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<title><![CDATA[The Road to Ruins]]></title>
<link>http://site.mayaincaaztec.com/blog.html?cq=1</link>
<description><![CDATA[transcending borders]]></description>
<language>en-us</language>
<lastBuildDate>Mon, 23 Jul 2007 18:19:25 GMT</lastBuildDate>

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<title><![CDATA[Guatemalan Textiles]]></title>
<link>http://site.mayaincaaztec.com/blog.html?cq=1&amp;p=23</link>
<description><![CDATA[The Guatemalan Highlands are famous for their richly detailed handwoven textiles. All textiles are 100% cotton and hand spun. Throughout Guatemala you will see people hand spinning yarn on the sides of the roads. The colors of the nearby roof tops announces which colors are made by that particular pueblo. Most dyes are not natural, and if they are natural, then they cannot be washed. The yarn in the picture above is only a day old.<br /><br />
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There are many excellent weaving schools if you are interested. The best one is named the Association of Weavers. It is located in Xela. (502/763-0823)<br />
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<pubDate>Mon, 23 Jul 2007 18:19:25 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Tenancingo Flower Market]]></title>
<link>http://site.mayaincaaztec.com/blog.html?cq=1&amp;p=22</link>
<description><![CDATA[If you like shooting photos of flowers, then Tenancingo, Mexico is your place. I've lived in nearby Villa Guerrero for almost fifteen years. There are probably more than 60 square miles of flowers surrounding our house. The Tenancingo Flower Market opens at 5 A.M. Some mornings are bigger than others. Flowers come and go all morning. Pickup trucks bring the freshly picked flowers from the fields to the market. There they are purchased by a broker and loaded into much larger diesel trucks. Once the trucks are filled they leave immediately for the Mexico City Airport where the flowers are distributed all over the world. Accomodations in Tenancingo are slim because very few tourist come through this part of Mexico. Metepec, which is considered Mexico's most modern city is only twenty-five miles north. If you are coming from Mexico City it would be best to end up spending the night in Malinalco (ruins) or Ixtapa de la Sal (water park). Especially, if you want a good meal and comfortable lodging. <br /><br />
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<pubDate>Mon, 23 Jul 2007 18:18:29 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Diego Rivera]]></title>
<link>http://site.mayaincaaztec.com/blog.html?cq=1&amp;p=21</link>
<description><![CDATA[Diego Rivera worked on the murals inside Mexico City's National Palace from 1929 until his death in 1951. The murals cover over 1,200 sq. ft. of wall space. With the use of these walls Rivera wished to educated the Mexican people about their past. The fussion of the Spaniard with the indigenous people of Mexico is Rivera's reoccuring theme. This mural is called Totonac Civilization and it was completed in 1950. In this mural the Aztec chieftan is collecting a tribute from the Totonoc leader who he has defeated.<br /><br />
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The National Palace is located on the Zocalo in the middle of Mexico City. From there it is very easy to board the metro subway system and visit Frieda Kahlo's Blue House in Coyoacan. The house is very similar to the one in the Selma Hayek movie. If your interested in both of these incredible artists then this trip is a must.<br /><br />
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<pubDate>Mon, 16 Jul 2007 23:08:34 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Quiche Maya]]></title>
<link>http://site.mayaincaaztec.com/blog.html?cq=1&amp;p=20</link>
<description><![CDATA[Chichicastenango is the unoffical capital of the Quiche Mayan Civilization. The Mashenos, the people of Chichi, have managed to remain faithful to most of their cultural and religious traditions. Thursdays and Saturdays are market days and on these two days there is no place more colorful in the world. Unfortunately, things are beginning to change. The men can no longer be seen in traditional clothing. However, fashion styles for the women have remained the same here for at least the past couple of centuries and show no sign of any immediate change. Indigenous cultures around the world have been hit for years with a steady barage of "Married with Children", "The Prince of Bel Air", and "Cops." Video stores are on every corner and so the pull to the faster pace big city has never been greater. Droves of young people are leaving in search of a more prosperous lifestyle. To make things even worse, military service is mandatory for boys at age 18. In order to encourage enlistment, the check of $140 is sent directly to the parents. <br /><br />
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<pubDate>Fri, 13 Jul 2007 23:57:35 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Tikal]]></title>
<link>http://site.mayaincaaztec.com/blog.html?cq=1&amp;p=19</link>
<description><![CDATA[The ruins of Tikal are among the most remote in the entire world. If you want to visit here then you must take a plane from Guatemala City. I strongly sugggest that you spend the night before your departure in Antigua. Tikal is enormous, encompassing more than six square miles. There are more than 3,000 structures. The best place to stay in Tikal is the Jungle Lodge. My favorite thing to do here is to sit on the top steps of Temple of the Giant Jaguar and wait for sunset. At sunset the skies above the Great Plaza fill with green parrots as troops of spider and howler monkeys swing amid the ceiba, zapote, and mahogany trees. Howler monkeys add to the excitement by imitating the sounds of jaguars. The entire plaza comes to life with a broad assortment of jungle inhabitants. There are over 285 known species of birds, jaguars, pumas, ocelots, fox, deer and other rare animals. One word of caution. The hike back to the Jungle Lodge is about a mile and a half.<br /><br />
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Those who have seen the movie Apocalypto will remember this pyramid.  It's the one where the heads rolled down the staircase.<br />
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<pubDate>Fri, 13 Jul 2007 23:45:26 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Macchu Picchu]]></title>
<link>http://site.mayaincaaztec.com/blog.html?cq=1&amp;p=18</link>
<description><![CDATA[Most people who are interested in the Incans believe that visiting Macchu Picchu is a must. I have to agree with them, but the train journey through the Urabamba Valley may very well be the best part of the entire trip. If you have all the money in the world then take a helicopter from Cuzco to Macchu. My suggestion is that you take a dining car on one of the old Romanian trains and kick back and watch the old Incan Empire pass outside your window. It's an experience that you'll never forget!<br /><br />
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<pubDate>Fri, 13 Jul 2007 23:44:38 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Cuzco Hat Styles]]></title>
<link>http://site.mayaincaaztec.com/blog.html?cq=1&amp;p=17</link>
<description><![CDATA[Hat styles haven't changed in Cuzco, Peru for more than a century. This hat style is one of the areas most popular.&nbsp; The flat round style frequently seen in the Urabamba Valley has been around since before the invention of the camera. <br /><br />
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<pubDate>Fri, 13 Jul 2007 23:36:56 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Mata de Coca]]></title>
<link>http://site.mayaincaaztec.com/blog.html?cq=1&amp;p=16</link>
<description><![CDATA[Mata de coca is the drink of choice in Peru, Bolivia, and other South American nations deep in indigenous roots. It is consumed in the same way that we consume coffee in the United States. When you arrive in Cuzco, Peru the first thing they will do is offer you a cup . They say it cures altitude sickness. This is also the main ingredient in the soft drink Coca-Cola. Consumed as a tea it is probably no more harmful than coffee. However, once it is processed into white powder it becomes the dangerous drug known as cocaine. Approximately, 10% of the county is dependent on coca production for their livelihoods. Only about 10% of the coca production in Peru is legal and the Peruvian authorities themselves are very aware of the horrors of drug addiction. Because they recognize the seriousness of the problem they will punish you severely if they catch you with this form of the drug. This woman is selling leaves for tea in the Blue Box Ghetto. <br /><br />
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<pubDate>Fri, 13 Jul 2007 23:28:28 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Mayan Trail-Ceibal]]></title>
<link>http://site.mayaincaaztec.com/blog.html?cq=1&amp;p=8</link>
<description><![CDATA[If you're still hungry for more ruins after visiting Tikal, then you might consider a river trip. I was first introduced to the Rio Passion and its great treasures by Dr. Jorge Santana(Spanish Professor at CSU Sacramento) and Dr. Lilia Sanchez(California Dept. of Education) The Guatamalan government sees the potential in tourism that this area offers for those looking for a "Raiders of the Lost Ark" type of vacation. It is about forty miles from Tikal to Sayaxche. From Sayaxche, you must hire a boat and travel seven miles up the river. The boat ride takes about and hour and a half. This river system was a major trade route with the Mayans. The river is filled with crocodiles, and you will get to hear a lot of howler monkeys imitating the sounds of jaguars. These ruins date back to 800 BC. Most of the ruin sites along the river are covered in jungle. So far, the government has excavated one area exclusively. This is the new national park now called Ceibal. The stela at the Ciebal site are considered some of the most important in existence. Here we find Aztec gods on Mayan stela. This is proof positive that the Mayans of Tikal traded with the Aztecs of Tenochtitlan. <br /><br />
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<a href="http://photobucket.com"></a>]]></description>
<pubDate>Sat, 24 Feb 2007 18:07:56 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Pizac, Peru]]></title>
<link>http://site.mayaincaaztec.com/blog.html?cq=1&amp;p=7</link>
<description><![CDATA[There are very few trips that a person can take that are better than the journey from Cuzco to Machu Pichu. No matter how you travel, you will never forget your first time there. However, one must not overlook the ruins of Pizac. Pizac captures the Inca past better than any of the other ruins. Pizac is in amazingly good condition, and from the ruins you will get a clear vision of how the Incan culture thrived before the conquest of Pizarro. The Incans at this time (1500) had much more land under cultivation. Also, the weekend market in Pizac offers some great photographic oppurtunities.<br />
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The steep mountains of the Urabamba Valley made farming very difficult for the Incans. To create enough land for farming they carved a series of terraces up and down the Urabamaba Valley. Today, the terraces are still in use by the modern day Incas. Hiram Johnson reported that when he re-discovered Machu Pichu in 1911, there were three Incan families living there. He went on to say that they were surviving by growing crops in the terraces.<br /><br />
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<pubDate>Sat, 24 Feb 2007 17:55:49 GMT</pubDate>
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