THE SPIRITUAL/MAGICAL MAYA: Nearby Iximché ruins were quickly reestablished/cleansed as a sacred place after George W. Bush´s ¨tarnishing visit¨ in 2007

Modest Iximché inspires the enchanted, historic and sacred with all new depth of meaning

During Christmas and up until yesterday, Juan Carlos and I had the pleasure of  hosting guests who visited us from San Juan, Puerto Rico and San Francisco, California.



Popol Vuh with Catholic ¨elements¨ too

One of our most favorite local places to revisit, explore and admire is the Maya Ruins of Iximché which are not too far from our home in the rural Guatemalan countryside.  Everytime I visit Iximché I notice that as we enter these sacred Maya grounds a secure feeling of tranquility and peace sweeps over me--a feeling of well-being and holiness that is unique to this place as I´ve never noticed those same feelings anywhere in the World including great Churches, Temples and other Holy places.

The day before yesterday, Juan Carlos, my friends and I were privileged to enjoy Iximché and experience the great sense of ongoing human and divine spirit presence, both ancient and contemporary, as the site reveals itself to most all who enter. 

Iximché embraces our visitors.

Iximché is ¨soothing¨ to the Spirit

¨Iximche (or Iximché using Spanish orthography) is a Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican archaeological site in the western highlands of Guatemala. Iximche was the capital of the Late Postclassic Kaqchikel Maya kingdom from 1470 until its abandonment in 1524. The architecture of the site included a number of pyramid-temples, palaces and two Mesoamerican ballcourts. Excavators uncovered the poorly preserved remains of painted murals on some of the buildings and ample evidence of human sacrifice...

For many years the Kaqchikel served as loyal allies of the K'iche' Maya. The growing power of the Kaqchikel within the alliance eventually caused such friction that the Kaqchikel were forced to flee the K'iche' capital and found the city of Iximche. The Kaqchikel established their new capital upon an easily defensible ridge almost surrounded by deep ravines. Iximche developed quickly as a city and within 50 years of its foundation it had reached its maximum extent. The rulers of Iximche were four principal lords drawn from the four main clans of the Kaqchikel, although it was the lords of the Sotz'il and Xahil clans who held the real power.

The Ritual Fires of Divine Tribute and Cleansing smoulder on as volcanos smoke on the horizon

After the initial establishment of Iximche, the K'iche' left the Kaqchikel in peace for a number of years. The peace did not last and the Kaqchikel soundly defeated their former overlords around 1491. This was followed by infighting among the Kaqchikel clans with the rebel clans finally being overcome in 1493. Wars against the K'iche' continued throughout the early 15th century. When the Spanish conquistadors arrived in Mexico, the Aztec emperor sent messengers to warn the Kaqchikel. After the surrender of the Aztecs to Hernán Cortés, Iximche sent its own messengers to offer a Kaqchikel alliance with the Spanish. Smallpox decimated the population of Iximche before the physical arrival of the Europeans.

Pedro de Alvarado arrived at Iximché  in 1524

At the time of the Spanish Conquest Iximche was the second most important city in the Guatemalan Highlands, after the K'iche' capital at Q'umarkaj. Conquistador Pedro de Alvarado was initially well received in the city in 1524 and the Kaqchikel kings provided the Spanish with native allies to assist in the conquest of the other highland Maya kingdoms. Iximche was declared the first capital of the Kingdom of Guatemala in the same year. Due to excessive Spanish demands for tribute the Kaqchikel soon broke the alliance and deserted their capital, which was burned 2 years later by Spanish deserters. The Europeans founded a new town nearby but abandoned it in 1527 due to the continued hostility of the Kaqchikel, who finally surrendered in 1530.

During the Guatemalan Civil War in the 1980´s a meeting took place at the ruins between guerillas and Maya leaders that resulted in the guerillas stating that they would defend indigenous rights

The ruins of Iximche were first described by a Guatemalan historian in the late 17th century. They were visited various times by scholars during the 19th century, who published plans and descriptions. Serious investigations of the site started in the 1940s and continued sporadically until the early 1970s. In 1980, during the Guatemalan Civil War, a meeting took place at the ruins between guerillas and Maya leaders that resulted in the guerillas stating that they would defend indigenous rights. A ritual was carried out at the site in 1989 in order to reestablish the ruins as a sacred place for Maya ceremonies. United States President George W. Bush visited the site in 2007, and in the same year Iximche was the venue for the III Continental Summit of Indigenous Peoples and Nationalities of Abya Yala.

Iximche was called ¨Guatemala¨ by the Spanish, from the Nahuatl Quauhtemallan meaning "forested land"

EtymologyThe site's name dervives from the Mayan name of the breadnut tree (Brosimum alicastrum), from the words ixim and che, meaning literally "maize tree". Iximche was called Guatemala by the Spanish, from the Nahuatl Quauhtemallan meaning "forested land". Since the Spanish conquistadors founded their first capital at Iximche, they took the name of the city used by their Nahuatl-speaking Mexican allies and applied it to the new Spanish city and, by extension, to the kingdom. From this comes the modern name of the country. The site has also been referred to as Patinamit by 19th century investigators, a Kaqchikel word meaning "the city". read it all, HERE

The Textures of Living upon once Living Textures everywhere (both seen and unseen/now and before now)

· Thanks to Wikipedia
· Thanks to Juan Carlos, Photos

HAPPINESS ALERT: We´re back! Safe at home and securely tucked-away under our very own active volcano! UPDATED!

Get on your mark, get set, ready...it was a go!

Jenn and John hosted our first on-the-road meal/picnic...delicious chicken sandwiches served al fresco on the lawn of the historic Castillo San Felipe, Rio Dulce

Bungalows Neptune (pictured), Forest/Bosque and Saturno...Finca Isobel...amongst the best fun/food and frolicing at the Peten.

A REAL Stallion named Casanova...he gives meaner looks, snorts, jeers and generates more terror than Petey Akinola preaching a Mynnwritten roundup against the LGBT heathens/hooligans and aledged ¨unholy.¨ (reminder to +Uganda and +Nigeria: there are no free rides and you can´t make a champion race horse out of a Old Gray Mare or a Ass).

Juan Carlos and the Cacao Fruit Tree (inside of the fruit are the seeds for chocolate)

Wild Turkeys and Chachalacas can fly high at the Rain Forest...but we knew that already, verdad?

The Swimming Hole, swimmerless but not motionless...they must be kidding if they thought anybody sane/sober was going to jump right in.

Ellen enters the Dining Room at Finca Isobel. Ellen and her identical twin sister Irene repeatedly and enthusiastically entered the dining room during our two day visit to the finca. The food was great!

Downtown Pre-Classical Period...Architecture (includes Art), Astrology, Priesthood (don´t ask/don´t tell and tallest feathers count!)

Central Park, Tikal, Irene and Leonardo, not Pre-Classical in personal age but we´re hanging out on the edges of *it*.

Exposing my ¨dark side¨ late in the afternoon, Tikal, pre-classical.

View of the past, pre-classical.

Amongst the earliest ancient temples of the first people (the first group were of Mongolian heritage) used by priests to determine rainfall (Tikal is a Rain Forest not a jungle).

A Royal rebuilding project, pre-classical. New temples were built upon older existing, standing sacred building sites.

In the beginning, one of the foundations of Mesoamerica...before the era of the ¨Warrior King¨ games.

Monkeys abounding...Mama and Baby seen here (constantly avoiding hungry Jaguars).

A visitor at our Bungalow at El Remante, Peten.

Everyone loves Juan Carlos. Even the 8 Peacocks at Hotel La Mansion del Pajaro Serpiente.

If you got it, flaunt it at El Remante!

Yikes, there goes the neighborhood...a family of Iguanas moved right in!

The contents of Vanna White (except for Juan Carlos who took the picture) lunching at the island of Flores, Peten!

Vanna White goes on a short cruise accross the river.

UPDATE/TRAVEL NOTE: Quite often one reads about the horrible banditos (or worse) in Guatemala, Mexico and Central America. It has been my experience, including the above one week road trip (traveling mostly during daylight hours), that ALL the people, including the police (we were stopped for ´speeding´ yet went on with a warning and without a ticket being issued), were helpful, polite and WILLING to be of service (my car brokedown once in the mountains outside of Coban and we found a fabulous magical mechanic who fixed it for around $6.00 U.S. and repaired a huge, sixinchish gash in the water hose)...I DO PAY attention to the price of things, I ask in advance and I ¨bargain¨ when possible...it´s cultural and it´s easy to be less cautious with money because most everyone is extra friendly and polite in the cities or in the campo and prices seem very low when compared to stateside...also, a note about food. The Fruits and vegetables are outstanding and abundant/inexpensive...restaurants at/around tourist hotels were considerably more expensive than more modest/clean restaurants along the way...one meal in the rural mountains nearing Coban offered large platters of Grilled Chicken Breast and/or Beef Filet (also offered a animal you´ve never heard of but one of our group ate it and loved it)...the price was less than $5.00 U.S. (including natural rice, mixed fresh veggies and toasted rolls or tortillas) each. Purified water and every well-known soft drink brand are available at tiny little stores even in rural or remote areas...bags of snacks are plentiful and pineapples, coconuts (juice and meat), melons, bananas/other are sold along the roadside, on makeshift tables (or in heaps) almost anywhere they grow.

Thanks to Juan C. Fuentes/Photos
Thanks to Leonardo Ricardo/Photos
Thanks to John and Leonardo/Driving
Thanks to Jenn, Irene, Ellen/Great company
Thanks to Vanna White
Thanks to Finca Isobel
Thanks to Tikal Inn (and Roxanna, the very best guide in the entire WORLD)
Thanks to Hotel La Mansion del Pajaro Serpiente, El Remante, Peten
Thanks to Posada Coban, Coban, Alta Verapaz
Thanks to Irene and Ellen for adding a little white puppy dog (live and immediately named ¨Coban¨) during our travels in Alta Verapaz and thanks to John who gave him all the necessary inoculations immediately.