Hello, Mexico

Author: He Qi et al. / Country:
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2006-01-01
Features: The intense affection of Mexicans for their flag vividly reflects their patriotic sentiments. The Mexican flag, with its bright and eye-catching colors—green, white, and red—is described by Mexicans as the color of watermelon. In the central white section of the vertical three-color blocks, there is a coat of arms depicting an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its beak. The brilliant Mayan civilization suddenly collapsed, becoming a "mystery of the world," with over 100 prosperous cities abandoned and turned into ghost towns. This extraordinary phenomenon in human history has intrigued many anthropologists to explore its causes. Some books that compile mysterious events like UFOs, extraterrestrials, the Bermuda Triangle, and the Loch Ness Monster also include it. The Mayans began using the symbol for zero in mathematics 800 years before the Europeans, which was a composite shape with an eye-like form on top and several stripes, resembling a flower with three petals at the bottom. They also invented the vigesimal system. Their astronomical knowledge was remarkable, along with their rich astrology, as they understood the movements of the sun, moon, and stars when other civilizations were still in the dark. Their precise calendar was even superior to that of ancient Greece and Rome, with an error of only 0.0002 days compared to modern calculations of the Earth year. Their architectural achievements were magnificent, with precise designs, grand scale, and exquisite carvings, leaving even modern architects in awe. Their culture is known as one of the "most famous ancient civilizations in the world." Some scholars believe that these discoveries may just be "the tip of the iceberg" of Mayan civilization, with more extraordinary findings yet to be explored. Contrasting these achievements, Mayan culture can largely be said to lack a written historical record. Although they had hieroglyphs early on, visible in "codices" (also known as "ancient manuscripts") and inscriptions, our observations of the few surviving copies of Mayan codices show that their hieroglyphs were mostly complex, intricate pictographs with an abundance of lines, lacking the simplicity and abstraction typical of writing. Experts in Mexico and abroad have been diligently studying and deciphering this "hieroglyphic script" for years, striving to unlock more of its secrets. Deciphered content is said to include myths, prayers, and chronicles. The Mayan civilization originated around 2000 BCE and ended in 1521, the year of Spanish colonization in Central America and Mexico, spanning approximately 500,000 square kilometers, including present-day El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, and the Mexican states of Campeche, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, and Yucatán. Its development can be divided into three stages: the Preclassic period (2000 BCE–250 CE), the Classic period (250–900 CE), and the Postclassic period (900–1521 CE). During the Postclassic period, the Toltecs, who had migrated south from the Mexican highlands, merged with the remaining Mayans, reviving Mayan culture in the northern Yucatán Peninsula, known as Postclassic Mayan culture, but this was already a completely different form of Mayan culture. The characteristics of Mayan society can be summarized as follows: an empire controlled by densely populated city-states, a class system based on occupation and meticulously organized social pyramids, with the highest ruler, supported by priests, nobles, and soldiers, at the top, followed by architects and merchants, then sculptors, potters, and other artisans, and at the bottom, farmers, servants, and slaves. They used hieroglyphic writing, amate paper, and unique calendars—one for the solar year (365 days, 18 months of 20 days each, plus 5 "unlucky" days) and another for daily life, religious activities, and divination (260 days). Their art and medicine were advanced, and commerce flourished. It was an agricultural society based on corn cultivation, with irrigation networks in some areas. Their religion, based on the worship of the universe and nature, revered gods such as the sun god, moon god, rain god, and corn god. They built grand temples and pyramids in city and ceremonial centers, with cities meticulously planned around these structures in concentric circles, radiating outward in an orderly manner. The Mayans invented the Corbel arch (also known as the Mayan arch), where stones were laid from the four walls inward toward a central point, eventually forming a pointed roof. This was a significant contribution to world architecture, later adopted in the construction of many European buildings. Mayan sculpture emphasized a natural style while being highly vivid and expressive. Their pottery and textiles were also exquisite. If you want to visit Mayan cultural sites in Mexico, the first place to consider is Chichen Itza in Quintana Roo. It was the largest and most prosperous city-state of the Mayan civilization, founded in 514 CE and abandoned suddenly in the 13th century. Located 203 kilometers from the tourist city of Cancun, almost every visitor to Cancun includes a trip to Chichen Itza. "Chichen Itza" means "well of the Mayas" in Mayan. The site measures 2,000 meters north-south and 1,500 meters east-west, with hundreds of buildings once standing, of which the main ones include the "Pyramid of Kukulkan," the "Warriors' Temple," the "Group of a Thousand Columns," the "Observatory of the Snail," and the "Cenote of Sacrifice." The "Pyramid of Kukulkan" is the central structure of Chichen Itza, meaning "Feathered Serpent God" in Mayan. Each side of the base measures 55 meters, the height is 30 meters, with nine levels and steps on all four sides. The corner edges of the main staircase are adorned with two large serpent heads. During the spring equinox, a serpent shadow appears on the pyramid. Around 3 PM, sunlight casts the corner edges of the northwest staircase onto the western wall of the north side, creating a wavy shadow that merges with the serpent head sculpture, resembling a giant serpent crawling from the top of the pyramid to the ground. This phenomenon is not coincidental but the result of careful Mayan design, closely related to their rich astronomical knowledge. Tourists fortunate enough to witness this marvel are always amazed and filled with speculation. The Tulum city-state ruins, 127 kilometers south of Cancun, are another important Mayan cultural site, founded in the 12th century and thriving as a Mayan city-state until the 16th century. Its distinguishing feature from other Mayan sites is its location on the Caribbean coast, surrounded by double walls on the other three sides, hence the name "Tulum," meaning "wall" or "fortress" in Mayan. The perfect blend of cultural and natural landscapes makes Tulum particularly enchanting. The ancient fortress is set against the blue sea and beautiful palm trees, creating a picturesque scene unique to Tulum. The Tulum ruins stretch 6 kilometers along the Caribbean coast, with the inner city featuring administrative and religious buildings, including the Pyramid Castle, the Temple of Murals, the Temple of the Descending God, the Temple of the Sea God, the Temple of the Wind God, altars, and columned houses. The outer area is residential. These buildings have suffered varying degrees of damage, with crumbling walls and ruins silently telling the story of the Mayan civilization's history. The Pyramid Castle is located in the eastern part of the city, with a temple at the top where offerings are made. From the top of the tower, visitors can enjoy panoramic views of the Caribbean Sea. Every day, tourist buses filled with eager domestic and international visitors arrive to explore these sites. Especially Americans, who often claim to have "no history," frequently visit these places to pay their respects. A significant phenomenon in Mexico's economy and culture is that by the end of the 20th century, Mexicans no longer had trains to travel on. In June 2001, the Mexican government officially announced the decision to abolish the National Railways Administration. Some Mexican media reported this event with a declarative headline: "The Death of the Train—The End of an Era." This caused a strong sense of loss among us Chinese, who rely heavily on trains in our daily lives, even though we have worked in Mexico for over a decade without ever riding its trains. Currently, only two passenger lines remain in Mexico: one from Chihuahua to the Pacific coast city of Topolobampo (a 500-plus-kilometer mountainous tourist train route that survives because there is no alternative road) and another shorter route from Oaxaca to Tehuacán, covering over 100 kilometers. Across Mexico's 1.97 million square kilometers, 26,622 kilometers of railway lines have mostly been privatized for freight use, and the privatization process continues. The state no longer operates passenger services. If no private entrepreneurs are willing to take over or purchase railway lines for passenger transport, Mexicans may never ride trains again in the future. This news has left us puzzled: whether in developed or developing countries, rail passenger services are thriving as highly profitable public transportation, with trains constantly being updated and even evolving into maglevs. Why has rail passenger service in Mexico declined to the point of extinction? A clear and widely recognized reason among Mexicans is poor management. According to those who have traveled by train in Mexico, even during its "peak" years, trains were never on schedule. A delay of one or two hours was considered "normal," but passengers dared not be late, fearing to be "punished" with long waits on the train. The uncertainty of how long they would have to wait made the experience incredibly frustrating. Worse, trains had no first or second class, and they stopped at every station, making them unsuitable for those in a hurry. The three classes of carriages were as follows: first class, supposedly "luxurious," with private compartments but outdated equipment, smelly toilets, and no real luxury; second class, which still offered catering services; and third class, which had nothing, with basic seats and no amenities, requiring passengers to bring their own food and drinks. Passengers in third class were often poor people carrying large bundles, and even livestock was allowed on board. This "populist" attitude, while commendable, led to chaos on the trains, with vendors selling homemade food and drinks among passengers, creating a disorganized and unsafe environment where thefts were common, even in first and second class. Despite this, third class carriages were always overcrowded, as they were affordable for the poor. However, as life accelerated, first and second class passengers gradually abandoned trains. When asked about their experiences, most of our Mexican friends said their last train rides were over 20 years ago. Most urban youth had never even ridden a train. In this context of lagging management and lack of reform, coupled with corruption, employees selling tickets privately, and other issues, the national passenger rail industry suffered significant losses, with lines shutting down one after another until they reached complete paralysis, effectively "dying a natural death." Another critical issue is that successive governments have taken a passive attitude toward the decline of rail passenger services, becoming discouraged and avoiding challenges, never proposing any major initiatives to revitalize the industry, leaving it to its own devices. It was only during Salinas's administration that rail privatization was announced, and the railways were simply sold off. However, the buyers were only interested in freight, with no one willing to operate passenger services. Yet, these reasons are still superficial. One of our Mexican friends has a different perspective: "Mexico's railway has reached this point, perhaps partly because of the Americans." He points out that Mexico's railway also had a glorious period, playing an indispensable role in the national economy, just like in other countries. From the opening of a 65-kilometer railway in 1873 to 1910, when the total length reached 19,280 kilometers—averaging 1 kilometer per 100 square kilometers and 13 kilometers per 10,000 people—these railways were built by the United States, Britain, and France. These capitalists were not in Mexico for altruistic reasons but for commercial expansion, primarily to transport Mexico's ores to the United States and Europe, which is why most railways were north-south oriented. In 1937, President Cardenas nationalized the railways, and by the 1980s, the total length reached over 26,000 kilometers. After that, no significant expansion occurred. This was because, in the mid-20th century, a powerful external force distorted Mexico's transportation industry. The United States, with its rapidly growing automotive industry, needed to expand overseas markets, and Mexico was its first target. Americans used every means to heavily promote cars in Mexico, with all major car manufacturers investing heavily to build factories, leveraging Mexico's cheap land and labor to increase production and sales locally. Cars, as a fashionable commodity, swept into Mexico in overwhelming numbers, and road construction naturally "caught fire." Trains were increasingly neglected, becoming the "stepchild" of transportation. It is said that Americans used clever political, economic, technical, and commercial "maneuvers" to support road construction while hindering rail development. A simple example: if Mexico borrowed from the U.S. to build roads, they would get the money; but for railways? No! They could also buy Mexican patents related to rail improvements and then let them gather dust in vaults. The insidious and commercial secrets behind these actions may never be fully known. A fundamental truth is that the bloodthirsty nature of capital allows it to employ any means. The railway, once a of massive American investment, later became an—all due to the same reason: the need for capital expansion.