The Mayan people - II part

In this post i would like to continue the topic about the contemporary Mayans and their vision of the world.

An element that perfectly describes the mentality of the Mayans, concentrates on the importance of words. Each word spoken aloud has 'power', makes the words become reality. This fact has a very important role in the persecution of the world. They believe that it is worthwhile to say only those words that can benefit them. Sometimes, this conviction leads to interesting situations, for example, they are not conditioned to answer the questions or talk about abstract things such as: love, life, happy, etc. There are also words that make them afraid to say them, here I  can mention about 'devil'. They think that saying the word 'devil' will evoke it, therefore they have modified it to 'diabro' to not sounds the same.

The last question is related to two faces of the Mayans is, on the one hand the American dream, and on the other, the fear of following the new technology. This is also visible in terms of hospitality and distrust of foreigners. Most of the young people do not want to be linked to the Maya, they prefer to speak Spanish, not one of the indigenous languages, they want to be similar to the people of the United States, to lead life like them. Often, they put a lot of force in hiding their origin through teaching their children Spanish as their only language. In addition, among them, there is a trend to give them the names of famous people such as Angelina Jolie or Salma Hayek as if they wanted to improve the lives of their children.

          The contradiction between hospitality and distrust is manifested by not being able to accept the foreigner. The Mayans do not belong to the open-mined people, that is why to  accept someone out of their community  they need time. However, they are conscious of any foreigner who will come may be a god so they very often accept him and treat him as best they can. There is no doubt that Mayan beliefs have a great role in seeing the world as the Mayans do.

So as we can see, the Mayans beliefs are extremely different than ours, but for sure it makes them more fascinating. I hope I will find more time to develop my knowledge about them to be able to share it with you guys. 

The Mayan people: How the beliefs of the modern Maya affect the perception of the world

The population of the Maya people includes 4 to 6 million natives, making them the largest indigenous group in all of Latin America. The Mayans of today occupy the same zones in which their ancestors lived before, between these territories they are distinguished: Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. The religiosity in Latin America and, above all, in the territories inhabited by the Mayans reaches a high level and seems to be a very significant factor in the image of everything that surrounds them. Beliefs, which have survived since the times of the ancient Maya are present in today’s life and spirit at every step. But, on the other hand, they consider their customs and religion as something that embarrasses them.

Therefore, it may surprise the impact of religion on the life they lead. At the beginning, it is worth explaining their religion that consists of a mixture of the Catholic symbols with those of the pre-Columbian religion of their ancestors. To illustrate it better, the Catholic cross appears very often in different situations but has nothing to do with the symbolic of Jesus as in the Christian culture. In addition, the prayer sites that are usually made up of small huts, attribute to certain saints, p. ex. to San Miguel. This presents another element of the Catholic religion.

We can say that the Mayans perceive the world through their cyclical calendar. Thanks to it, we are able to understand them better. The Mayan calendar presents a cycle repeating itself every 52 years. Then everything in the life of the Mayans its a cycle, so what you need to know about them is that, every day means something new. Each day corresponds to a different god and they usually ask him to bring good luck by lighting the right candles for that day. The cyclical calender affects also another activity which they do every single day. In this way, they do not know how to live in the past, yesterday it does not matter, they do not remember it, they live daily, the only thing they appreciate is now and here. The indigenous of Mexico continue to believe in various gods, each of them is related to different aspects of life, and have different attributes, for example, the god of wind, rain or corn is a major part of agruculture Maya. To describe all their gods I would need a lot of space here, but I am sure if you are interested in the topic, you will check it by your own.

I’m going to continue this topic in my another post, so see you soon! :D

Alhambra II part

After so long break, I'm here to continue the last post about Alhambra, a beautiful and unique builiding in Spain. In this post i would like to focus in detail on Alhambra to show you how big and wonderful it is.

The complex of Alhambra's buildings is divided into a few parts. Let’s see into which parts. 

1. Alcazaba – it is oldest part and served as a military zone, center of the defense.

2. The Royal complex (Palacios Nazaríes) - the Nasrid palaces are the set formed by the Palace of Comares, built in the first place, and the Palace of the Lions. It served as the seat of the administrative functions, of the court, protocol and retirement.

3. Mexuar - it is a spacious and the oldest hall where in the Al-Andalus time served as an audience and justice room for important cases.

4. Patio de la Alberca o de los Arrayanes - it is the central precinct of Palacio de Comares. On both sides of the pool, which occupies a large part of the patio, there are the myrtles which gave the name to this patio.

You can be sure that seeing those photos it is not the same like being able to see the building by your own eyes. Being there, you can experience the atmosphere which is unrepeatable, you can touch and feel the spirit of the old times. 

I would be very happy to be able to go there one day. People say that if you dream a lot about something, it is going to come true, well i hope so! :D

Alhambra – the jewel of Andalusia

If you are in Granada, you cannot miss the main attraction of this Comunidad Autónoma of Andalusia which is Alhambra, the unique Islamic palace and fortress complex which create spectacular landscape, as you can see on the photo which I have put here. Alhambra is situated in the beautiful Sabika hill.

The palace perfectly  matchs to this hill full of green space. What is more, the palace attracts a lot of people every year thanks to an unparalleled architectural style which has become a big part of Andalusia architectural style until the present day. This specific style is a mark visible in the whole Andalusia. The reason of this is simple, the south part of Spain which is exactly Andalusia was conquered by the Arabic and Islamicised Berbers as a first step of the conquest of the whole Iberian Peninsula.  Additionally, this Comunidad Autónoma was inhabited by the Muslim people for a really long time what made that many aspects of this area is so similar to Islamic countries and it is not only about architecture and building, but above all of appearance of present residents.

At the beginning, it was just a small insignificant fortress until in the 13^th century was renovated by the Nasrid emir Mohammed ben Al-Ahmar of the Emirate of Granada. From that moment, Alhambra served as accommodation for the monarch and the court of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada.

Like we can guess, the name of the building comes from the Arabic language. However, the meaning of the name is not so easy to explain, because exist many theories about it. I will tell you just two to not risk of boring you.

Etymologically, "Alhambra" in Arabic is "al-Ḥamrā'" (الحمراء, 'the Red one'), from the full name 'al-Qal'a al-hamra' ('red fortress'). The name would come because when it was built people was worked at night, and seen at night, from a distance, due to the light of the torches, it looked red.

Another theory says that it is simply the feminine name of its founder, Abu al-Ahmar, which in Arabic means 'the Red' or ‘being red-haired’.

Alhambra is so interesting building complex, that is why it is not possible to describe it just in one post. I decided to make two posts about it. I hope you have enjoyed the first one and you are ready for the second.

So see you soon and have a nice day! :D

Chefchauen – the blue town in Morocco

I have never been there yet, but I have heard from many people that this town is the most beautiful and magical place on the Earth. I can agree with them in houndred procent just looking at the photos of Chefchauen. I can understand that photos never give you such a great substancial feeling like spending time there and seeing everything by your own eyes. Unfortunately, for now it is all what I have.

It is sure that to get to know more about each city, we have to find out a little bit about the history of the place. In this way, we can understand better the rules and customs which control the society and also Chefchauen as a town. For sure one of the first questions which appear in our mind is: Why the whole city is blue? Well, it is quite interesting and I am going to explain it to you. According a legend, once Chefchauen was ruled by a lord who disliked so much insects of all kinds that he ordered to paint the whole city blue. After, when the city had been painted, all insects disappeared very fast and the lord could enjoy your time walking down the Chefchauen streets in peace, admiring beautiful views of his city. Unfortunately, it is only a legend, there is no evidence, confirmation in the literature or other historical books that the story took place in reality.

Now more about facts. The city was funded in the XV century and was inhabited by Muslim and Jewish forced to come there from the territory of Al- Andalus. For that reason, the major part of the town is very similar to the Andalusian ones. In the central part of Chefchauen is located Plaza Uta al-Hammam where we can also find an alcazaba which is a Moorish fortification typical in Spain and a mosque.

Knowing that the town is inhabited in major part by people who had come there  from Spain, we can suggest that the most spoken language in this area together with Arabic is also Spanish, but it is not the only one reason. Fothermore, a significant impact on the fact has had a localization of the town, because Chefchetuan is situated extremely close to the Spanish territory like Ceuta or Melilla.

In this extotic town we can discover many places where the past is visible all the time, all houses, streets and professions which are occupied by inhabitants are a reflections of the old times. 

Fez – the oldest city in Morocco

Today I would like to present one of the oldest city in Morocco and probably in the whole world – Fez. It is extremely beautiful city which offers a lot of  attractions and also is a perfect place to try the Moroccan cousin.

Now, to find out something more about this city, I will present the basic information about Fez. The city Fez is the third biggest city in Morocco after Casablanca and Rabat. It is located in region known as a Mauritania Tingitana which in the past was one of the Roma province. What is more, Fez is also known as a capital of Islam,  is considered to be the religion and cultural center in Morocco. As a curiosity, it is worth to mention that Fez  is the fourth city called imperial next to cities like Marrakech, Meknes and Rabat, that is why, we can find the maze of streets where you can get lost easily and many old building which remind the old times. 

The information which seems to be important for all people who once have thought  to study in this exotic country is that Fez offers a lot of courses at the most popular universities in Morocco. This city is very famous for the Arabic study, thanks to it, it converts Fez in a university city with the biggest number of students.

This walled town with many amazing and big gates was founded by Idris I who at the same time was the founder of the first Moroccan dynasty called by his name. My aim is not to bore you, so if it is about history that is all. Now, I would like to pass to more admirable things like places worth to visit being in Fez. For sure, you have to see the medina, it is the main part of the city, that is where you will be able to feel the true Moroccan atmosphere. 

 Another recommened places are:

Royal Palace 

University of Al Qarawiyyin

And many others unique places worth to see by your own eyes.

Dan Brown – the best writer of mystery-thriller novels

For most of you,  Dan Brown can be known as a writer of conspiracy stories like mason, illuminati, or fiction which never could come true. Maybe that is why no one of you realize that extremely  often in his books are hidden the burning questions about all humanity on which is not so simply to answer. What is more, usually the answer is very controversial and may cause many misunderstandings, conflicts and lead simply to hate. Probably it happens, because people don’t understand the Brown’s way of thinking, the questions which he asks are too deeply and  unreliable or it also can be that  people don’t want to think about such things, or even worst, people are alive to believe him but they afraid to do it, to not be criticized like he is.

Now, we’re passing to his new book which has been published recently. The title of the book is ‘Origin’ which is another surprising and absorbing adventure of the professor Robert Langdon, the main character of all series, following Angles & Demons, The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol ending with Inferno. Like the author claim, the research for any book is the hardest process of writing, it takes a really long time.  Working on the Origin it has been the biggest challenge of all of his writing career. It took him two long years of researching. The situation with The Da Vinci Code looked a little bit different, because Brown had already known a lot of about history, art and Christianity what obviously was the book about. Despite of his incredible knowledge about history and others disciplines, Dan Brown had to deal with big themes of science, artificial intelligence, modern art and additionally a Spanish family and Spain as a country.  We can guess he needed to put an enormous effort creating the story. Like I said before, he has spent two years of reading and learning about all of this, before starting to write the first words. He has not just been reading other books but also he has been traveling to talk with many people who are specialists in science, religions, etc.

So now we can ask, what important questions appeared in this book. There are three main questions, at the beginning I’m going to put just two, which are: Where are we come from? Where are we going? At first sight, they seem to be simple and very typical ones, but when we enter more deeply into them, suddenly  they are getting more complicated to understand and to figure out the answer, the truth.

In spite of these two questions, the real one is: Will God survive the science? The question is kind of a clash of the science and religion. Brown claim that the science and religion are two different languages trying to tell us the same story but in the different way. In his opinion and according the history of the whole humanity, God can have problems to survive the science, more probably is that God will not manage to do it at all. I have to admit, it is a very interesting and brave statement. The argument which he uses to defend the theory is that people in the past used to believe in many gods who ruled over the whole world, having superpowers which helped them. In a result,  we know very well Thor, a god of lightings  or Zeus, thunder god of the ancient Greece. Therefore, what happened that people stopped to believe in them? The answer is obvious, the science came bringing a progress, explaining everything what was attributed to bigger or smaller gods.

I could talk more and more about it, but I guess if you take a book in your own hands and read it, you will discover what the author wants to say exactly, and I’m sure he will make you to think about many things you have not taken in consideration for a long time or maybe never yet.