|
|
|
| Tuesday, 25 March 2008 | |
|
The Pyramid at Chichén Itzá (before 800 A.D.) Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
Chichén Itzá, the most famous Mayan temple city, served as the political and economic center of the Mayan civilization. Its various structures - the pyramid of Kukulkan, the Temple of Chac Mool, the Hall of the Thousand Pillars, and the Playing Field of the Prisoners – can still be seen today and are demonstrative of an extraordinary commitment to architectural space and composition. The pyramid itself was the last, and arguably the greatest, of all Mayan temples.
A rich, exciting day of celebration in Chichen Itzá began with the early-morning flight of the New7Wonders hot-air balloon in front of the "El Castillo" pyramid, probably the most famous structure in the vast Chichen Itzá archeological complex. As the fog lifted, the royal-blue balloon rising in the stillness of the ancient Mayan city sent chills down the spines of the New7Wonders team. A crowded press conference in the afternoon was then followed by a magnificent, exuberant celebration gala of Mayan and Yucatan culture. The official certificate of candidacy was handed to Patricio Patrón Laviada, Governor of the State of Yucatan.
The ceremony featured a moving series of songs in Maya sung by local children in bright traditional clothing, as well as performances by the Traditional Yucalpetén Orchestra and the folkloric ballet troupe of the Yucatan Cultural Institute.
Other speakers during the day's events included Jorge Torre Loría, Yucatan's Secretary of Tourism, and the Director of the Yucatan Center of the National Anthropological and Historical Institute (INAH), Federica Sodi Miranda. The celebration continued through dusk, until the majestic buildings of Chichen Itzá were lit up against the dark sky. A festive dinner featuring traditional dancing with fire completed an extraordinary day.
At the crowded press event later in the week in Mexico City, the Director-General of the Mexico Tourism Board, Francisco López Mena, accepted another original New7Wonders certificate for Chichén Itzá from Bernard Weber.
The balloon crate had arrived on time in “Mayaland.” Our trip was direct from Lima to Merida and Chichen Itza via Mexico City. During the flight from Mexico City to Merida, I noticed with surprise how close nature is to this mega-city of Mexico, with two gigantic volcanoes poking out of the clouds as near as an hour’s drive away. And as we finished crossing over the Gulf of Mexico, the shoreline of Yucatan was another surprise, with crystal azure beaches combined with green-pink swamps leading into deep green forest inland. The landing at Merida reminded me of landing in the Cambodian jungle, where we asked ourselves – where in this world the plane is going to land? Our hotel: “Mayaland,” again an owner-operated hotel and another highlight of our World Tour.
Over four years ago, the younger son of the Mayaland’s owner had written me in an email that he loved the New7Wonders project and that he would like to help and assist wherever he could and that his family owns Chichen Itza …owns Chichen Itza, in his dreams, I thought … but history and discovery is still very tangible here at Chichen Itza and in fact I was amazed to confirm the story right now. His great-grandfather had purchased the land and grounds, including the pyramid lovingly called “El Castillo” by the locals, when nobody was interested in a pile of old rocks on top of each other!
So it was an exceptional pleasure to meet him and his father, Fernando Barbachano, who now heads the family empire of hotels that pay special attention not only to service, but also to cultural tourism that is environmentally sustainable. 95 % of the employees are Mayan workers who visibly show their pride … and that make all the difference. Many of them speak Maya and some do not speak Spanish – only Maya. As a guest, you can feel this cultural pride and identity strongly.
Again, the weather was with us – during the past week, it had rained constantly in Yucatan, but the day after our arrival gave us perfect filming and photography conditions to capture this unique monument. Unique, because this pyramid or “El Castillo” is not only a beautiful structure respecting the “Divine Ration” or “golden cut,” as we call it in German, but its division of steps and floors are a crystallization of the Mayan calendar and studies of the solar system. Its shape contains an amazing amount of information and knowledge. Or as our “guardian angel” of Mexico, Alberto, a native Mayan, stated, it is an ancient super-computer.
The event day began with a magical morning mist and, as we deployed the envelope of the N7W balloon, the sun slowly burning through the mist made the atmosphere around the Mayan structures even more dramatic. Perfect pictures and films pay tribute to this majestic monument.
The well-attended press conference at the visitor’s center started the afternoon program, which then continued with the governor of Yucatan, Patricio Patrón Laviada, and his beautiful wife accepting the certificate. We (lots of interesting people, scholars and officials) then enjoyed a full evening of Maya and Yucateca music and dance which ended with an incredible light show on the pyramid.
The INAH, Mexico’s Archaeological and Historic Institue, which looks after more then 110 thousand (!!) monuments and archaeological sites in Mexico went a long way out of its way to allow for the New7Wonders celebration, with a large stage built for the event which even heads of states did not enjoy on their official visits before, Governor Laviada told me.
Of course, with the large number of tourists today and even more to come, a sustainable tourism strategy must be found and managed. The INAH basically wanting to close the sites on one side and the tourism authorities needing them to promote cultural tourism – two sides of the same coin which have a hard time finding the middle ground. I do sincerely hope that the N7W campaign contributes to their unification in the diversified and rich country of Mexico and that the understanding and collaboration between the INAH and the Ministry of Tourism brings about a good and sensible balance. One first great gesture was made during the second colorful and musical press conference in Mexico City, to my big surprise, when – in front of over one hundred journalists – the Director-General of the Mexico Tourism Board, Francisco López Mena, spontaneously handed his N7W candidate certificate to the Director-General of INAH, Alfonso de Maria y Campos!
           |
|
| Last Updated ( Monday, 28 April 2008 ) | |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|