危地馬拉—瑪雅不朽

We were on a motorboat to the past—or so we hoped.

My husband， Paul， and I sat near the bow of the 1）skiff， soaking in the sun and the view as we zipped across Lake Atitlán， in Guatemala’s highlands. Several large volcanoes towered in the distance， seemingly standing guard over the villages scattered along the green shores.

Our destination was Santiago Atitlán， the largest town on the lake and a place to encounter the culture of the Tz’utujil—one of roughly 20 Mayan ethnic groups in Guatemala. As we approached the shore， we saw women in traditional purple-striped blouses， waist deep in the water， washing clothes. We walked from the 2）rickety pier into town， at first seeing little more than stalls where locals were aggressively hawking water bottles and maps. But a left turn took us into Santiago Atitlan’s main plaza， which was crowded on market day. Tz’utujil women， some with children， sat on the ground with their wares spread around them： piles of fruits and vegetables， spices， meats. The women wore 3）huipiles—striking blouses embroidered with birds and flowers. Some men wore traditional purple-and-white-striped pants， also 4）stitched with symbols.

Starting around 1500 B.C.， the Mayan people established one of the dominant civilizations in 5）Mesoamerica. At its height， the empire stretched from southern Mexico to parts of Honduras and El Salvador， with its center in present-day Guatemala. Skilled at agriculture， astronomy and mathematics， the Mayans built stepped stone temples， palaces， and cities that held tens of thousands of residents. But for reasons that are not understood， their civilization went into decline， even before Spanish 6）conquistadors arrived in the early 16th century； urban centers were abandoned to the jungle and many traditions vanished. But not all…

The Maya managed to preserve some of their culture， particularly in Guatemala’s western highlands， which extend from the colonial capital of Antigua， Guatemala to the Mexican border. Earlier this year， Paul and I tried to experience as much of that as possible over a one-week trip， exploring one of the most important ancient sites （now sprawling ruins）， as well as communities like Santiago Atitlán.

We started in Antigua， Guatemala， a 16thcentury town just 20 miles from Guatemala City， the modern capital. We spent hours walking the cobblestone streets and taking in the colorful and sometimes ornate colonial architecture. At Jades Imperio Maya， we browsed jewelry made from jade—a prized commodity and good-luck symbol for the ancient Maya， who used it for ornamentation and ceremonial masks. In a workshop at the back of the store， craftsmen shaped stone into objects such as the ring I bought.

For a literal taste of Mayan culture， we took a two-hour class at El Frijol Feliz， a cooking school near Antigua’s central plaza. The instructor spoke only Spanish， so we didn’t understand everything she said， but she taught us how to make pepian， a traditional stew， by boiling pieces of bonein chicken， then adding 7）chayote （a vegetable similar to 8）squash）， roasted chilies， onions， garlic， tomatoes， pumpkin and 9）sesame seeds. Rice with vegetables， refried black beans and rellenitos—plantain dumplings filled with black beans and chocolate—were also on the menu. Many of the ingredients we used， such as corn， beans and chilies， have been staples of the Mayan diet for generations.

Antigua was shaped by Spanish as well as Mayan influences； we found a much stronger indigenous identity around Lake Atitlán. We started by driving to Panajachel， a town on the north shore that many tourists use as a base. We took a boat to the village of Santa Cruz la Laguna， then set out on a guided six-mile hike through several Mayan villages. Walking a ridgeline trail that offered views of the volcanoes on the south side of the lake， we were in high spirits. The sun shimmered on the water. Our guide pointed out various plants： an avocado tree， dragon fruit， and bougainvillea.

Jaibalito and Tzununa， the first two towns we passed through， were sleepy hamlets in which life didn’t seem easy. Children played in the streets， women in traditional dress carried large baskets on their backs， chickens 10）milled about. Most buildings were simple wooden and stone structures. Between the towns， we glimpsed villas and a hotel or two. By the time we reached San Marcos la Laguna， which is known for its meditation and yoga centers， we were exhausted. The lake seemed much more 11）turbulent than it had that morning， but a boat was the only way to get back 12）other than walking. I steeled myself for a bumpy ride—which we got. “You came to Guatemala for adventure， right？” another passenger said.

After our day trip to Santiago Atitlan， we traveled north to Flores， a town on an island on Lake Peten Itza that is a gateway to Tikal， the remains of a city that dates back to sixth century B.C. Now a national park， Tikal encompasses roughly 85 square miles of rain forest， according to 13）Unesco， and includes the ruins of large temples and some 3，000 other buildings. Through our hotel in Flores， we booked a tour with an English-speaking guide， who led us around the site for four hours. Much of Tikal is covered in thick vegetation. When we came to a clearing and saw our first pyramid， I gasped. A steep climb to the top rewarded us with a beautiful view of the jungle.

Our guide， Manuel， described Tikal’s history along the way—its wars with rival communities like Caracol in Belize and Calakmul in Mexico， and its rulers with fanciful names like Ah Cacao. The Maya built an incredibly advanced civilization， but some of their customs were chilling； bloodletting and human sacrifice played an important role in their rituals， the guide told us. He avoided the main paths， instead taking us on 14）circuitous trails through the jungle so he could save some key areas， such as the ceremonial center known as the Gran Plaza， for last. He knew the best vantage points and showed us countless mounds that remained unexcavated. We spotted monkeys， bats， a huge ant colony and various exotic plants； Manuel had seen 15）jaguars on previous visits， but we had no such luck.

We eventually ascended Templo IV， a blocky structure that is the highest in Tikal. The jungle spread before us as far as we could see. In the distance， the tops of three other temples jutted into the sky—a 16）testament to the 17）tenacity of the past.

我們正乘坐著摩托艇駛向過去—至少我們懷抱著這樣的希望。

我們快速地駛過危地馬拉高地的阿蒂特蘭湖，我和丈夫保羅坐在小艇的船頭沐浴陽光，欣賞美景。遠處屹立著幾座高聳的火山，儼然守衛(wèi)著散落在綠色海岸邊的村莊。

我們的目的地是圣地亞哥阿蒂特蘭鎮(zhèn)，那是阿蒂特蘭湖上最大的城鎮(zhèn)，同時也是邂逅楚圖希爾人（危地馬拉的大約20個瑪雅民族之一）文化的絕佳地點。靠近岸邊時，我們看到了身穿傳統(tǒng)紫色條紋上衣的婦女們，站在齊腰深的水里，正在洗衣服。我們沿著搖搖晃晃的碼頭踏進城鎮(zhèn)，最先見到的僅僅是幾個小攤，本地人正在賣力地兜售水壺和地圖。但一個左轉(zhuǎn)彎我們就來到了圣地亞哥阿蒂特蘭主廣場，在這集市日里顯得十分擁擠。楚圖希爾婦女們，其中一些帶著孩子，坐在地上，身邊擺放著她們的商品：一堆堆蔬果、香料和肉。女人們穿著花洋裝，引人注目的上衣上繡著鳥類和鮮花。一些男人們穿著傳統(tǒng)的紫白色條紋褲子，也刺有一些標(biāo)志圖案。

大約從公元前1500年開始，瑪雅人在中美洲建立了世上輝煌的文明之一。在最鼎盛的時期，帝國以今日的危地馬拉為中心，從墨西哥南部延伸到洪都拉斯和薩爾瓦多。瑪雅人擅長農(nóng)業(yè)、天文學(xué)和數(shù)學(xué)，建造了階梯式的石頭廟宇、宮殿以及容納了成千上萬居民的城市。但是出于不明原因，在16世紀(jì)初期，甚至在西班牙征服者來到之前，他們的文明就開始衰落。城市中心被荒廢成為叢林，許多的傳統(tǒng)習(xí)俗也隨之湮滅。……