Magic of Chichen Itza

It's hard to describe the magic of gazing upon a Mayan temple for the first time, but if you've stood before El Castillo, the large Mayan pyramid at... more

by Mark Tisdale

Title

Magic of Chichen Itza

Artist

Mark Tisdale

Medium

Photograph - Photo Art

Description

It's hard to describe the magic of gazing upon a Mayan temple for the first time, but if you've stood before El Castillo, the large Mayan pyramid at Chichen Itza, I bet you had that same magical feeling? There' something about the Maya and the indigenous peoples of modern day Latin America that have long enchanted me. I've stood before the temple to Kukulkan on two visits and would love to add another to the list when the chance appears.

There's something mysterious about the people that lived here. We know a little about them, but much of the knowledge was lost. Though there are many Maya living in the Yucatan today, their civilization was already in collapse when the Europeans arrived. And there was a predictable attempt to stamp out what was left of the culture that left a lot of holes in the history of the people who built the crumbling Maya cities that dot modern day Mexico and Latin America.

That mystery and enchantment was in the back of my mind when I worked on this piece of photo-based art. I wanted to convey something of the feeling I had not just the first time but the second time as well.

Note: Chichen Itza is a UNESCO designated World Heritage site and has also been dubbed one of the wonders of the modern day world.

Uploaded

March 7th, 2013