The Ruins at Xunantunich

For several days in orientation week, we sat on the hammocks and watched the ruins lurk in the distance from sunrise to sunset.  On the last of the week however, we finally went to see this ominous structure of Xunantunich up close and personal.  

A neat ferry across the Mopan river took us to the road to the ruins.  There were a few small tourist attractions and stores with the fancy-shmancy knick-knacks for purchase, but soon after moving on we were about to get a hefty history lesson.  This wasn't normal history though, this was real, in-your-face Mayan history!  We're talking the kind of history where an intense game of gauntlet ball often ended in the sacrificial death of the winner.  They made the balls for the gruesome game from gummy tree substances.  Later, the same area would be a major gum producer for big companies like Wrigley's.  The place tells so many stories from ancient civilization, collapse of their society, influences from Britain and the outside world, to the chewing gum industry, and now to a tourist attraction.  At first visit, it takes a good chunk of time to mentally work your way past the fog of the tourism to only scratch the tiniest scratch on the surface to see the actual reality of Mayan life.  As we sat on the top, overlooking miles of lush forest greens and farms (including our very own campus and CCSP bus) we soon realized the irony in our situation.  Where we stood once served as sacred space to honor the gods.  Only kings and royal family would set foot there.  People were sacrificed to the gods (which was an honor) and even the entire temple served to honor them.  The land we looked out on was the land of the workers, the middle class, and farmers.  There was probably a market square and probably no forest because it was all farm land.  But with trying to fathom all of that, which took a powerful imagination, I wondered if they would just sit up on the top, overlooking hills and sunsets like we did.  Either way, the stones show great wisdom in age, and could tell countless stories.  Plus we all got free passes to go see it again!

By Nick Voss

 

photos by Nick and Jesse