Before the wheel and engineering schools, the Mayans created perfectly symmetrical buildings that quite simply couldn’t be built today, reports a dazzled Christina Kautzky from Chichen Itza.
Modern history seems to be quickly forgotten. “Progress” and “development” become fleeting words that usually refer either to emerging markets like China, or a new version of the iPhone. The world believes itself to be advanced, to have come so far, and yet, on a recent trip back in time – into the heritage and reign of the Mayan people – I came to question just how much modernity is actually a good thing; whether perhaps the diligence and hard work of centuries long past might signal something more advanced, an appreciation of culture, heritage and the basic principles that govern the natural world.
Landing in Cancún, Mexico, there are symbols of global progress all around – souvenir T-shirts, digital cameras, the ubiquitous metre-tall plastic drinking cup from a bar on the strip. Yet, as we drove west across the Yúcatan Peninsula toward Mérida, capital of the Yúcatan state with a history dating back to 1542, we were struck by the quiet surroundings.
Mérida still feels the way it must have for centuries: quaint, rustic and full of life. The Cathedral on one side of the Plaza Grande dates back to the founding of the town, its airy interior featuring a 17th-century cross and original woodwork. On Sundays, the central square comes alive with local artisans selling handcrafted goods made using traditional methods of artistry. Inside the Governor’s Palace, wall-sized murals show the history and heritage of the region, which owes its existence to the Mayan culture, one of the most advanced civilisations to walk the earth.
One could spend months exploring the Mayan ruins that dot the region, in awe of the scientific and mathematical discoveries they made over 1,000 years ago. North from Mérida before you hit the coast is Dzibilchaltun, a major city in the early days of the Northern Maya dating from 700 AD. Found on the site were intricate textiles, delicate carvings and artwork, a deep cenote freshwater well, as well as evidence of the most primitive forms of time keeping and calendars. Archaeologists estimate that 200,000 inhabitants lived here, using what we now refer to as renewable energy, sustainable development and advanced technology. The Temple of the Dolls doesn’t seem like much, until you realise that at the spring and autumn equinoxes, the sun’s rays are in perfect alignment with the temple doors and pass through the 1.52-metre tall opening to mark the harvesting season. Stunning in beauty, it is also genius in design.
Even more impressive is Chichen Itza, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and a Unesco World Heritage Site. Walking into the ancient city along a tree-lined path, the massive Pyramid Kukulcan literally appears all at once and is truly breathtaking. Again with their focus on the sun, at the spring and autumn equinoxes, the setting sun creates shadows along the steps resembling a snake descending. Before the wheel, before engineering schools, before architects were paid the big bucks, the Mayans created ideally symmetrical buildings that quite simply could not be built today.
Chichen Itza’s sports field was also constructed so perfectly that a whisper at one end of the field can be heard at the other end. Time and time again, each structure in the city proved to be more impressive than the last. I was in awe of the depth of their understanding of maths, science and the way the world still works.
Logic, necessity and survival were the driving forces in Mayan society, and everything they left behind is evidence of a population that fundamentally understood the universe and used the natural world – sun, moon, seasons, basics of sciences – to uncover principles of physics, maths and biology still taught today. While I’m not ready to give up my mobile phone or take the stairs to my 10th-floor apartment, there is something to be said for the brilliance of sheer knowledge and understanding, and the power to see development and advancement as not a thing of modern technology, but a mark of sustaining and celebrating culture and heritage.
GETTING THERE
Many airlines fly direct from New York to Cancún daily. From Cancún, Mérida is about a 3.5-hour drive or a quick domestic flight. The road-trip option is recommended as it’s a much more pleasant way to soak up the scenery, and the small towns that dot the road are a real Mexican treat. Chichen Itza is halfway between Cancun and Mérida.
