San Cristobal Museums

Posted on 06/07/2023 by Michael

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.

Entrance;

Na Bolom Museum – M$60

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Pomoná – Tabasco – Mexico

Posted on 04/07/2023 by Michael

Pomona

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Pomoná – Tabasco

Location

The archaeological area is situated 39 km from Tenosique. Take the road to Emiliano Zapata from the latter city and then a detour of 4 km along a fairly decent dirt track. The site lies in the north-western section of the Maya area, on fluvial terraces formed during the Pleistocene, in the lower foothills of the northern Chiapas mountains. This region is characterised by gentle rolling hills in the north and is delimited to the east by the left bank of the River Usumacinta, just beyond the point where it flows down to the Gulf of Mexico from Boca del Cerro. It is bordered to the west by the Chacamax, a tributary of the Usumacinta, which rises near Palenque, 40 km west. Pomona has a site museum containing the objects unearthed during the excavations and a collection of pieces that offer a general overview of the archaeological finds in the region.

History of the explorations

In 1963 Heinrich Berlin identified the glyph that represented the pre-Hispanic name of the city. It has been suggested that the correct phonetic interpretation is Pacab or Pakabul, a term which certain researchers believe is a reference to the uneven nature of the natural topography in the northern Chiapas mountains, formed by the Usumacinta as it makes its way to the Tabasco Plains. Nine texts with the Pomoná emblem glyph have been found: four with inscriptions, situated at the site itself, and another five distributed at various sites in the region – one at Panjale, one at La Mar, two at Piedras Negras and one at Palenque. The four texts at Pomoná can be found on Monument 3 (AD 771), Monument 7 (undated) and the last two in longer, greatly eroded texts that mention the dedication date of AD 751. Based on the distribution and translation of the associated texts, we know that Pomona was involved in a series of armed conflicts with its most powerful rival neighbours, such as Piedras Negras which inflicted a serious defeat in AD 792, and Palenque, whose Temple of the Skull yielded an earring with the Pomoná emblem glyph associated with the date AD 697. In the 1950s Pomoná was the victim of a spate of lootings that eventually led to the transfer of several monuments for safekeeping to the Tenosique secondary school, where they remained on display for several years before being relocated to the site museum at Pomoná.

Site description

Pomoná covers a total area of 190 ha and comprises a somewhat scattered layout of six main groups and a few smaller ones. Of the main ones, only Group 1 has been explored and consolidated. Situated in the uppermost section of the site, it accommodated civic and religious functions, although the excavation and consolidation works yielded ‘refuse dumps’ containing domestic utensils such as quern stones, domestic pots, etc. This suggests that the group combined residential, administrative and ritual functions. Group comprises 13 buildings, 12 of which are distributed on both sides of a rectangular central plaza. Situated at the north end is a vast rectangular, six-tier platform with balustraded stairways on its south side. The west end of the plaza is delimited by buildings 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, all of them platforms once surmounted by vaulted structures. The architectural design is vaguely reminiscent of the style at Palenque. Situated on the east side of the central plaza are buildings 9, 10, 11 and 13, low platforms that once supported constructions made out of perishable materials.

There are no visible architectural barriers on the south side of the main plaza, which is open except for a three tier stairway that led to Group II, as yet to be explored. According to Roberto Garcia Moll, the pieces recovered during the archaeological investigations – approximately 45 sculptural elements – reveal an interesting pattern. Most of the fragments recorded come from Building 1, nearby places and a small platform known as Building 2. Building 3 is a low platform whose longest side is oriented north-south while its main facade faces east. This facade yielded the remains of the original stucco cladding that must have once covered it completely. A small cylindrical altar, devoid of decoration, and the remains of three sculptures with glyphic texts were found in the rubble of this facade.

Building 4 is a platform with evidence of several construction phases and it was surmounted by a small temple. We can still see the base of temple’s vertical walls, which suggest a rectangular plan with three entrance openings. The remains furnished numerous fragments of modelled stucco that once decorated the building; these include human faces and fairly large sections of headdresses and glyphs. Two exquisitely carved tablets with richly garbed male figures and glyphic texts were found near the rear wall of the temple.

Structure 5 is a five-tier platform culminating in a temple which still displays the base of its vertical walls. Like the other temples at Pomoná, the roof collapsed without trace. This temple adopted the traditional rectangular plan with three openings and a single room. The excavations conducted by the INAH yielded two fragments of panels with inscriptions, one on the final tier of the platform and the other on the west facade of the building.

Building 6 is a vast two-tier platform culminating in a fine band of moulding, Building 1 seals the south side of the plaza. It adopts the form of a five-tier rectangular platform with vertical walls. The large stairway that covers the spaces between the tiers is not aligned with the stairway that leads to the top of the platform and the temple but is distinctly out of line towards the south end of the structure. A fragmented, incomplete stela with reliefs on both faces was found near the centre of the temple. The front face depicts a standing figure and the rear face a long glyphic text.

Structure 8 stands outside the perimeter of Group I, at a lower level than the plaza. It is a low, rectangular platform built on an east-west axis. It probably corresponds to the remains of a dwelling because the materials found suggest domestic activities. Running along the north side of the platform is a small stream, probably of pre-Hispanic origin, Building 9 seals the north-east side of the group. It reveals various construction phases. The west facade of Building 10 yielded two fragments of panels with inscriptions. The general appearance of the Group I Plaza, with its distinct east-west orientation, resembles that of other contemporary sites in the north-western lowlands, such as the North Plaza at Comalcalco, El Arenal and El Rosario. One of the particular architectural characteristics at Pomona is the use of balustrades to flank the stairways leading to the main temples, which differs considerably from other examples in the Usumacinta Basin such as Piedras Negras and Yaxchilan. In general terms, the architecture at Pomoná bears great similarity to that of Palenque, most notably in the ground plans of certain buildings, the balustraded stairways, the double-bay temples with the shrine in the middle and, above all, the extensive use of tablets with texts on the walls of buildings and platforms.

From: ‘The Maya: an architectural and landscape guide’, produced jointly by the Junta de Andulacia and the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico, 2010, pp134-137.

Pomona

1-13. Buildings 1 to 13.

Getting there:

From Palenque. There are regular combis from Palenque to Tenosique which passes the entrance road to the site. There are taxis available if you go past the approach road and travel another few kilometres in the direction of Tenosique until you reach the second entrance to Gregorio Mendez. Getting back is not so easy – try to get a lift if anyone is available at the site. However, combis tend to leave Tenosique full so you might have problems stopping one on the junction with the main road and the site approach road. M$80 each way.

GPS:

17d 29’ 05” N

91d 34’ 13” W

Entrance:

M$70.

More on the Maya

Bonampak – Chiapas – Mexico

Posted on 04/07/2023 by Michael

Bonampak

More on the Maya

Bonampak – Chiapas

Location

This site lies deep in the Lacandon Rainforest in Chiapas, in the valley of the River Lacanha. The preHispanic settlement adopts a scattered pattern and covers an area of 2 sq km. The main constructions were built on a chain of hills in the middle of the valley, stretching from the Sierra de Cojolita to the actual river banks. However, the only parts that have been explored and are now open to the public are the Great Plaza and the Acropolis, along the southern edge of the site, which comprise the famous building with the murals. Take road 186 along the southern border (Villahermosa-Macuspana-Tenosique), follow the turnoff for the town of Palenque and continue until you reach the San Javier-Lacanha-Bonampak crossroads. From San Cristobal de las Casas and Ocosingo, take the border road, follow the turn-off for Chancala and then continue to the San Javier-Lacanha-Bonampak crossroads.

The Murals

In the words of Mary Miller, who conducted a fascinating study on the wall paintings, ‘perhaps no single artefact from the ancient New World offers as complex a view of pre-Hispanic society as do the Bonampak paintings. No other work features so many Maya engaged in the life of the court and rendered in such great detail, making the Bonampak murals an unparalleled resource for understanding ancient society’. Herein lies the importance of Bonampak: its murals constitute a clear and accurate testimony of the life, aspirations and activities of a Maya ruler.

In 1990 the Institute of Aesthetic Research of the Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) launched the ongoing project Pre-Hispanic Mural Painting in Mexico to record and study pre-Columbian wall paintings such as those at Bonampak, and in 1997 Ernesto Penaloza photographed the three painted rooms in their entirety for the first time; this material was used to create three panels displaying the complete paintings. These images and the results of the multidisciplinary research led by Beatriz de la Fuente and coordinated by Leticia Staines are included in the two volumes on Bonampak (catalogue and research projects) in the series published by the UNAM.

Pre-Hispanic history

There is little evidence of building activity in the centre of Bonampak during the Early Classic. Due to its proximity to Yaxchilan, it was probably heavily influenced by this city from a very early date, as indeed was the case in the latter days of its occupation. There are epigraphic texts at Yaxchilan that mention Bonampak rulers: Bird Jaguar (not to be confused with the Yaxchilan ruler) is mentioned in association with the sixth ruler of Yaxchilan, and Fish Fin in association with the ninth. These ties remained strong throughout the Late Classic. Knot-Eye Jaguar, lord of Yaxchilan and the father of the Bonampak ruler Chaan Muan, who commissioned the construction of stelae 1, 2 and 3 and the famous murals, not only had close ties with Bonampak: his presence has been identified at the site of Lacanha, a few kilometres north of Bonampak. The monumental precinct is composed of a great acropolis built on a natural slope and delimiting a large central plaza. Stelae 1 and 4 are in the plaza, while stelae 2 and 3 are situated on the stairway leading to the top of the Acropolis. Three of the stelae mention Chaan Muan, the protagonist of the murals. The remainder of the settlement has not yet been mapped and we therefore do not know exactly how large it is.

Site description

The only group open to the public is the Great Plaza, a rectangle space measuring 110×87 m whose main axis is oriented north-west/south-east. It is accessed via a passageway situated between structures 15 and 13. These form part of the platforms, yet to be explored, that delimit the east side (Structures 17 and 18), the north side (Structures 15 and 16) and the west side (Structures 12 and 13).

Acropolis and Stela l.

The Acropolis hill, which runs along the south side of the plaza, is covered by terraces and buildings. At the foot of it, almost at the centre of the plaza, stands the magnificent Stela 1, which is 5,06 m high, 2.6 m wide and 18-20 cm thick. Its carved face overlooks the Acropolis and depicts a richly garbed Chaan Muan II with a tall headdress. In his right hand, he holds the ceremonial sceptre; in his left, a shield with the face of the Jaguar god of the underworld. Under his feet is a band inscribed with the names of his parents and, next to his left leg, his own name.

Temple of the murals and Stelae 2 and 3.

Situated at the foot of a natural hill modified by terraces, this group stands 46 m high. It displays two horizontal axes on different levels, which provide the basis for two groups of buildings. On the lower platform, situated approximately 15 m from the ground level of the plaza, are three buildings: the one on the right is the Temple of the Murals, in the middle are the ruins of Building 2, and on the left is Building 3. The main access to this level is via a monumental stairway, situated in the middle of the group. This comprises two flights with an intermediate landing on which stand Stela 2, to the left, and Stela 3, to the right. The former represents Chaan Muan II accompanied by his wife and his mother in a bloodletting sacrifice; the second stela shows the same dignitary with a prisoner. At the top of this first section of the stairway, on the right-hand side, is the Temple of the Murals, which has three doorways leading to three separate rooms decorated with the famous wall paintings; the doorways have carved lintels depicting the capture of enemy chiefs by two Bonampak rulers and a Yaxchilan ruler, respectively.

Buildings 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9.

Situated at the far left of this first terrace is Building 3, which displays three doorways on its main facade and a stairway leading down to the plaza. Between this and the remains of Building 2 is the stairway leading up to the temples at the top, identified from left to right as Buildings 8, 7, 6, 5 and 4. All of them contain a single chamber and a single access; the exception is Building 4, which has two. All of them are very small and contain a cylindrical altar. Building 6 is the exception in this case and displays instead a carved lintel with the bust of Chaan Muan I, dated 603. Between buildings 5 and 6 is an interrupted stairway leading to the remains of Structure 19, which has a niche and a lintel. Situated next to this structure, behind Building 4, is a small plaza with Building 9 and its platform. The building facade faces west and contains a single doorway leading to a chamber in which there is an uncarved stela.

The murals

The murals are situated in Structure 1, a three-room building resting on the first terrace of the Acropolis. The exterior of the structure was once decorated with stucco relief figures but these have now been lost. The three lintels adorning the doorways to the rooms show scenes of prisoners and texts mentioning their respective names, in a style that bears great similarity to that of Yaxchilan. The earliest date corresponds to Lintel 3, which mentions Chaan Muan’s father, Knot-Eye Jaguar, the ruler of Yaxchilan in AD 740. Chaan Muan appears to have acceded to the throne in Bonampak in 776. Lintel 2 narrates an event later in Chaan Muan’s reign, around 787, making reference to a ruler of Yaxchilan, probably Shield Jaguar II. The date of Lintel 1 corresponds to an event four days earlier.

The walls of the three rooms are covered with magnificently executed paintings in deep colours. The event depicted is associated with the designation of Chaan Muan’s son as heir to the throne and to other events that took place over a period of two years. The correct order for interpreting the murals has been a topic of some debate, although the chronological order of the events represented suggests Room 1 followed by Room 2, followed by Room 3. Small benches occupy most of the interior space and the murals were probably designed to be viewed while seated on these benches.

The narrative commences in Room 1 with a date and hieroglyphic text that divide the upper and lower fields of the mural, painted on the vaulted ceiling above the paintings on the wall. The glyphic texts are greatly deteriorated and have therefore not been translated in their entirety. The first date in the text is 790, which probably corresponds to the event recorded on the top part of the wall, the presentation of a royal heir to a group of 14 Bonampak dignitaries, all garbed in long white cloaks and gathered at the court for the occasion. This scene clearly took place inside a palace. The two seated figures, Chaan Muan and his wife, the heir’s mother, observe the scene from a throne. The second date indicates an event that took place 336 days later. Three important individuals are shown preparing for the ceremony. The figure represented entirely from the front and wearing a great headdress is probably King Chaan Muan himself. The scene below shows a procession involving musicians and dancers in fabulous costumes, carrying different musical instruments.

In Room 2, covering practically every surface of the walls, is one of the masterpieces of Maya art: an incredibly realistic portrayal of a battle scene. In the middle of the composition is the figure of a leader, again shown from the front, grasping the hair of a prisoner in one hand and a spear covered with the skin of a jaguar in the other. This figure represents Chaan Muan, who is accompanied by another warrior, probably Shield Jaguar II, the ruler of Yaxchilan. The result of the battle is presented on the north wall of the room. Once again, Chaan Muan occupies the centre of the composition, this time accompanied by a group Of warriors and two women who observe from a distance the presentation of a group of prisoners captured in battle. The principal captive lies at the feet of Chaan Muan, while the remaining captives are distributed on a six-tier structure, probably representing the different levels of the Bonampak Acropolis. The prisoners are no doubt going to be sacrificed at the presentation of Chaan Muan’s successor and heir to the throne.

The murals in Room 3 are less well preserved, although many of the original designs can still be discerned. Again, they clearly represent a grand ceremony, probably the culmination of the two previous scenes, this composition is divided into two sections: the first shows a group of elaborately garbed individuals resting on a stepped pyramid while a group of musicians and dancers parade by; the second section shows a scene in a different place, probably inside a palace, and again depicts Chaan Muan, his family and a group of courtiers. In this final section, the royal family is engaged in a bloodletting ritual, thus completing the formal presentation of the royal heir.

From: ‘The Maya: an architectural and landscape guide’, produced jointly by the Junta de Andulacia and the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico, 2010, pp172-178.

Bonampak

Acropolis; 2. Temple of the Murals; 3. Temple 2; 4. Temple 3; 5. Temples 4 to 10.

Getting there:

It is possible to get close to the site by combi from Palenque but the final stages to the site itself might be complicated. The fact that Bonampak is part of a tour that takes in Yaxchilan as well means that there are tens of people there everyday (and that’s the low season, there will be many more in the high season. That means it would be virtually impossible to use the informal methods of transport that have been discussed elsewhere. Unless you have your own transport the organised tours might be the only way to visit these sites – without a great deal of work, time and effort.