-My Photo Album Series Continues-

“What is Life?

It is the flash of a firefly in the night;

It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime;

It is the tiny shadow that runs across the grass,

And then very suddenly loses itself in the sunset.”

A Native American Proverb

It was a trip I had eagerly been awaiting

Into the very deep dark jungle of Mexico

To an ancient pyramid called ‘El Castillo’

A place built by the Mayans so very long ago

Still guarded by the Serpent, its many steps lead you to the top

And they provide a magnificent view of the ancient countryside

But inside its extremely dark and extremely haunting eerie interior

Many very ancient and mysterious spirits beckon to you as they hide

While Europe was still in the midst of its very long, Dark Ages

Here, a very sophisticated and knowledgeable society had thrived

Filled with royalty and warriors and philosophers and astronomers

Around 1,200 A.D. this place was abandoned, and everything died

But each and every year, even to this extremely modern day

On the Vernal Equinox, its ancient Serpent Guardian awakes

And as the waning sun casts its shadow over ancient El Castillo

Seeing Serpent slithering down these steps, truly makes one quake

No one knows why this thriving metropolis was abandoned

But the ancient Mayan Calendar ends on the Winter Solstice

On the now rapidly approaching date of December 21, 2012

And these days, I wonder if the entire world will end like this

©2008, Mr. Ed

El Castillo’s Many Mysteries

If you stand facing the foot of this ancient pyramid and shout out, the resulting echo comes back as a very piercing shriek.

If you stand on the top step of this mysterious structure (there are 365 steps on this pyramid, one for each day of the year), and speak in a very normal voice, you can be heard by those at ground level for some distance. (But be careful what you say; its ancient Serpent Guardian is listening, as well.)

And if you dare wander inside its deep dark corridors, don’t be surprised if you hear many ancient anguished whispers, and see many mysterious shadows hovering all about.

While Europe was still in The Dark Ages, these Mayans had already mapped the universe; created the only true writing system in the native Americas; mastered mathematics; devised a precise calendar; were extremely skilled farmers; and constructed enormous underground reservoirs for the storage of fresh water.

And somehow, without the use of metal tools, beasts of burden, or even the wheel, they had built immense sophisticated cities deep within these deep dark jungles.  Only to eventually vanish from the face of the Earth.

Many now believe that these ancient Mayans also somehow were able to predict the very end of the Earth as we know it – on December 21, 2012 – the date their extremely ancient calendar ends.

Footnote:

In 2006, the Mexican government sadly stopped allowing tourists to climb to the top of El Castillo after a woman tragically fell to her death here.  The interior areas of this ancient pyramid have also now been closed off.

I was very fortunate to have visited this truly haunting and truly thought provoking place while I could still do both.