hmmm... do you think she'd be inspired to wear any of the items I made this week? I loved her earring and started to think of dot placement... and how as the glass melts in, it snuggles up to the dot next to it. This is an acquired mastery... and I am NO master yet. But it was fun and addictive, can you tell???
We spent some time at Playa Del Carmen, MX and took the time to tour several ancient Mayan temple ruins. What was amazing was the intricate carving and castings that were on the buildings - preserved for over a thousand years... telling stories of Mayan rituals as well as day to day life. The burial chamber in the building below was about 150' up in the air, and nowhere was there a railing or warning signs about not falling off the edges. *maybe tourists in this foreign land have more smarts that in the US... or they sue a lot less!
do you see the face in profile on the corner of this structure?
The eagle eating the heart?
Most amazing fact was that these Mayan people (circa 600-900AD) created a 5 meter deep foundation that was built underneath the entire site so that these structures would be level and true. Their knowledge of mathematics and astronomy was evident in El Castillo, the main structure at Chichénitzá. It was said that only twice yearly (Spring & Summer Equinox) are shadows cast by the 9 levels of steps ONTO the vertical sides of the stairs... these shadows softened some and appeared as the undulating back of Kukulkan - the mythological feathered serpent... do you see the head at the base of the steps?? How cool is that? The base measures 181' sq... and it's height 98'. There are 91 steps per each of the 4 sides + the temple platform, total 365 steps... (sound like a familiar number?!)
This image above was taken from the web - illustrating what I was telling you about. I am just floored by the intricate & precise calculations required to make all this possible. The structure is made of limestone - and they had no metal tools with which to carve... amazing detail carved anyhow, and preserved so beautifully. Enjoyable venture into the past. Granted it may take awhile for the full impact of the trip to find its way into my work. Smiles, Jill