There are a lot of Mayan ruins to see in Central America. Each site has its own unique treasures to explore. It is impossible to choose a favorite. And, I must admit, I haven't explored any of them as much as I should. To be honest, walking uphill and climbing every mountain does me in. So, while family members climbed more than I cared to, I remained in the central square of Tikal, in Guatemala, to capture the image of this woman of Mayan descent.
Another one of my favorite sites was Xunantunich in Belize.
And, if you have trouble pronouncing it, you're in good company.
One local person said it started with a "zoo" sound.
Another told me it began with "shoe".
So, come on, what are you supposed to do?
Fortunately, a taxi driver assured me that it doesn't matter how you
say it, everyone would know what you were talking about.
Xunantunich was clean and the ruins were in good condition, but there was a
lot of uphill walking. So, as my
niece and nephew ran on to climb every Mayan mountain, my sister and I
wandered into one of the educational units that almost everyone else
appeared to ignore. I must
confess that my greatest motivation was to continue walking on level ground
for a moment. So, we went in the
building to get educated.
And, I’m so glad I did!
At one point my sister looked at one of the educational posters and said,
“That looks like something you could have drawn.”
IT WAS SOMETHING I HAD DRAWN!
In fact, three of my cartoon archaeologists were used to decorate
different posters. Was my name
there? No.
Did I get paid for my art used for commercial purposes?
No. I even had to pay to
enter the park. None of it
mattered. My art was used at
Xunantunich and I was simply delighted.
The absolute highlight of my Mayan explorations was seeing my art used at
Xunantunich. So, plan a trip to
these Mayan ruins that are just impossible to pronounce.
Take the detour that nobody else seems to take.
You, too, will then agree that I am probably the most non-famous
world famous artist whose work you’ll ever see.
Continue on to Americas Image 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 or back to the Portraits Home Page.