Tully Mars

More running around the Yucatan. This stop takes me to the lesser known but very impressive site at Kabah. In Mayan Kabah means "strong hand."

Here's a shot as you enter the main square, which can be seen from the highway-



Taking a right you find a phallic carving, missing it's head-



Little farther and you find the missing head. I know many of you think a dick head looks like that co-worker you can't stand. But no this is what a dick head looks like-



Up a few steps and this guys looking at you. His name is Chac, the Mayan God of rain-



And he has friends.



He has lots of friends-


Each mask of Chac is made up of some 19 separate stone carved pieces. Each piece is made buy a separate craftsman, once he finished the piece he made his mark on the back and it's then added to the mask-

Around the back and you'll find a couple rulers. Thier hands (hands now missing) are extended with offerings to the Gods-



Under and to the left of the rulers is a doorway with very detailed carvings on each side. These carvings depict battle scenes with warriors in full battle dress-




The left of there is the upper temple. At the very top you'll see what left, one, spiral design. This spiral is the Mayan image for strong winds. It doesn't show well in this photo but it's very similar to the current symbol for hurricanes-



Standing in the courtyard looking right you'll see the south temple. The tree just to the right is an orange tree with very sweet fruit easily reached-



On the way out you pass the restrooms. Behind them you'll find two older carvings. The top one here is a skeleton with a penis. It's meant to represent the duality of life and death in the Mayan world. The bottom one is of a shaman holding a snake, it wraps around neck and hangs over his shoulder. Laying in front of him is the hooked nose of the god Chac mool. These items are being prepared for shipment to Monterey, Mexico for an exhibit -




Here's a gathering of pieces that, as near as I can tell, make up two Chac masks. They too are being prepared for shipment to Monterey. Looking at these individual pieces and thinking of what it takes to carve them with the tools that would have been available at the time I believe I know why the Mayan named this place for "strong hands" or Kabah-

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dlish

two words - lucky bastard. but you've heard those two words aplenty lately!

keep us posted on your travels tully. get as much in before summer comes!

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- Filthy

Tully Mars

Well I'm spending much of, if not all of, March diving in Belize. My new 180ft underwater camera just got here yesterday. I'm working on building thick skin. Not only in case I scrape a reef but also for a bevy of "you lucky freaking bastard!"

Then as you say summer will be here and my main view of the sun will-



Notice the high tech light above and the crack in the wall?

I will also see these parrots everyday-



By September maybe I'll switch them around so the view changes some.

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I used to drink to drown my sorrows, but the damned things have learned how to swim- Frida Kahlo

Vice President Starkizzer Fan Club

fnaqzna

Looks like a great place to visit.

dogzilla

Interesting pictures and places to visit. I spent a day in Belize visiting ruins in Lamanai and half a day at Chechen-Itza back in 2002. Sort of wish I had more time there except that it was about 100 degrees and humid, in late October!!

bobby

ahhhh...memories of 3 weeks in Belize...

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