December 15, 2007

Maya take back Tikal

In Tikal, Temples in the MistIn the 1996 accords that ended the Guatemalan civil war, the Mayan people were given the right to worship in their ancient sites as they wished. Fire pits were built in the Great Plaza and elsewhere at Tikal for their use in rituals.

Pilgrims come for major festivals and at other times, too, more casually and often on Sundays, when the entry fee is waived for Guatemalans. “They are taking back their privilege,” Mr. Lara explained.

4 comments:

dmarks said...

It sure bears a resemblance to the moon of Yavin. Where are the X-wings?

writerfella said...

Writerfella here --
Bingo! dMarks hit it exactly! The 'moon of Yavin' scenes were filmed in Tikal, Guatemala! writerfella says, you win a cookie! Oh, and the X-Wings aren't there because the special effects hadn't been added yet...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'

alanajoli said...

Is it wrong of me that I first wanted to visit Tikal because the film was made there? (Actually that's not entirely true--I just learned the *name* of the site because of the movie. I'd already been interested in the Maya before that.)

I love the idea of reclaiming sites like this to breathe life back into the place. So many places that were once centers of worship, particularly in Greece, feel ruined (no pun intended). There's no energy to them any more. So it's wonderful that the site is getting a renewed life.

writerfella said...

Writerfella here --
You mean, like the Elgin Marbles that were hacked from Greek temples and spirited away to The British Museum? The ruin of the ruins did occur in MesoAmerica but the difficulty of the terrain at least minimized it...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella