Notes from Mathematical Tourists in Guatemala
This article supplements the feature in the October/November issue of MAA FOCUS.
Ellen Curtin
The trip was an educational tour for a group of math professors and hangers-on, all delightfully congenial and varied in background. We focused on Mayan calculations (geometry, calendar, counting, astronomy . . . ). Chris Powell, our terrific guide/lecturer, had himself excavated parts of the many Mayan ruins we visited. He was both enthusiastic and knowledgeable, as you'd expect; also deeply respectful of the current ethos and belief systems.
The volcano we were scheduled to climb erupted, which was not on the schedule; so we had to skip that outing. But there was always something else to do. One morning we crossed a volcanic lake to visit a domestic shrine to a mysterious Colonial-era cult intercessor; his statues wear a black suit and top hat (sometimes sunglasses nowadays). There is a mouth hole to accommodate a cigarette. The next day, we climbed 1,000 feet to a hilltop "navel" surrounded by volcanoes where the central altar had a cross; five shamans were assembling sacrificial fires around the altar for their own separate prayer services.
It's a mountainous, beautiful, poor country. Fabulous tropical flowers, bright birds. Sweet, cheerful, welcoming people everywhere. On the plane ride home, my seat neighbor was returning to Kentucky after two years in Guatemala City with her three kids, due to husband's job. She concurred: a poor people, almost zero infrastructure (wastewater treatment, paved roads, etc.), yet very harmonious in attitude. Much subsistence agriculture; little migration to the few towns as yet.
The country is about the size of Rhode Island on paper; but if you pressed the mountains flat, I bet it's Texas-sized!
Our evening lectures included a debunk of the apocalyptic 2012 "prediction" claim. No such prediction exists. The Mayan calendar is a complicated astronomy-based wheels-within-wheels system that periodically rolls over like an odometer. This will happen in 2012 on December 21 or 23 or some other date depending on which codex translation you follow. New cycles were no big deal to the Mayans, according to the archaeological record. If anything, the fresh starts to the various cycles are just that: a fresh start, time for renewed purity, harmony.
Recommended reading: 1491, which deals with the Americas prior to Columbus. Covers from the Aleuts to the southern tip of the Inka empire with a balanced appreciation for the early misunderstandings of the evidence and careful proposals about the newer interpretations. Who knew the plains and what we think of as untouched woodlands were really "humanized landscapes" shaped by the indigenous people? Fascinating.
Cindy Enrigue
MAA FOCUS: Why did you take the study tour?
A: I decided to go on the trip for my current MS research, which focuses on Maya mathematics.
Q: Can you give us quick impressions of each stop on the trip?
Guatemala City: Upon arriving at the Holiday Inn, I was starving. Being of Mexican descent, I felt comfortable ordering the enchiladas at the hotel. I knew I was in a different country when my Guatemala enchiladas were a Mexican tostada with a ton of beets.
Quirigua: My first introduction to experiencing the literature that I had been reading about. Reading and studying the glyphs does not compare to seeing and exploring the glyphs in real life.
Copan: I felt like I was partying with rock stars, as the guide was a part of the team who excavated the site. It was awesome having our personal tour guide give personal accounts of the excavation.
Antigua: It will be impossible to think of jade—the stone—without remembering the jade factory. The ancient Maya believed jade was significant to immortality, and many Maya tombs were found with jade jewelry.
Lake Atitlan: The boat ride led us to the shrine of Maximon. The spirituality of the shrine and the kindness of the host cannot be reproduced. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. The local vendors always had to have a “good price for you.”
Chichicastenango: At 4 in the morning the loudest “boom” I had ever heard. I had regretted not calling my mom earlier in the day as I thought we were in the middle of battle. Little did I know the local tradition of announcing the local market later that day.
Lake Peten Itza: Felt like I was on a real tropical vacation with bright sunsets and an amazing family (the MAA group).
Tikal: AMAZING! Difficult to find the words to capture the experience. The perfect end to a great trip.
Q: What was your favorite thing about the trip?
A: The overall highlight is that I talked to a local shaman who looked up my spirit animal in Chichicastenango.
Elaine Magee
Having been on the Egyptian trip, I knew that the MAA does a great job of organizing trips that are educational as well as seeing the sights. So, when I saw that the trip was to Guatemala and we would be able to study the Maya culture, I was ready to sign up. Learning about the geometry, astronomy, the calendar, and number system of the Maya were all part of the trip. I feel like I am more than a tourist on these trips.
Probably my favorite visit was the pyramids at Copan in Honduras and the monuments at Quirigua. It is truly amazing what the Maya people were able to build. We also saw parrots and other birds flying and sitting in the trees.
Chichicastenango was a lovely village. The colonial hotel there was the best one that we stayed in. There were antiques in the halls—sewing machines, statues, frescoes on the walls, lots of plants . . . In the morning parrots and macaws (green yellow, blue) sat in the courtyards on poles designed for them. A beautiful place—I would have liked to stay there. But, fireworks were set off starting at 5:30 a.m. to awaken the village for the day’s work—a tradition there.
I think we all wondered what was happening.
Another highlight was at the museum in Guatemala City. School children, about middle school age, were visiting the museum also. They were delightful and recognized us as Americans and wanted to take our pictures with them. I was privileged to have my picture taken with these beautiful children. (Usually we are the ones wanting pictures of the local people.)
Christopher Powell was a great guide—so knowledgeable and a wonderful storyteller.
Market day is an interesting experience—bargaining for items is the custom in the marketplace and on the streets.