The Mayan Connection - A Renegade Cowgirl

Monday

Mar022009

Goat's Foot Morning Glory of the Yucatan

Monday, March 2, 2009 at 3:43PM

During my visit to the Yucatan in early February, I came across these huge patches of vines, large round leaves, and morning glory-type flowers. I was walking the beach close to my friend’s house in Puerto Morelos and noticed these plants were growing everywhere! In fact, just about everywhere we went that was close to the beach had these large tightly knit mats of morning glories.

I took a few photos and compared them to research I did on the Internet. I was on the right track, it was a species of Morning glory, called the Goat’s Foot.

Ipomoea pes-caprae, the genus Ipomoea being the main morning-glory genus, and "pes-caprae" being Latin for "goat's-foot." It’s a common tropical creeping vine found on the upper parts of beaches and is a widely distributed salt tolerant plant, providing cover and protection of the beach sand.

Its seeds float and are unaffected by salt water. This species can be found on the sandy shores of tropical Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Caribbean, and also is common on the sand dunes of Australia’s north coast and the entire Queensland coastline. It’s a sand stabilizer and is one of the first plants to grow in the sand dunes. It sprawls out from a woody rootstock, spreading seaward with long runners and thrives under conditions of sand blast and salt spray.

This vigorous plant can grow to 16 feet long and the sun does not shrivel its leathery thick leaves which can be from 2 to 4 inches in length. It’s used extensively to stabilize large areas of sand, preventing erosion from wind and waves. It proves to work better than most technological solutions!

The funnel shaped, mauve or dusty pink morning glory flowers have five points and will bloom singly or a few in a cluster. Like most Morning Glories, they tend to open up in the morning. I found some in bloom while I was in the Yucatan early February.

It is found growing wild and one can easily take a cutting and simply stick it in the sand. It roots very quickly. The picture on the left shows it thriving on beach sand. It disperses seeds which are carried in and out by the tides and distributed to other beaches.

It is related to the sweet potato, kang kong and morning glory. It is known as salsa-da-praia in Brazilian folk medicine and has been used for inflammation and gastrointestinal disorders.

Plant roots and leaves were used as a famine food and were used in preparations for lung ailments, sprains and as a blood cleanser. The young leaf buds were eaten by pregnant women and the stems were cut into short lengths and applied to the breasts of women who had just given birth. The milky white sap was used to stimulate the flow of milk.

The vines had many practical uses. They were used in home construction, weaving baskets, and making fishnets. The vines were used to drive fish into waiting nets and sometimes were stripped and tied together to form cables for tying ships or as guide ropes to lower people deep into the sea.

Because of the seeds’ hallucinogenic properties, the Aztecs used the Morning Glory seeds to communicate with the Sun Gods as a ritual. Natives in Mexico (Oaxaca region) believe that the deity lives within the seeds.

Ancient Mesoamerican civilizations used the morning glory species Ipomoea alba to convert the latex from the Castilla elastica tree and also the guayule plant to produce bouncing rubber balls. The sulfur in the morning glory's juice served to vulcanize the rubber.

According to Wee Yeow Chin, the juice squeezed from the plant is used in Malaysia to treat fish stings. The leaves are used in Indonesia to hasten the bursting of boils; sap from the young leaves are boiled in coconut juice and used to treat sores and ulcers; and the seeds chewed with areca nut, soothe abdominal pains and cramps. In the Philippines, the boiled leaves are used to treat rheumatism.

I was impressed with this species, thriving in such harsh conditions. From what I've learned in my herbalism studies, sometimes the plants that survive the worst of conditions, often are the most potent healers.

This article is for educational information. Always use caution when using any unfamiliar plants, always consult a professional if you are not sure.

Cher Marie |

A Visit To Chichen Itza

Sunday, February 22, 2009 at 5:54PM

Chichen Itza is a Mayan City on the northern Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, between Valladolid and Merida. Throughout its nearly 1,000 year history, different peoples have left their mark on this city. The Maya and Toltecs revealed their artistic works and stone monuments.

As I entered the site of Chichen Itza, the first building I came to was the main pyramid called ‘El Castillo o Templo de Kukulkan’. It was named for the feathered serpent god of rebirth and creativity. Its dramatic serpents are a reminder that pyramid temples provided access to other cosmic realms. It’s the tallest building here, 75 feet tall, with its square squat base with four staircases facing the four directions. Most Maya pyramids had two purposes; they were temples for worship and they were tombs. Until recently, visitors were allowed to climb the stairs to get to the top.

This pyramid, along with Caracol, both incorporate certain astronomical and calendrical principles. The Castillo was built with geometrical and astronomical proportions; and orientation which constituted a special place for conducting seasonal rites related to the Maya concept of cyclic time. The Castillo possesses 9 terraces, the same as the number of levels of the Maya underworld, a divided stairway, each side containing 18 such layers which is equal to the number of 20 day months in a Maya year. Each staircase is 33 feet wide and has 91 steps on each of the four sides, together which are the number of days in the year of 364.

There are 52 recessed panels on both sides of each stairway; the same number of years in a calendar round of 260 days. The measurements of the building’s alignments taken with a surveyors’ transit and astronomical fix, revealed that the north-south axis of the pyramid is aligned 21 degrees 12’E of north. This places the west face of the pyramid within 4 degrees of the June solstice sunset position.

The Castillo of Chichen is also well known for serpent hierophany, which is evident on the northern stairway on the equinoxes about a week on either side of those dates. A half-diamond pattern of shadow and light results the triangular pattern of a diamondback rattlesnake. There is a similar phenomenon at Mayapan.

Caracol of Chichen Itza

Built in the early Postclassic era in Chichen Itza is a circular structure known as the Caracol (Spanish word for ‘snail’) due to its internal spiral passageways. The Maya used their mathematical knowledge, along with celestial observations, to finesse a calendar created by the Olmec, a culture from the Mexican Gulf Coast, creating monuments to observe movements of the moon, the sun, and Venus.

For the Maya, the most important heavenly body was Venus, a deity in most traditions being a goddess of love and fertility. But the Maya Venus was masculine and deadly, and its appearance in the morning or evening sky was thought to bring evil influences. During these times, the people prepared themselves spiritually and physically for hunger, drought, and war.

The Maya learned to predict the exact times at which Venus would appear to within 0.08 days in 481 years, or one day in every 6,000 years. No other ancient civilization has ever come close to this prediction.

There is much evidence that the Caracol of Chichen Itza had been designed for making astronomical observations.

The round shape of the building resembles a modern observatory.

There are narrow horizontal shafts in the uppermost portion of the tower which could have been used for sighting objects on or near the horizon.

There are a number of architectural asymmetries present in the general planning of the building and these may have been constructed for practical function of incorporating astronomical alignments.

In the absence of any astronomical instruments, architecture is a logical possibility.

Most sources agree that from approximately 550 AD to 800 AD, Chichen Itza existed mainly as a ceremonial center for the Maya civilization.
For some reason, the area was abandoned for about 100 years, and was resettled around 900 AD. Shortly before 1000 AD, it was invaded from the north by the Toltecs. The Toltecs had settled near modern-day Mexico City at Tula, around 900 AD under the rule of a king Topiltzin, who also took the name of “Feathered Serpent,” or Quetzalcoatl, the name of an Aztec god.
Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl and his followers were forced out of Tula around 987 AD.

Mayan historical sources mention that a man who called himself Kukulkan arrived in Chichen Itza from the west (Kukul means “feathered” and kan means “serpent”) in the period that ended in 987 AD. A strong case has been made that Kukulkan and Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl were most likely the same person, and that he brought the Toltec practices and beliefs to Chichen Itza, including the practice of human sacrifice.

‘Chacmool’ sits on the ground with the upper back raised, legs drawn up and arms over the stomach holding a disk for offerings. Over 25 Chac Mools have been uncovered at Chichen Itza, all of which date to the Post classic Period (900-1500 A.D.). Research suggests it was used in sacrifice rituals and/or to receive offerings.

El Mercado (The Market ) was named by the Spanish, but its function is under debate by scholars.
It is a very large building with a spacious interior court. The interior space is large and open, with a large patio in front of the only entrance, accessed by a broad stairway.
There were three hearths and grinding stones found in this market and scholars believe it was likely used for ceremonial function. This building clearly is a Toltec construction.

We were allowed to walk up these steps into the open area of the market. The steps are narrow and hard to maneuver.

The Ball Court

Chichen Itza’s Ball Court is located in the northern section of the city and is the largest ever found in Mexico, measuring 550 ft long by 231 ft wide. The walls are covered with reliefs of the game being played here. There are two stone rings set vertically, not horizontally like a basket ball hoop, at the top of the two parallel walls which run the Ball court’s length. Players had to pass a ball through the rings to score points. These games were rituals associated with Sun worship and were not considered a sport.

Two teams of seven players each competed in a game in which rubber balls, made from the sap of local trees, were shot through the rings. Players were only allowed to use their elbows, hips and knees, and never their hands. At the end of the game the captain of one of the teams was sacrificed, the loser according to some; and the winner, in the opinion of others.

This is a short video of the carvings on the wall of the Ball court with a brief description by our guide Lilia.

The Temple of the Jaguars, which is a part of the ball court’s structure, contains magnificent reliefs of Maya-Toltec priests.

It was a long, very full day of walking and listening; discovering these ruins at Chichen. I felt pretty small and humbled standing next to El Castillo; my mind was racing as I was learning all this history of the people who lived and worshipped here; on this very spot, hundreds of years ago. We're getting 'hands on history' from our special guide that day, and it was alot to take in!

After coming home, I spent quite a bit of time looking at books and pictures, and I can finally put down into words what I had experienced that day.

If you do get the chance to go, I'd definitely recommend a whole day at Chichen Itza. Get there early, wear good hiking shoes, wear a hat, and bring along water and some sunscreen.

References: ‘Chichen Itza’s legacy in the astronomically oriented architecture of Mayapan’ by Anthony F. Aveni, Susan Milbrath, & Carlos Peraza Lope, ChichenItza.com, The Maya by Timothy Laughton, thank you Sandy for taking me there, and special thanks to Lilia Lucia Lizama Aranda, our personal guide.

Wait! Watch the slideshow before you go!