum of Archaeology is housed in a former school with an art deco facade, sharing its facilities with the Municipal Public Library. An interior central garden, adorned with a bust of the local musician Esteban Alfonso, is surrounded by corridors and three rooms.

The first room charts the cultural development of the eastern Chiapas Highlands. It begins with a simple outline of the evidence of groups of hunter-gatherers who lived in the Teopisca, Aguacatenango and Amatenango areas of the valley around 8,000 BC. The next section is devoted to the preclassic era, when the first sedentary communities were established, mainly in camps near streams and rivers with simple mud huts and the incipient use of masonry. The vessels and pieces of figurines on display were found at the archaeological site of La Libertad. One of the most important exhibits from this period is the Altar of Sivalnajab, which depicts a reclining dignitary and a pair of stepped mouldings; two flowers adorn the corners of the altar, while the sides display aquatic patterns. According to the archaeologist Carlos Navarrete, the associated elements suggest that this dignitary represents an act of ritual masturbation related to fertility. The flower carvings on this altar were chosen as the museum’s symbol.

The following section is given over to the c la ssic era, the golden age of the Maya culture. Numerous sites established their principal constructions on mountaintops, with ball courts in the most important cities. This section contains several sculpted stelae, such as Monument 18 from Chinkultic which shows the principal figure standing and a seated figure opposite him, staring at the object hanging from the first dignitary’s hand. Also on display are various ornaments from Yerbabuena, including a small pyrite mirror. Tenam Rosario is represented by numerous circular ball court markers showing scenes of warriors with eye pieces, reminiscent of Tlaloc (the rain god on the central plateau), as well as images of moon gods. The figurines from Lagartero occupy a prominent place in the display and provide visitors with an extraordinarily realistic impression of the headdresses and clothing worn by the elite classes.

Caves are very common in this region and the ancient Maya regarded them as sacred natural elements. An example of this can be seen in the reproduction of the and a so lo s cave (the popular name for the badger), the first exhibit when the museum was created. The objects have been placed exactly as they were found during the exploration of the original cave. A large ceremonial urn is decorated with dignitaries and symbolic elements of the Maya underworld, as well as elements related to the sun, serpents, bats and quetzals. There are also vessels with effigies of batmen and pieces such as the ceramic box with a lid that depicts personages wearing funerary masks. The exhibits are completed by various vessels and masks made from limestone.

In the transition towards the Postclassic era, the Maya groups abandoned the mountain settlements and moved down in to the valley, mainly to the Las Margaritas area. The ceramics from this era are known as Plumbate (due to their finish and metallic sound), and the main production centre was located in the distant Soconusco. Metallurgy also emerged during this period, as evidenced by the pieces found at Guajilar, in the upper tributaries of the River Grijalva. The second room is used for temporary exhibitions but also contains a space reserved for the collection from some of the caves in the region. The final room is given over to the findings from Tenam Puente. The objects on display illustrate this site’s trading links with regions on the Gulf coast, as evidenced by the Fine Orange ceramics, and with Soconusco, manifested in the Plumbate pottery. Other materials such as alabaster were placed as offerings at human burial sites, as were conches and sea shells. The sculptural elements contain a piece of headdress very like the ones worn by the dignitaries at Tonina, as well as a few fragments of prisoners with their hands tied behind their backs. Meanwhile, the reproduction of Tomb 10 documents the extreme care and devotion with which the most important people were buried, accompanied by a large urn and rich grave goods.

Gabriel Lalo Jacinto

From: ‘The Maya: an architectural and landscape guide’, produced jointly by the Junta de Andulacia and the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico, 2010, p479.

Location;

1 Calle Sur Oriente, just off the main square in the historical centre, the same block as the church.

Entrance;

Free

More on the Maya

San Cristobal Museums

Posted on 06/07/2023 by Michael

San Cristobal Museums

More on the Maya

San Cristobal Museums

In the slide show are a few pictures taken in the two small museums related to the Mayan past in San Cristobal de las Casas. The first museum is the Museo de los Altos de Chiapas, which is located in the Ex-convento de Santo Domingo, and the second is the Na Bolom Museum located in the Cultural Centre of the same name.

The items were chosen as being different from what I had seen (and photographed) before – although there might be a bit of overlap due to memory issues. Apologies if some are not that well reproduced. Museums of any size are not conducive to the photographer – the smaller ones often less so.

Museum of the Chiapas Highlands

The former cloister of the Dominican monastery clearly illustrates the importance achieved by this order in its evangelisation work, commencing in 1544, in the Chiapas Highlands. In relation to the rank, importance and order of foundation, the Dominican presence in San Cristobal occupied second place, after that of Ancient Guatemala, but it was the first official Dominican establishment in Chiapas. Although the original Dominican construction was built in the second half of the 16th century, very little has survived from that period. Both the main body of the church and the monastery proper that we see today seem to date from the final third of the 17th century. The monastery is situated on the north side of the church and consists of an austere two-storey cloister around a central courtyard. After falling into a state of neglect during the 19th century and then being used as the city’s prison in the first half of the 20th century, the building was reconstructed and currently houses the Museum of the Chiapas Highlands, administered by the INAH.

The generously-proportioned refectory on the ground floor is nowadays the history room, in which a selection of images, texts and objects highlight the most notable events relating to the foundation and evolution of the former capital of the province in the Jovel Valley. Following a brief introduction illustrated by various pre-Hispanic pieces found in the region, the museum discourse continues with the Conquest and the evangelisation initiated in 1524 by the Spaniards. One of the main exhibits in this respect is the baptismal font from San Felipe Ecatepec. There are also explanations relating to the history of Ciudad Real during the colonial period and the formation of the principal districts. The top floor is given over to a detailed exhibition of the textiles produced in the state of Chiapas, as well as descriptions of the traditional activities conducted by the indigenous communities who currently live in the Chiapas Highlands. The former monastery also contains rooms for temporary exhibitions and an auditorium. The same building houses the Sna Jolobil Cooperative, whose mission is to revive the ancient textile techniques and traditions among the indigenous communities in the highlands, and the production of fine quality clothing made from natural fibres and colours.

Lynneth S. Lowe

From: ‘The Maya: an architectural and landscape guide’, produced jointly by the Junta de Andulacia and the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico, 2010, p475.

Entrance;

Museo de los Altos de Chiapas – Free

Na Bolom Museum

Na Bolom Cultural Association

Na Bolom, ‘the house of the jaguar’, was founded by the Danish archaeologist Frans Blom and the Swiss photographer Gertrude Duby Blom. Frans Blom was born in Copenhagen in 1893. His work as a subcontractor for the national company Pierce Oil Corporation took him to Mexico in 1920. A historian, anthropologist and explorer with specialist training in the history of art and painting, he subsequently took a master’s degree in archaeology at Harvard University simply to obtain funding for conducting new explorations in the Lacandon Rainforest. In Chiapas he found his home and vocation, dedicating his life to research, archaeology and anthropology. In 1950, he created the Na Bolom Centre of Scientific Studies, establishing links with the universities of Tulane, Harvard, Chicago, Stanford and Berkeley. His numerous writings and books demonstrate a deep interest in the history of the Conquest and the colonial period, the archaeology of the Maya area, astrology, ecology, sociology, architecture and art, among other disciplines.

Gertrude Duby Blom was born in the countryside near Bern in 1901. There she spent her childhood dedicated to mountaineering, horticulture and the country life. After completing her sociological studies in Zurich, she took up journalism, determined to return to the mountains and the rural life. She achieved her goal in 1942, when she arrived in Chiapas to report on the Lacandon people, inspired by the works of Jacques Soustelle. On meeting Frans, she abandoned journalism and joined him in his pursuit of anthropology and photography. When Frans died, the deterioration of the Lancandon Rainforest, the quality of rural life and the cultural heritage of Chiapas motivated her to become the principal advocate for all the natural and historical wealth that she had known. On her death in 1993, she left all her assets to the Na Bolom Cultural Association, for use by the city of San Cristobal and the Lacandon people. Nowadays, Na Bolom is an interactive complex containing a museum, arts centre, accommodation and restaurant, surrounded by a heritage that has remained intact and is regarded as a national legacy. The museum was created out of the collections formed over the years by the Bloms. Today, it has five permanent exhibition rooms and another two rooms for temporary exhibitions.

Lacandon room.

This ethnographic collection is the result of the travels of the founders and the gifts they received from their Lacandon friends. The material culture and elements of everyday life offer an insight into the Lacandon religion.

Explorers room.

Journeys through the rainforest in the first half of the 20th century were arduous and lasted several months. In this room, photographs and the video Hombres, mulas y machetes (Men, Mules and Machetes) offer visitors an idea of how the expeditions were mounted and conducted.

Moxviquil room.

This room is named after the archaeological site situated at the top of the mountain 2 km outside the city. It is regarded as one of the most important pre-Hispanic settlements in the valley. Frans Blom conducted excavations there in 1952 and Dr. Weiant in 1953; to date, no other work has been carried out at the site. The exhibits include examples of ceramics, lithic materials and a few bones that illustrate the funerary customs of the valley’s ancient inhabitants. There are also several pieces recovered on various expeditions and investigations conducted by Frans Blom in the Lacandon Rainforest, Oaxaca and other parts of Mexico. In addition to an explorer and archaeologist, Blom was also a cartographer and was the first person to map the Lacandon Rainforest. His map has served as the model for the present-day maps.

Chapel.

This is one of the finest exponents of the neoclassical style that became fashionable in this city during the late 19th century. The style can be observed in features such as the columns, the original frescoes on the ceiling and the altar. Although it was never consecrated or used as a chapel, it is an excellent place for viewing examples of the type of religious paintings and statues produced in Chiapas between the 16th and 19th centuries.

Gertrude Duby Blom’s room.

After her death, this room was incorporated into the museum and nowadays exhibits some of her characteristic suits, jewellery and personal belongings. The corridors in the house are also adorned with items from different collections, such as wrought-iron crosses, paintings and photographs by Gertrude Duby, and objets d’art donated by different artists.

From: ‘The Maya: an architectural and landscape guide’, produced jointly by the Junta de Andulacia and the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico, 2010, p478.