Zac Lindsey

Not all lost cities are in the jungle! The #Maya site of Opichen is lost right in the middle of #Merida. #hiddenplaces 🏺 #mesoamerica #archaeology

Edzna is one of the stranger #Maya archaeological sites I’ve been to. Look at that pyramid! Most don’t have that many rooms. Its name means “House of the Itzaes,” but there’s little reminiscent of Chichen Itza. Rather, by the 600s CE, Edzna was an important ally of the Snake Dynasty of Calakmul.

Wow thanks so much for the shoutout!

Have you heard of the magician who supposedly built this pyramid at Uxmal? 🏺 #yucatan #archaeology #mythsandlegends

Actun Usil is a cave in Yucatan where the ancient Maya people of Oxkintok came to worship. The ceilings are covered in representations of the heavens, handprints of shamans adorn the walls, and the stones have been carved into faces. Must have been wild by torchlight. Come visit!

Early dnd marketing really banked on folks wanting to battle oozes and slimes

Maya ceramics are some of the most beautiful in the ancient world. This young ruler’s poise and thoughtfulness are still visible more than a thousand years later, as are flakes of the famous Maya blue paint that he once wore as face paint. Palacio Canton, Mérida. 🏺

The Temple of the Seven Dolls at Dzibilchaltun. Named for the seven clay figurines found inside, it may have been related to sun worship. Every year on the equinoxes the sun rises through that doorway. 🏺 #archaeology #maya #mesoamerica

Too bad you’re not feeling it, I like the effect a lot

The lines from the shadow of the blinds are lovely

Pozo 6 in Yucatán is a single beautiful Maya Puuc-style house a kilometer from the road through deep brush. Little of the Puuc-style stone facade was left, but there were a few of the cylindrical forms popular on these buildings. Probably 600-900s CE.
Lovely structure. 🏺

Copal is still popular in Maya communities. You may smell the sweet, smoky scent walking the streets of Maya towns if a building is being dedicated or if people are cleaning.
I've heard it described as having a "turpentine" smell, but I think it's pleasant. Not quite good enough to eat, though.

"Fire entering" ceremonies may have been cleansing rituals for new buildings. The Yajaw K'ahk' was a Maya title that meant "his lord of fire" or something similar. This person was responsible for purifying new buildings, likely with copal.
Image from Stuart (2005).

A bowl of burned copal in a museum

In the Popol Vuh, when an owl is asked to kill the maiden Xkik', the young woman escapes in a very "Snow White" way. Sworn to bring the heart as proof of his deed, the owl instead brings a blob of reddish copal. This saves her from certain death.

How do you feed a god?
In some ethnographic studies of the Maya, supernatural forces "eat" by smell. One of the most important foods of the gods is the resin of the copal tree. This bowl full of melted copal was an offering that comes from Chichen Itza, perhaps from 900 to 1200 CE.

My origin story:
Jurassic Park (the book): "They thought it was a monkey running across the road BUT IT WAS A DINOSAUR"
Me as a little kid: "Wait, there are places where monkeys just run across the road? PACK MY BAGS" 🏺

A goofy archaeologist in front of the site of Uxmal

I’m Zac. I study ancient and contemporary Maya history, which lumps me in with archaeology but I’m a historian. I want to connect you to the real people who played (and play) important roles in the development of indigenous history in the Americas. History is often dry; I’m unabashedly subjective

ArchaeoEd is a nice one

A young girl in a red dress and hat walks toward the pyramid at Uxmal

The pyramid at Uxmal. Legend says a king with dwarfism built it in one night. The truth? The Xiu family led Uxmal for most of the late Classic but we don’t have much evidence of these rulers from their own time. Maybe one had dwarfism. I’ll leave it to you to decide if he built it in one day…