Previously on Mexico Time Patrol. The year is 1978. I’m taking a summer course in Maya Anthropology in Mérida, Yucatán…
Human sacrifice knife. The blade is in obsidian, a volcanic mineral, that can be made as sharp as glass. Museum of Anthropology, 1978.
Elégante in the streets of Mérida, wearing the traditional huipil or dress, with a shawl draped on the shoulders. For cooler nights. Under 85 degrees. (c) unknown.
From my stamp collection days.
The netherworld… Museum of Anthropology, 1978.
Breaking up? Mérida 1978.
Precolombian, c. 1100 AD, Museum of Anthropology, 1978.
Postcolombian. 17th century? Mérida, Yucatán, 1978.
Rehearsing the end of term school dance, Mérida 1978. Girls and boys alike, even in those days. Try to do it at home with a tray and bottles. Empty bottles preferably. The boy on the right is cheating: only one bottle.
“Up! Up! With the arms.” Teacher is on the left, checking alignment.
“Stomp! Stomp!”
(To every season) Turn, turn, turn!
Casa Montejo, Mérida, 1978. Mid 1500’s.
Casa Montejo, façade detail…
“María”, Mérida, 1978. María is one of my favourite characters. She imposed herself to me in the first novel I wrote, Iguana. A genius child, she appears in many subsequent stories. This little girl in Mérida is how I see her.
Captain and crew thank you again for hopping on Equinoxio’s Time-Space shuttle. Until next flight, be safe…
Equinoxio 
Great pics ! Mexico is beautiful , so alive with vivid colors and music. 🙂
Gracias Corazón de fuego. 😉
🙂
Loved this! Where can I find your novel(s)? 😉
Thank you. To find the novels I need to publish them. But after 25 rejection letters from literary agents in New York, I kinda put it on a back burner… 😦
Oh, that’s a pity. Do you follow Millie Thom, I think she self-published her books, she’s written posts on the process 🙂 Anyway, I’ll keep enjoying your stories on your blog, then!
Thanks for the tip. Just followed Millie Thom. Will read her posts on the process. (and find time to write more…) Cheers.
Maria’s gorgeous.
She is. Such bright eyes. 🙂
Love it. I really enjoyed Merida. I never saw any of the post Columbian architecture but then again I probably wasn’t looking for it. Very interesting and slightly sad.
Mérida is very nice, isn’t it? 🙂
(Now why “slightly sad”?)
Seeing the post Colombian representation of the Spanish who colonized and practically wiped out the people…
Understood. How have you guys been? (belated) happy birthday to Colin (and you, the mother does work quite a lot on those occasions!) It was November right? Or December? (I’m sooo bad at dates!)
11/29! You are early. Almost a year. Waiting to get through thanksgiving tomorrow then will start decorating and getting ready for a party the following weekend.
Well, for once I’m a in advance… 😉 Happy Thanksgiving to you guys. I hope you can get as much of the family together as possible. Enjoy!
Is there any effort to preserve the building’s facade detail and the other many unique features. Hugs
The casa Montejo? yes. It’s been taken over by the National History and Anthropology Institute, and turned into a museum. All the building is preserved. As are many, many others.
I am glad . I like seeing historical things, unique things, special buildings kept up and maintained for the future. We are only guests here for a while, we need to treasure things and pass them on down to the future. Hugs
Yes, pass them on. 🙂
That knife is puzzling. Looks like a man trying to hold his grip onto the body of a flying rocket, much as we’ve seen in certain cartoons. Rockets and human sacrifices???
The 60’s were full of theories of alien landing in Mexico and Peru.
And maybe for good reason, judging by that artifact: wings on the shoulders, double-layered cape/jacket/shield on the back, disproportioned hands as if they were gloves, head sticking out of something resembling a helmet… Very intriguing. 😉
Dialogue in front of Restaurant ‘El Louvre’:
– We’re on the other side of the town, I’m starving and you’re telling me you forgot your wallet?!
– I know, I’m so…
– That’s it, I can’t take it anymore. We’re through, I’m breaking up with you!
– Oh, fu…
🙂
I think that was a set-up. He forgot his wallet on purpose.
Could be. Maybe he wanted to hook up with the elegante lady with the shawl. Or with the dance teacher. Maria would’ve been too young for him. 🙂
The dance teacher I think.
Just had an idea for you: build a sort of short story, comics-like, using pictures from different places and times that could somehow match the storyline regardless of the actual characters/places, maybe complete with the dialogue balloons. 🙂
But I guess it would be kind of a hard work, harder than the pot-pourris. Your call. 😉
Enjoy the Sunday! 🙂
An ineteresting suggestion. I am actually quite fond of comics. (Franco-Belgian school)
I’ve done that several times already, using blogger friends’ photographs or drawings. You may remember Breakfast in Istambul or A night in Penang. But it is text with images. To do a comic, would mean do a synopsis, or a story-board… Hmmm. I’ll think about it. Thank you mon ami,
Yes, I do remember “Breakfast with Tiffany” 😀 and the Night, but as you noticed they are something different, very good nonetheless. 🙂 I know you’re fond of comics so it’s a proper challenge. Bonne chance, cher ami! 🙂
Multumesc.
Beautiful. Love these time travels.
1978 …. a year before I left the shores of the UK for South Africa
Your muse reminds of Dodgeson’s muse for Alice in Wonderland
As in Alice Liddell? I would be very honoured… 😉 But my writing does not quite reach such elevation.
So you will be celebrating 40 years of SA next year?
Almost …
Arrived in Johannesburg, December 19th 1979
And it feels like yesterday, right?
Sometimes, it most certainly does.
Same here. We actually moved on a similar date, December 12th, but 1989. 10 years later.
And is there a place I can find this novel, Iguana?
Well… Not published. (I told you about the 25 lit agents in NY?) And it is in Spanish. Now if you are up to reading it in Spanish, I could send you an electronic copy. A pdf, maybe?
I totally would have failed that dance class. 😳
Is that right? The kids were great. The teacher was very good and strict. And she marked the rhythm well, stomping and stomping. I think they were preparing for a school fiesta of sorts.
Loving these Mexico memories Brian, it’s pre- and post-Colombian history is fascinating – and I have very fond memories of Merida. I’m having a hard time working out what the tray on head dance is all about though!
Mérida, hmm? We really have crossed paths. I don’t know what the dance was about. I think the tray is for posture? But I forgot to ask the pretty dance teacher. Since we are leaving a few days… Have a lovely Christmas, and a Happy new year Paul.
awesome shots Brian! loved them!
Thnak you Trisha.