The Death Relic

by Chris Kuzneski

  In the centre was a pyramid known as El Castillo.

  All of them stopped and stared in awe.

  Originally known as the Temple of Kukulkan, the stone pyramid stands almost 100 feet in height, with a square base that is nearly twice as long. Built by the Maya sometime between 1000 and 1200 AD, the pyramid honoured Kukulkan – a feathered serpent deity that resembled the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl – and served as a solar calendar. Each of the structure’s four stairways contains ninety-one steps. When counting the top platform as another step, the pyramid has 365 steps, one for each day of the year. Even more amazingly, the pyramid is positioned at such a precise angle that a solar phenomenon occurs here in the spring and fall.

  Cackling with delight, Ulster urged them to follow as he danced towards the north side of the pyramid. They weren’t sure why he was so excited, but they couldn’t wait to see. He called to them over his shoulder. ‘Tell me, are any of you familiar with the plumed serpent that attacks this pyramid twice a year?’

  Jones joked, ‘That still happens? I thought Godzilla killed that thing years ago.’

  Ulster laughed. ‘I’ll take that as a “no”.’

  ‘Yep. That’s definitely a “no”.’

  ‘Wonderful! That means I get to tell you everything!’

  Payne groaned softly. They weren’t there for a history lesson. They were there for the redhead. ‘We don’t have time for everything. You have to keep this short.’

  ‘Of course, my boy, of course! No problem at all. I’ll give you the twenty-minute version instead of the two-hour lecture.’

  ‘Petr, I’m serious!’

  Ulster laughed. ‘Don’t worry. I’m just teasing. I promise I’ll keep this short.’

  He led them to the bottom of a staircase that bisected the northern face of the pyramid. Stone balustrades, each ending in the carved head of a serpent, bordered the stairs on the left and the right. With his knees firmly against a restraining rope that surrounded the pyramid, Ulster reached out and tried to touch one of the serpent’s head, which jutted out from the pyramid. He wanted to feel the stone on his fingertips. Sadly, his round body and short arms prevented it.

  He sighed dejectedly. ‘So close and yet so far.’

  Jones was amused by the effort. ‘No one’s looking. Step over the damn rope.’

  Ulster shook his head. ‘If I do, you will, too. And Jonathon. And Maria. Before you know it, the pyramid will crumble, and I’ll be the one to blame. I can’t have that on my conscience.’

  ‘You’re kidding, right?’

  ‘Not at all.’

  Jones considered their options. ‘What if I pick you up and throw you onto the pyramid? Then it would be my fault, not yours.’

  Ulster patted his belly. ‘The pyramid would crumble even sooner, I’m afraid.’

  Payne tried to hurry this along. ‘What were you saying about a serpent?’

  ‘Ah, yes. The plumed serpent of El Castillo. Thank you for reminding me.’ He turned his back to the pyramid and faced the group. ‘As you probably know, the Maya were phenomenal astronomers. Without telescopes or lenses, they predicted eclipses, the rise and set of the Pleiades and the movement of planets and stars.’

  ‘How did they do that?’ Maria asked.

  ‘With carefully positioned window slats in their observatories.’

  ‘I don’t follow.’

  To illustrate his point, he put his two hands together, as if he was about to pray to the heavens above. Then he separated his hands by half an inch. By staring through the space in between, he was able to focus on a narrow part of the sky. ‘The Maya constructed their buildings with such precision that they could chart celestial movement from a single room. One day the sun would move across the sky in one window slat. A month later it would move across the sky in the next window slat. And so on. By charting the sun’s progress throughout the hours, days and months, they knew where the sun would be with the accuracy of a marksmen.’

  ‘And the snake?’ Payne asked.

  Ulster pointed at the serpent head to the west, the one he had been trying to touch. ‘As amazing as this sounds, the Maya angled this pyramid in such a way that sunlight, in the form of a serpent, crawls down this balustrade at sunset during the spring and autumn equinox until it is reunited with its head below. At any one moment, the snake is nothing more than sunlight and a series of triangle shadows, cast by the western corners of the pyramid, but viewed with time-lapse photography, the serpent of light appears to slither along this railing.’

  Jones blurted, ‘Are you serious?’

  Ulster nodded as he walked towards the western corner. Then he turned back and pointed at the side of the balustrade. ‘Notice the cut of the stones. They were shaped to look like the scales of a snake. When the light shines upon them, it truly looks like a serpent.’

  ‘That’s really cool.’

  ‘Twice a year, tens of thousands of people gather here at sunset to watch the return of Kukulkan. The biannual celebration is so popular, the Mexican government had to do something to lessen the massive crowds. So they started to hold nighttime shows throughout the year, using spotlights to simulate the serpent effect. In some ways, it’s even more pronounced because they can do it after sunset, when there’s far more contrast between light and shadow.’

  Payne stared up at the pyramid. It really was an architectural marvel. One of the most impressive buildings he’d ever seen. ‘When was this built?’

  ‘Approximately one thousand years ago – give or take a hundred years. The temple inside is even older, though.’

  Maria glanced at him. ‘The temple inside?’

  He nodded. ‘In Mesoamerica, it was quite common to build one monument on top of another. The Aztecs did it. The Maya did it. Even the Spanish did it. Why rip something down and start from scratch when it’s far more economical to build on top of what was already there?’

  ‘They did that here?’

  He nodded again. ‘Back in the 1930s, archaeologists didn’t know what was inside El Castillo. Bear in mind that this was less than a decade after Howard Carter’s discovery of King Tut’s tomb in Egypt, so the whole world was a little treasure crazy at the time. The Mexican government, hoping for a windfall, dug several exploratory tunnels into the pyramid until they found a staircase underneath the one we’re looking at now. The hidden stairs led to a temple chamber, where they found a Chac Mool and a jaguar-shaped throne.’

  ‘What’s a Chac Mool?’ she asked.

  ‘A Chac Mool is a sculpture of a reclining figure holding a bowl on his lap or stomach. You’ll see them throughout Mesoamerica. No one knows their origin or significance, but many believe that sacrifices – whether human or not – were placed in the bowl to appease the gods.’

  Jones looked at Ulster. ‘Just a sculpture and a throne? No gold?’

  He shook his head. ‘Despite their expertise in other fields, the Maya were latecomers in the field of metallurgy. In some parts of the New World, the craft was practised for two thousand years before the arrival of Christopher Columbus, yet as far as we can tell, the Maya never mastered the art. Though some gold discs and ornaments were found in the sacred well of Chichén Itzá, many archaeologists think they were made by craftsmen from the lower isthmus, not from artisans who grew up locally.’

  Jones grumbled. ‘How disappointing! You know how much I like gold.’

  Ulster smiled. ‘I know you do. Unfortunately, it was the Aztecs, not the Maya, who had all the gold. At the time of the Spanish conquest, Montezuma II was receiving more than two tons of gold in tribute every year. Of course, the conquistadores never found most of it. To this day, the mystery of the Aztec gold has never been solved.’

  Payne rolled his eyes. This was how it always was with Ulster. He started on one topic – the shadow serpent of El Castillo – and ended up talking about something completely unrelated. If not for meals, the man would never shut up. ‘The Aztecs? Really? We’re standing in front of a Mayan pyramid, and you’re talkin
g about the Aztecs? I thought you promised the short version.’

  Ulster nodded, admonished. ‘Jonathon, my boy, you are quite right. I’ll save my Aztec lecture for another day. While we’re here, let’s focus on what’s truly important.’

  Payne tested him. ‘Which is?’

  Ulster shrugged. ‘I’m afraid I can’t recall.’

  Payne held up his phone. ‘The redhead in this photo.’

  ‘Ah, yes! Now I remember. Let’s go and find that trollop before she disappears.’

  55

  Chichén Itzá was a major economic power during its heyday. As such, it was the focal point of a major trade route that brought unavailable resources – such as gold from Central America and obsidian from the west – into the region. But outsiders brought more than commerce inside the city’s walls. They also brought ideas for the city’s design. Unlike many ‘pure’ Mayan cities in Mesoamerica, Chichén Itzá is a mixture of several architectural styles, including the Puuc style found in the northern lowlands and the Toltec style of central Mexico.

  The buildings themselves are grouped in a series of architectural sets, which were separated at one time by a succession of low walls. Most of the stone walls are no longer there, but the sets still remain, spread throughout the city like tiny suburbs. The most famous area is called the Great North Platform. It includes El Castillo, the Temple of the Warriors, the Platform of Venus and a grass field that caught Payne’s eye: the Great Ball Court.

  Temporarily distracted from his search, Payne walked over to Ulster, who was showing Tiffany’s photo to a group of tourists. ‘Do you have a minute?’

  Ulster nodded. ‘Of course, my boy. Of course!’

  ‘I know I just chastized you for your lecture about the Aztecs, but …’

  ‘Yes?’

  Payne pointed at the field. ‘Is that what I think it is?’

  Ulster grinned with delight. ‘I am so happy you asked. Knowing your background in sports, I was dying to tell you about it, but I heeded your warning and focused on the task at hand.’

  Payne shrugged. ‘After all of our adventures together – talking about art, religion and whatever – this is finally something I care about. Therefore, I’m officially calling timeout with regard to the search. Please tell me about the field.’

  ‘With pleasure,’ he said as they walked towards the playing court. ‘Known as the Mesoamerican ball game, the sport can be traced to fifteen hundred years before Christ. The first fields were discovered—’

  Payne cut him off. ‘Hold up! I’m stopping you right there. Do not ruin this moment for me. For the first time in our history, we finally get to talk about sports. I don’t care about its origins, or its symbolism, or anything else that would fill a university lecture. Just give me the basics. The ball. The rules. The players. Nothing else matters. That’s the beauty of sports.’

  Ulster scratched his beard in thought. ‘Just the basics?’

  ‘Yes. Just the basics.’

  ‘I don’t know if I can talk like that.’

  Payne smiled. ‘Try.’

  Ulster gathered his thoughts as he stared at the field. Measuring 545 feet wide by 223 feet long, it was the largest ball court in ancient Mesoamerica. Two stone walls, nearly 39 feet in height, ran the entire length of the end zones. High in the middle of each wall was a stone ring, carved with intertwining serpents. ‘Let’s start with the field.’

  ‘Great.’

  ‘Unlike some modern sports, the dimensions of the field varied from place to place. This one is by far the largest ever discovered, more than five times as large as some other courts. However, some things remained constant. There were high walls on both ends with rings in the middle. And the object of the game was to get the ball through the hole.’

  ‘Like basketball.’

  ‘Yes and no. Instead of scoring through the top of a hoop, the ring was turned on its side, allowing players to shoot through the left or the right. Points were accumulated by a team for accomplishing certain feats, such as hitting the opponent’s wall or hitting the ring itself. Ultimately, though, the goal was to get the ball through the hole. If that occurred, the shooting team automatically won the game.’

  Payne walked towards the left wall and stared at the ring. With an approximate diameter of a basketball hoop, it was more than 20 feet high in the air. ‘One goal and the game was over? That sounds pretty easy to me. Give me ten shots, and I bet I can make one.’

  ‘Trust me, my boy, it’s harder than it looks. The sport is still played in parts of Mesoamerica, and a typical game lasts for hours. Often no goals are scored.’

  ‘Hours? How could it last for hours?’

  ‘Unlike basketball, you can’t use your hands. Players were forced to use their elbows, hips and legs.’

  Payne laughed. ‘Yeah, that would do it.’

  ‘Plus the balls were rather unwieldy.’

  ‘How so?’

  ‘They were eight inches in diameter and made of solid rubber. No bladders. No air pumps. No inflation. Solid rubber balls weighing eight to nine pounds each.’

  ‘That’s like a bowling ball.’

  ‘A bowling ball that bounced rather high. Of all the inventions the Spanish found in the New World, they were most amazed by the rubber balls. They’d never seen such a thing before.’

  ‘I guess that says something about the common man. Who cares about the giant pyramid? Tell me more about the bouncy thing. That cracks me up.’

  Ulster smiled. ‘Because of the ball’s weight, they wore equipment like American football players. Helmets, arm pads, knee pads and so on. The sport was so brutal that some players died during the game. According to the Spanish, headshots and stomach shots were particularly fatal.’

  ‘I bet they were.’

  ‘Of course, fatalities were expected in ceremonial games, particularly at the end of the match. According to some historians, the captain of the winning team was sacrificed to the gods.’

  ‘Wait! They killed the winner? What kind of incentive was that?’

  ‘It guaranteed the captain’s place in heaven.’

  ‘Thank God we didn’t have that tradition at Annapolis. I was the captain of my football and basketball teams. I would have been killed for sure.’

  Ulster explained further. ‘This game has been played for more than three thousand years throughout Mesoamerica. Different cultures had different traditions. The Aztecs, for instance, sacrificed captives before their games to honour their gods. Then they killed members of the losing team as food for the gods after the games. Sometimes, due to a scarcity of rubber in Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs would use human heads or skulls instead of balls.’

  ‘That’s disgusting.’

  ‘The Aztecs had skull racks positioned near their fields. The racks were rows of pointed sticks where the heads of the losing team would be placed after the game. Obviously, the sticks are long gone, but I’ve seen some particularly gruesome artwork depicting the practice.’ Ulster glanced at the wall, searching for something. ‘I believe the Maya had some grisly carvings somewhere near this court. If you like, I can try to find them.’

  ‘No thanks. I’ve seen plenty of dead guys in my lifetime.’

  Ulster nodded. ‘I guess you have.’

  Payne pointed at the base of the wall. It was slanted toward his feet at a 45-degree angle. ‘Is this some kind of anchor to hold the wall up?’

  ‘Architecturally, it might have had that purpose. Athletically, it served as a bench for players who were waiting to enter the game.’

  ‘I’ll be damned. The Maya had benchwarmers.’

  ‘No,’ he said, ‘I don’t believe the benches were heated. However, thanks to the direction of the midday sun—’

  Payne cut him off. ‘Benchwarmers is a sports term. It means backups. Substitutes. Second-teamers. They aren’t on the field, so their job is to warm the bench with their butts.’

  Ulster laughed. ‘What a strange-yet-accurate word! I’ll be sure to remember it. I tho
ught I would be the only one imparting knowledge during this conversation, yet you’ve managed to teach me a colourful new term. Somehow I feel a tad smarter.’

  ‘As do I. Thanks for explaining the game to me.’

  He threw his arm around Payne’s shoulder. ‘This is why we make such a wonderful team. I supply the academics, and you supply—’

  ‘Everything else.’

  While Payne and Ulster searched for the redhead near the ball court, Jones and Maria focused on the buildings of the Central Group.

  To reach that area of the site, they walked along a raised path known as a sacbe (plural sacbeob). The term – meaning ‘white road’ in Yucatec Mayan – was used to describe the paved roads that were built by the Maya. White from the limestone stucco that coated the roadways, more than a hundred sacbeob were discovered in Chichén Itzá alone. Not only did they connect different zones inside the site, they also fanned out to other cities in the region.

  After a five-minute walk through a thick forest, they emerged in a large clearing that was shaped like a right parenthesis. Grass and dirt filled the area in between the stone buildings, which started in the north and arched along the clearing towards the south. Of all the structures in the Central Group, the one that caught their eye was the Mayan observatory.

  Nicknamed ‘the snail’ because of the spiral staircase inside the domed tower, El Caracol was built high above the surrounding vegetation in the early tenth century. Windows were angled with such precision that sightlines for more than twenty astronomical events, including solstices, equinoxes, solar and lunar eclipses and the cycles of Venus, were discovered in the structure.

  Marvelling at the architecture, Jones and Maria strolled towards one of the stone staircases, where a young tour guide was finishing up a brief history of its construction.

  ‘Thanks to the archaeologists at INAH, we are learning more and more about Chichén Itzá every single day,’ the tour guide explained. ‘One of the things we know with some certainty is the completion date of this building. According to a carving on the upper platform, this observatory was built in 906 AD. That is the end of the Late Classic period of Mesoamerican cultures.’