Need I Say More?

The beach was great yesterday and though I think the picture speaks for itself, I'll write a bit more (and yes, that is freshly cut coconut in my hand).

Swimming in El Gulfo de México was excellent (and salty). I don’t think I’ll ever get over how much fun playing around in the ocean is. You can slide under the waves as they come, jump right into them, or ride the top of a wave if you time it just right and swim with the current of the wave as it breaks into the white water.  And being on the beach I also had to get in a little sand castle building in order to further satisfy the kid in me.  Someone on the trip called me a "little kid" (though I think I'm more of a big one).

When we got back to Xalapa that evening we went salsa dancing, and the last couple of nights we've been out late dancing to different types of music (getting to bed around 3-4ish). Today I slept in till noon, but hey, the weekends are reserved for party time. Work hard, play hard, ya know?

Museo de Anthropogia de Xalapa

We just went to the Museo de Anthropologia de Xalapa and got to see many ancient artifacts, including several of the famous Olmec heads.  Seeing these enormous ancient sculptures in person was mind-blowing.  They are huge (6-18 tons!) and may be some 2500-3000 years old!  Some people note that the sculptures interestingly resemble West African facial features. I am intrigued by the possibility that they could be evidence of pre-Columbian West African contact (though this is heavily debated). Regardless of if the sculptures were inspired by West African visitors, they are still magnificent.

The Olmec were the earliest recorded "civilization" in Mesoamerica, located right here in the state of Veracruz.  One of the other things I also found interesting was the way they seemed to celebrate difference. Their sculptures included people with hair-lips, crossed eyes, and Down syndrome. It was such the opposite of today’s society.  People who stood out or would be looked at as "weird" by today's standards were venerated and held in high-esteem within Olmec culture.

We also learned that the Olmec were thought to have destroyed their own monuments, perhaps after a ruler died. This was opposite of what I initially thought to be the purpose of these monuments. I mean, we think of “great civilizations” sculpting monuments or constructing architecture that will last millennium and be appreciated by future "great civilizations." However, the Olmec didn't seem to do create sculptures or build huge pyramids for these reasons.

What other things were important to the Olmec and why did their empire fall? These are questions that we'll most likely be asking for millennium to come.

Veracruz, Mexico

Well, I’m finally here in Veracruz, Mexico.

After a 13+ hour trip by car, train, plane, taxi, bus, and another taxi, I have arrived in the city of Xalapa (also spelled Jalapa), in the east central part of Mexico in the state of Veracruz.

I'm in a summer study abroad program looking at "Multicultural and Mutliracial Mexico" in the state of Veracruz, Mexico.  The first two weeks are in the capital city of Xalapa (also spelled Jalapa) and the next three weeks are in Veracruz (the city), which is an old colonial port on the Gulf of Mexico where some of the first Africans were brought into the Americas by the Spanish starting in the 1500s.

There are still some interesting and clearly apparent West African influences here that are often overlooked.  Before I left the states, a professor told me that if Mexico went by US racial codes, 1/3 of Mexicans would be labelled "black." Studying the reasons behind this different racial labeling system is one of the things I will be doing in the upcoming weeks. 

Well, I'm presenting here in the first week so I need to go get on some reading now.

Peace,
AB