time-travel-gal24

Hiya! I'm just an average time travelling girl, running your run-of-the-mill time travel blog... I'm honest and NOT sponsored by big time travel!

[timetravelergal24]

Tikal, (1519)

Yes. I know I already went to this year, but I wanted to explore more during this time!

"Tikal Ruins" - Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. “Tikal National Park.” UNESCO World Heritage Centre, whc.unesco.org/en/list/64. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.

Stepping into the time machine for the last stop of this journey, I headed to 1519 again to explore a different site. I found myself in the ancient city of Tikal, deeply hidden in the Guatemalan jungle. What I first noticed was the eerie quiet of this one bustling city. Tikal was abandoned, although it was one of the most powerful cities in Mayan society. It's structures were covered in moss, being swallowed by the forces of nature as they sat uninhabited. The air was thick and humid as always, only now buzzing with even more insects. A city once teeming with life and devotion was now scarily quiet and empty. It had developed to be oddly peaceful.

The pyramids, some of which where over 200 feet high, still stood tall. They were covered in crawling vines and leaves. The canopy of the jungle grew over some of the site. There were remnants of temples, with vibrant and intricate carvings of mythological scenes still standing and covered in thick layers of dust and grime. They were worn. The plazas were riddled with debris.

Before Tikal was abandoned and left to nature, it was one of the most important and powerful Mayan lowland cities. It had served as a metropolis of worship, trade, and rich culture. It was populated by tens of thousands of Mayans. It had once been home to burial sites for nobles, athletic contests, rituals, and warfare, yet now it stood still and quiet as a tomb. It's decline took centuries, a result of internal conflict and environmental factors. Tikal had once been an agricultural powerhouse, but the downfall of this system was the catalyst for it's decline overall. Crops failed and Mayans began to flee Tikal and abandon it due to hunger.

I relished in the peaceful quiet of the abandoned ruins, knowing it wouldn't be until the nineteenth century that they'd be rediscovered. Tikal was great evidence of the grand achievements of Mayan civilization despite it's decline, especially with agriculture.

This journey has been fascinating and I cannot wait to take you all with me on the next one! As always, thank you for tuning in!

XOXO,

time-traveler-gal24

[timetravelergal24]

The Spanish find the city of Merida, 1542

"Merida" Visit-Mexico.mx. “Merida, Yucatan - Tourist Guide.” Visit, 1 Mar. 2023, www.visit-mexico.mx/yucatan/merida/.

"Francisco De Montejo" “De Montejo, Francisco : M.” Armedconflicts.Com, www.armedconflicts.com/de-Montejo-Francisco-t239166. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.

We travel forward to further into the wrath of the conquistadors, in 1542. Merida, Yucatan is an architectural marvel of a city known originally as "La Ciudad Blanca". Francisco de Montejo is the name of the Spanish Conquistador that led his incursion here and found the city of Merida.

Merida is a gorgeous city, a mosaic of large plazas and temples of Mayan worship. The armor and large horses of the incursion led by the Conquistadors fill the streets of this city with a looming dread. They arrived to conquer and recruit the people into Christianity. Listening to their commands in Spanish made it clear they were motivated by greed. Montejo and his men had been cutting through the jungles for weeks and were instantly met with resisiting indigenous people as they arrived here in Merida.

Spanish troopers set up camp as the defenders of Merida looked in awe, in their decorative garb. They were preparing for what developed to be a siege. The Spanish loudly riled themselves up and organized their soldiers, a diverse group of young and old. They seemed wary but very ready and willing to conquer. This sent chills down my spine.

Quickly I took shelter in my time machine in order to observe safely. Smoke filled the air as the Spanish wasted no time burning structures in the city and nearby village, filling me with an indescribable fear and anguish. This was intentional - the strategy hoped to intimidate the Mayans and scare them into submission. The chaos is hard to describe accurately, women and children shrieked and ran for shelter towards the jungle. I could hear the determination and the rage in the banging voices of the Spanish soldiers, it was terrifying. In a corner, another group of the conquistadors discussed some kind of strategy quietly, and even began to brag about how rich they would become through conquest. They spoke of the "heathens" and "savages" they were attempting to convert to the Christianity they saw as the only right in the world.

Through the roaring fighting I spotted Montejo once again, a powerful figure of authority. He was determined to assert dominance through force. This moment was very significant as it marked the beginning of a very long colonial struggle. The Mayans resisted for years and years to come after this, and I was only seeing the beginning. It was so sad to see their cultural and sacred sites defaced and crumbling, enshrouded in flames. Their women were taken as slaves and raped, a terrifying reality as rape has always been used as a way to assert power in conquest and dehumanize women.

This was a very dark moment in my journey, one I could never have prepared for in my career. As I observed the moment unfold and the turmoil worsen, the weight of what I was seeing truly sank in. This fall of a city marked an important moment in the tragic fall of the Mayans.

After this trip I had to take some time to reflect and recover before my last and next stop, but it was a privilege to be able to experience such a pivotal point in history first hand. I could not help but wonder what could have happened if the Mayans had actually overpowered the entirety of the attempts of colonization from the Spanish during this era.

Thank you for tuning in, my next entry will be the last of this series!

XOXO,

time-travel-gal24

[timetravelergal24]

1519 - Hernan Cortes steps foot in the Yucatan Peninsula

"Hernan Cortes" - Cartwright, Mark. “Hernán Cortés.” World History Encyclopedia, https://www.worldhistory.org#organization, 12 July 2022, www.worldhistory.org/Hernan_Cortes/.

As I went back to 1519, I braced myself. The strong scent of the ocean was not as comforting as before, because now I was just steps away from the man that helped usher the end of the people I was so fascinated by. Here in the Yucatan Peninsula, Cortes and his ships forever chamged the course of history as they landed on the sands. His men were anxious and anticipating the dangers of what was unknown to them.

The pyramids and structures I came to admire cut through the dense jungles that dissipated into beaches. Mangoes grew on the trees nearby and cicadas sang to the wind. The drums of the Mayan rituals echoed afar, and Cortes took his first step ashore. He was considerably shorter than I imagined him to be... Behind him were about 600 men, an army and crew that proved to be very diverse with experienced soldiers, sailors, priests, explorers, and slaves. They came from Cuba as the governor ordered. From a distance, as I gazed upon the armor of the men I noticed La Malinche, the Nahua slave that was given to Cortes as a tribute and who later became his translator and also helper. It was fascinating to see such a controversial figure in person!

I heard conversations in the Spanish and Nahuatl language, cultures being shared as Cortes began to establish a relationship and alliance with the local indigenous groups and learn about their conflicts and issues. The Mayans were welcoming but very careful. Cortes and his crew brought with them horses, introducing them to the region and to the Mayans. They also encountered the gunpowder and steel weapons they brought for the first time, which seemed to intrigue them. The Mayans began whispering to eachother and admiring the horses, who to them seemed to be the definition of magic.

The Maya did not yet understand the full effect of the tragedy they would soon experience. Their curious words when conversing with the Spanish were respectful but had an underlying and palpable sense of tension. They really could not have known about any of the diseases that would ravage them soon, either.

I watched as Cortes began his journey inland, cutting through the jungles of Mesoamerica and crushing the resisting Mayans. This was just the beginning, and a fascinating meeting to observe. This would change the fate of the Americas as a whole gravely!

Thanks for tuning in! My next entry will be about the city of Merida!

XOXO,

time-travel-gal24

[timetravelergal24]

Chichen Itza, (1520s)

Chichen Itza Map, “Chichen Itza Maps: Where Is Chichen Itza: Mayan Ruins.” Chichen Itza, www.chichenitza.com/maps. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.

"Sacred Cenote in Chichen Itza" Tomasas. “Sacred Cenote in Chichén Itzá.” Places To See In Your Lifetime, 19 Mar. 2014, www.pandotrip.com/sacred-cenote-in-chichen-itza-2455/.

Chichen Itza truly made me feel like I was in the heart of the Mayan world. The beauty of towering pyramids, structural marvels, intricate artwork, carefully carved stone pillars and that familiar humid air struck me as soon as my time machine landed here. Humans and nature were delicately balanced here. The monumental "El Castillo" pyramid loomed over the city, centered in the middle. The first thing i explored was the grand ball court near my landing spot, which was bustling with laughter and the sounds of the balls thudding. Near there I noticed the temples near where lined with Mayan people playing their drums. The rhythmic drumming intermingled with the chachalaca birds screeching high above the towering monuments and structures. The marketplace was full of conversation and a strong smell of roasted maize. They sold many things there, but many sellers carried cacao and fruit varieties.

In this marketplace I overheard men discussing offering their recent harvests to the gods at the temple. They spoke about the importance of their ritual aligning with the cycles of nature so that they could ensure a balance and peace with the gods, it was fascinating!

The importance of Chichen Itza during this time seemed to be incredibly astronomical, something the Mayans were very advanced in. It was also a significant political city, full of sites of worship. As the sun began to set behind the impossibly tall "El Castillo", the Mayans around me began discussing the pyramid's allignment with the equinoxes. They had an incredible understanding of the cosmos for the time! Priests and nobles here were decorated with even more elaborate and decorated ceremonial wear than the common Mayan men. There was a sacred fire lit in the center of a plaza, where priests with face paint chanted together and performed a ritual with offerings to the gods, similar to what I witnessed nearby in Tulum. The feeling of devotion and worship was palpable. Their society's faith truly propelled them.

Tulum and Chichen Itza had their similarities, but served different purposes. In Chichen Itza, there were cenotes, natural freshwater sinkholes, that served as the setting for various rituals. They were sacred and the site of precious offerings to the gods, as well as human sacrifices particularly in the Sacred Cenote in the north of the city, still visited today. They were also great agricultural sources. I was blown away by the natural beauty of these cenotes, and I couldn't help but admire them for longer than what I had scheduled on my trip initially!

Overall, Chichen Itza blew me away. I'd recommend this time and location especially for those must-see cenotes, and the amazing atmosphere. It weighs on my heart that the innocent children of the Maya I saw playing here will soon be struck by colonialism.

Thanks for tuning in! Join me next time as we travel back to the exact moment Hernan Cortes came to the Yucatan Peninsula, and begin to unpack colonialism!

XOXO,

time-travel-gal24

[timetravelergal24]

Tulum, Maya (1521)

Tulum, on a map of the Maya region. - Tulum 2010, jacobweb.net/trips/2010/tulum/tulum.htm. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.

"Temple of the Diving God." - “Mexico: Tulum May 2012.” Mexico: Tulum, www.the-silk-route.co.uk/mexicoTulum.htm. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.

We begin our journey in the ancient city of Tulum, during 1521. This city is a fortified coastal hub, a walled city on a cliff above the sweet blue Caribbean. It serves as a ceremonial and trade center city for the Mayans, and it's bustling. The air here is thick, the salty sea wafting along with the smoke of cooking fires. It's incredibly humid, I fear I may have overdressed with my favorite time travel sweater...

This city is pulsating with energy and life, dense with stone streets and dirt paths. I can hear around me the calls of coastal birds and the wind pushing through the leaves of the palms. Louder than this are the constant conversations of the Mayan people inhabiting the city. Their language is incomprehensible to me, but with the help of my time travel translator, I was able to listen to the prayers of a heavily adorned, strong featured priest. I was also able to hear traders exchanging salt for precious materials like obsidian with travelling traders. This city seems to never sleep.

I witnessed a seemingly very important ceremony. More priests, adorned in beautifully detailed ceremonial garb and accessories, were chanting in unison seemingly worshipping the largest structure of which I attached a picture of just for you my fans! The Mayans surrounding were burning copal resin and playing large drums. Worshippers watched as offerings were made to the gods during the ceremony, it was quite the display of faith. Seeing such a deeply important spiritual ritual that had been performed by them for centuries was a privilege!

The Mayans are clearly incredibly strong, carrying many heavy trade materials across the dirt paths of the city. Their deep skin was radiant in the rays of the sun and they had very strong features. The common Mayan seemed to mostly wear cotton tunics, and many accessories created partly with shells. Their many colorful face paints seem to indicate their faith and devotion, and their status within their society.

I vividly and fondly remember this trip to the busy city hub of Tulum, and I cannot believe that it is in ruins in present day! The stone structures served protective purposes against invaders and natural causes. I was reminded of the looming threat these people would sadly face soon, and was heartbroken. The Mayan were a very hard-working, intelligent and lively society, and this was just my first impression!

Thanks for tuning in! Next post will be about my visit to Chichen Itza!

XOXO,

time-travel-gal24

[timetravelergal24]

Preparing the machine for Maya!

Wish me luck my adoring followers! I'm heading to colonial Maya, beginning in the year 1519! I'm certainly excited but, I won't spare the details of colonialism, because I'll be right in the middle of it!

I'll be updating the blog with my travel log entries and some pictures I took as soon as I get my rest on the morning after I get back from the trip. Cannot wait to show you guys!

XOXO,

time-travel-gal24