Archaeological Museum – Campeche

Posted on 25/06/2023 by Michael

A small, yet very fine, museum containing artefacts uncovered at the Campeche Mayan sites of Calakmul, Edzna, Becan, Chicanna and Xpujil amongst others.

The collection includes various ceramics – of both daily use and as funereal offerings, jade masks, stelae and other stone sculptures.

The exhibits are laid out in such a way as to understand how the Mayans used these objects in various aspects of their daily, religious and after-life activities.

Getting there;

From Campeche. There is limited public transport along the road that heads west parallel to the coast. This is where the rich of Campeche live, with gated communities and 24 hour security. The museum is located in the Fuerte de San Miguel which sits on a high promontory looking down on the ocean.

Entrance;

M$70

More on the Maya

El Gran Museo del Mundo Maya – Merida

Posted on 02/06/2023 by Michael

El Gran Museo del Mundo Maya – Merida

More on the Maya

El Gran Museo del Mundo Maya – Merida

Presented here are a selection of pictures taken inside the (relatively) new, and very modern, structure of the Museum of the Mayan World in the Yucatan city of Merida.

Obviously taking pictures of such objects in the context of a museum – whose lighting and presentation are not designed for the photographer (even good ones, not such as me) – does not always lead to the desired result.

As with the slide show from the Cancun Mayan Museum these images are presented to give an impression of what was produced in the Mayan past before the Spanish came and messed things up.

Whilst not in many ways a ‘perfect’ society – after all the Maya fought against themselves and neighbours; they had slaves; there was a hierarchy of wealth and power; and they killed people out of the ignorance they were doing so to appease non-existent Gods – the Maya developed a civilisation that was very distinct from that which had developed on the other side of the wide ocean. In fact, it was probably that ‘distinctiveness’ which led the Spanish to attempt to wipe out as much of that culture as they could. This was the declared aim of the ‘extirpation of idolatry’.

They destroyed a lot – some of which was irreplaceable such as the codices (manuscripts telling the history (or myths) of the Maya from their beginnings) – but as in all part of the ‘Americas’ much survived this state sponsored vandalism and more is learnt of the pre-Colombian past as time and investigations reveal more ‘secrets’.

But through the artefacts they left behind, as well as the many thousands of examples of their architecture, we know they had accumulated an immense field of knowledge in mathematics, astronomy, physics and architecture as well as being able to cope (more often than not) with the extremities of the climate and produce enough food for them to pursue their daily activities.

The idea of these posts is to present enough clues, or pieces of the puzzle, for viewers to be able to piece together what was the Mayan culture.

Too ambitious a goal? We shall see.

Location;

Gran Museo del Mundo Maya,

Calle 60,

Unidad Revolución,

Mérida,

Opening Times;

09.00-17.00 everyday apart from Tuesday.

Entrance;

M$150

Website;

https://www.granmuseodelmundomaya.com.mx/

How to get there;

The Museum is in the northern outskirts of the city but can be reached by public transport via the new, blue, municipal bus service R73 which leaves the centre of Merida from Calle 63, between 58 and 56.

More on the Maya

Cancun Maya Museum

Posted on 16/05/2023 by Michael

Cancun Maya Museum

More on the Maya

Cancun Maya Museum

If you find yourself unfortunate to be staying in Cancun you could do much worse than spend an hour or two in the Museo Maya de Cancún (Cancún Maya Museum). At the end of the long spit that contains, to me, some of the worst hotels ever created (especially when you take into account their concentration) an equally ugly modern building houses artefacts of a culture that had an understanding of aesthetics.

The items in the museum come from all parts of Mayan territory and from all periods from the earliest days until the demise of the Mayan civilisation until just after the arrival of of the Spanish invaders in the 16th century.

The images are presented here without comment and are in a relatively raw state. They are presented to give an impression of what this magnificent ‘pre-Colombian’ society produced when much of Europe fell into barbarism after the flowering of the Greek and Roman empires – not forgetting that the gains of those ‘civilisations’ were built upon slavery, war and imperial expansion.