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Experiencing the Maya

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Chichén Itzá, the famed Mayan ruins in Mexico's Yucatán, one of the modern "Seven Wonders of the World" When we hear about the “Mayan civilization”, many of us think of an ancient “lost” culture that flourished hundreds of years ago and then mysteriously disappeared.    That’s not completely true, as I learned recently on a tour of Mayan sites in Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula, and Guatemala.    Many descendants of the original Maya still live and worship to various extents traditionally and are eager to share their ways with visitors. Traditional weaving demonstration in Zinacantán, Chiapas, Mexico “Maya” is a modern term given by the 16 th  century Spanish colonizers to collectively name the multiple indigenous (or “Indian”) populations of the Yucatán, Guatemala and Belize, as well as farther south in Central America.    While there are signs of agricultural activity from as early as 2000 BCE (Before the Common Era), the first Mayan cities w...

Finalement...à la fin...

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Sunrise view of Argenton rooftops from my back door. Every new day had its challenges. In the final analysis it was a "triple A" experience:  adventure , adaptation and, especially, the art . I'm leaving France after a year and a half and moving back to the U.S. to re-settle in a less lonely, less rural,  larger town where I'll be less culturally and language-challenged, and have more accessibility  to friends, grandson and activities.  However, I don't for a minute regret what I have learned, done, experienced or spent here, and I shall deeply miss the charm and beauty of France when I return to the banality of the U.S.  I'll also miss living in a country where the public good is considered and matters, where health care coverage is a given, where gun-toting isn't considered a "right",  and where quality of life carries more weight than capitalism.  Sadly, however, both countries bear the burden and wear the stain of bigotry and intolera...