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DID YOU KNOW?
FACTS & FICTION WITH A MEXICAN TWIST
OCTOBER 2007Did you know that...
...an unusual Mayan pyramid in Tabasco suggests possible links to the Romans?
ROMANS in MEXICO?
I've always tried to maintain an open-minded attitude towards history, but even I was incredulous when I first heard this suggestion. And you certainly won't find it in most history books! But could it possibly be true?
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The evidence comes from the Mayan site at Comalcalco, in the swampy Gulf coast state of Tabasco. Comalcalco ("in the house of the comals"; comals are the pans used to cook tortillas) is the westernmost Mayan site known to archaeologists. The site has stepped pyramids and numerous other constructions. Only when you get close do you realize that Comalcalco is very different to other Mayan sites.
Virtually all other Mayan sites are built using carefully-hewn blocks of limestone, the commonest building stone on the Yucatan peninsula. However, Comalcalco is unique; its pyramids are built of bricks. No limestone outcrops near Comalcalco, so the local Maya employed an entirely different strategy in building the site. They learned how to shape the local clay into bricks and then fire it into "tabiques" (fired bricks). The site has more than 300 distinct constructions, almost all built of bricks: hundreds of thousands of tabiques, held together by a mortar made mainly from oyster shells.
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I visited it only because I wanted to see exactly what a brick-built pyramid looked like close up. I was impressed by the workmanship, and marveled at the organization required to build such a site. What I did not realize until many years later was that Comalcalco held another massive secret. (Now, I really want to go back again!)Archaeologists working to restore the site discovered that many of the bricks had inscriptions on them. These inscriptions had been invisible, hidden from view, while the bricks had been set in mortar. Dislodged bricks, and those removed for resetting as part of the restoration process, often bore mysterious symbols or inscriptions. In some cases, the brick makers' fingerprints were still clearly visible...
To read the complete article, with more photos . . .How to Get There / Where to stay
The small town of Comalcalco is 60 kilometers (45 miles) northwest of Villahermosa. By car, travel Highway 190 west to Cárdenas, and then take Highway 187 north (towards Paraíso). Comalcalco is a lively farming town. For overnight stays, try the Hotel Copacabana. Alternatively, visit Comalcalco as a day trip from the state capital of Villahermosa, where there are numerous excellent hotels.
Text © Copyright 2007 by Tony Burton. All rights reserved.
- - - Sombrero Books Page
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