“And I thought William Wallace’s execution was gross.” Bahati wrinkled up her nose at the graphic display of art available on the World Wide Web. “So, can you explain why everyone thinks they are predicting the world is going to end?”
Lauren tried to explain kins, uinal, tuns and b’ak’tuns. She tried to explain how the calendars were like circles. Finally, she stopped and shook her head. “I think the neophytes aren’t seeing the whole picture. I mean, when my Gregorian calendar comes to an end, what do I do?” She held up her day planner. “I don’t go crying the sky is falling, do I? No. I go and I buy a new calendar. There’s another calendar out there with the next b’ak’tun on it. We just haven’t found it yet. That doesn’t mean the apocalypse is coming.”
Bahati sat down at her desk across from her, shaking her head. “You’ve done it. You solved the mystery, Lauren.”
“And I didn’t have to go to Mexico to do it.”
Chapter 4
The ancient site wasn’t exactly what Rowan had expected. The jungle crowded the edges of an expansive field. The grass around the massive structures had been worn thin and was brown from the repeated foot traffic from the scientists and tourists who’d come before. There was a visitors’ center at the entrance, and a narrow, shaded footpath led them into the site. Normally, there were tables lining the walkways loaded with merchandise to sell. Descendants of the ancient architects who built this city sold baubles and disks of obsidian glass to the tourists. It was the only way they had to make a living. But with the site closed to the public, they had closed up shop. They knew the scientists weren’t about to fall for their screen-printed t-shirts of jaguars or wooden key chains with the Maya calendar carved into them.
They waited all day for the university professor to arrive. Jean-René, who’d coordinated the meeting, used the sat phone to call the University. The University insisted Dr. DeLaFuentes left Mexico City in plenty of time to get there. They could only assume he’d had car trouble. So they had waited, but he hadn’t arrived. With or without him, they had a job to do. They couldn’t wait any more.
Jean-René spent the day getting their permits coordinated with the curators of the site. While he did that, Rowan made friends with one of the Maya tour guides. Tuuk was on hand to help the visiting scientists answer any questions or find their way around the site.
“Tuuk? Is that your name?” Rowan looked down at the diminutive guide who barely came to his waist.
“Tuuk, is my Maya family name.” He spoke with a thick Spanish accent.
“You’re Maya?”
“Si. Yes.” He smiled brightly.
“I thought the Maya would be...” Rowan hesitated.
“Taller?” Tuuk chuckled. “I hear that a lot.”
“Are all the Maya...?” Rowan didn’t know how to ask.
“Short? Well, there are some that are taller. They’ve done DNA testing. The scientists found we share the same DNA as the Mongols.”
“Mongolian? Like the Mongol hordes?”
“Si.”
“Fascinating. I’ve learned something new already.” Rowan had been to Mongolia. The people there all commented on how tall he was. “So tell me something about this site. Something no one else knows.”
“There is a pyramid inside.” He pointed to the step pyramid at the center of the site. The El Castillo, or the Castle, as it was called was the most commanding of all the structures at the ancient site.
“Yes, I see the pyramid,” Rowan said. “It’s amazing.”
“There is another one. Inside. Dos pirámides.”
It took a second for Rowan to comprehend. “Two? Two pyramids. You’re kidding me! Can I go in? Can I see it?”
Tuuk shook his head. “No. No one is allowed to enter. Too many people...” His hand moved like he was signing an autograph.
“Too many people were writing on the walls?” Rowan was stunned.
“Si. Tuuk sera aquí.”
“Oh, I got it. Tuuk was here.” Rowan did know a little Spanish.
“So, what do I have to do to get permission to film from the top of the pyramid?”
“No esta permitido.” Tuuk shook his head.
“Not even a famous television star?” Rowan looked at the camera.
Jean-René peeked out from behind the view finder. “I’ve already filed a request for a permit. We should know later this afternoon.”
“Maybe famous.” Tuuk grinned brightly.
“Maybe I’m famous?” Rowan shook his head. “Maybe I’ll make you famous.”
Tuuk stepped back, shaking his head. “Famous enough.” He patted his own chest.
“I’ll probably have to sign a hold harmless agreement, won’t I?” Rowan said to the cameraman.
“I’m sure you’ll have to sign a lot of things.” Jean-René assured him.
* * *
Their time at the UNESCO World Heritage site did not go to waste. Tuuk gave them the full tour. Rowan and his crew spent their time making friends with other research teams. They shared notes and oriented themselves to the many buildings and carvings that could be found across the site.
They were about ready to leave to go find something for dinner in the little village just outside the site when Tuuk came and found the team, packing up their equipment. “Famous enough,” he said, brightly. He handed Rowan an envelope. “Mi amigo, you are approved.”
“Our permit?”
“Si,” he said. “You can climb tomorrow morning.”
“Can we stay here tonight? Can we camp?”
“Si.” Tuuk pointed towards an area outside the walls of the site where campers and tents were assembled.
“This is great! Thank you, Tuuk! Gracias.” He shook the man’s hand vigorously and patted him on the shoulder. “Gracias! Now, can you tell us the best place to get some tacos?”
“Si.” He nodded his head. “Mi casa. Come with me. My wife makes the best tacos in all Mexico.”
“You’re inviting us to dinner at your house?”
“Si.” Tuuk grinned. He slugged Rowan in the arm playfully. “Famous enough, mi amigo.”
Rowan grinned and threw an arm around his shoulder. “Mi amigo.”
* * *
It had been a good, albeit short night. Rowan, Jean-René, and Alejandro climbed to the top of the step-pyramid in the dark. Rowan wanted to be ready to film as soon as the sun broke over the jungle. Now, as the sky went from pale pink, to brilliant red, the glow of a golden orb split the world between night and day.
It was still a few days before the solstice. The crowds that were expected were limited to research teams from around the world. For now, only those who wanted to do their prep work ahead of the arrival of the public were permitted. If they wanted any vanity shots, they knew they better get them today. As the first rays of the morning sun cut across Rowan’s features, Jean-René gave him the signal to go.
“The ancient site of Chichén Itzá on the Yucatán Peninsula was built between the 9th and 12th centuries on the outside of a ring made by a meteorite strike. The foundation was constructed, elevating the site several meters and you can see some examples of those piers that were excavated next to the Temple of the Rain God,” Rowan narrated. His eyes turned toward the sun. It was so bright he had to squint to read the cue cards Alejandro held for him. “Considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage site, the name Chichén Itzá literally means, at the mouth of the well of Itza for the many sink holes in the area. I’m standing on top of the El Castillo, or the Castle, which is just one of many structures here at Chichén Itzá. But this ancient building has another name, the Temple of Kukulkan, the serpent god.” Rowan was a master of the perfectly timed pause. He demonstrated it before he continued. “In just a few days, the Winter Solstice will herald the end of the Maya calendar, and thus, the end of the world. Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice ... Not to quote Robert Frost, but I say it’s just another day here in paradise. Join us for this speci
al episode of the Veritas Codex – The End of the World as We Know It.”
“Cut!” Jean-René called. He clicked off the camera. “Nice job, Boss.”
“Thanks.” Rowan let out a heavy sigh of relief, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. This was the point where post-production would roll the opening credits. Normally the intro featured Lauren, and her journal filled with legends and truths. They might have to do something different for this episode since she wasn’t with them. That was above even Rowan’s pay grade to decide. He didn’t have time to worry about that now. He’d made it up the step pyramid in the dark. With the sun now fully risen he could see how steep the climb down would be.
“Did anyone count the number of stairs on this thing?”
“Ninety-one,” Alejandro said, tossing Rowan a bottle of water. “I used to climb it when I was a kid. Back when they allowed anyone up here.”
“I would have guessed more.” Rowan put his hands on his hips, staring down the narrow steps. “Why do they have to be so steep?”
“Come on.” Alejandro grinned. “I just got the call from Tuuk. The University Professor has arrived. He’s waiting for you down there.”
“Oh good,” Rowan gasped. “I hope he knows CPR.”
“I know CPR,” Jean-René said. “Please don’t make me do it on you. I’d prefer to save a hot blonde with big—”
“Pig.” Alejandro cut him off.
* * *
“Dr. Enrique DeLaFuentes.” The man smiled as he introduced himself.
“I’m Rowan Pierce,” he said. Rowan then turned and introduced his small team.
The professor wasn’t what Rowan had been expecting. He was a tall, lean man in his mid-forties. Beneath his hat, he had a thick head of hair that was dark. A bit of gray framed his square face at his temples. He wore a thin mustache but was otherwise clean shaven. He wore a lightweight white oxford cloth shirt, navy-blue pants, and a pair of red sneakers. “Nice to meet you. Welcome to Chichén Itzá.” His English was excellent. “Welcome.” He shook hands with each of them as they were introduced. “Is this your first time at Chichén Itzá?”
“For me, yes,” Rowan said. “We were hoping you could tell us more about what archaeologists have discovered here.” Jean-René had the cameras running. Thanks to Tuuk, Rowan already had a rather good idea what was going on at the site. This time he asked the questions for the cameras.
“Chichén Itzá is made up of several main buildings, and recently, we did some LIDAR scans on the El Castillo here.”
“LIDAR?” Rowan shook his head. “Even we don’t have LIDAR.”
“No LIDAR?”
“I meant to grab a GPR, but in our haste to get here, I forgot to pack it. LIDAR is more than a little cable TV show can afford.”
“That’s too bad,” the professor said. “We used LIDAR on an aircraft to scan the site and we found that inside of the El Castillo, there’s another pyramid.”
“Another one?” Rowan’s brow lifted towards his hairline. Again, thanks to Tuuk, he already knew this. “Inside?”
“And that’s only half of it,” Enrique said. “There’s a third pyramid inside the second one.”
“A third one? Are you kidding me?”
“And all of that was built upon a complicated foundation to support the weight of structures because there is a cenote beneath the site.”
A cenote was a natural reservoir formed when the limestone surface collapsed, exposing the water underneath. With no rivers running through the area, these deep caverns were a major source of water in the Yucatán. It was the lifeblood of the region, and such an important part of the Mayan civilization that precious objects such as jade, gold, copper and incense were often thrown into the cenotes as offerings. When times were especially hard, human sacrifices might also be cast into the seemingly bottomless pools. “The well of Itza.” Rowan felt his cheeks dimple.
“Exactly. But the really interesting archaeology isn’t happening here. It’s happening in the jungle.”
“More interesting than this?”
“I would like to take you to an area where we are actively working if you’re up for a hike. There, I have something really special to show you.”
Rowan turned to the camera. “It’s just after sunrise, in Mexico. The temperature is somewhere between 90 and the surface of the sun. The humidity is about 140%. Sure, I’m up for a hike through the snake—and jaguar—infested jungle. Let’s go.”
Once the cameras were off, the professor put his hat back on. “I’m sorry for being late,” he said. “There was a problem just north of here yesterday evening. The police had the roads closed.”
“A problem?” Rowan queried. “What kind of problem?”
“I’m really not sure,” he said. “I think someone must have died. They were very tight-lipped. It could have been a crash, but I didn’t see them tow any cars away. I ended up sleeping in my car once I finally got to the site after midnight.”
“Is it something we should be worried about?”
“I’m sure if it was, someone would have come and told us,” he said. “Please, if you will follow me, I’ll take you to a site of special wonder. It’s just to the south. Not far from here.”
* * *
“Did you know, the El Castillo was actually built on top of an older structure?” Enrique asked as they walked. Rowan was having a hard time keeping up with him and was breathless for his efforts. The professor wasn’t even breaking a sweat.
“I had heard that,” Rowan said. He’d already learned that the previous day.
“Yes, there was a much older civilization here before the Maya.”
“Did their calendar run out too?”
The professor chortled at his joke. “More or less.”
“So what do you make of all this...rigmarole?” Rowan asked.
“Really more of an annoyance,” he mused with a dismissive wave of his hand. “It’s usually more crowded here with tourists. We still have more company than we’d prefer. People want to learn and understand. We have so much yet to figure out.”
“So tell me something about the Maya culture, something the average person might not know,” Rowan said.
The professor stopped at the edge of the clearing. “There’s a rumor... they were time travelers.”
“Time travelers?” Rowan tried to keep a blank façade. They were into the unexplained, even the bizarre. But he hadn’t expected to come here to learn about time travelers.
“Mexican archaeologist Alberto Ruiz discovered the tomb of King K’inich Janaab’Pakal or Pacal the Great inside the Temple of Inscriptions of Palenque in Chiapas. It’s not far from here. At the entrance of the temple there were a total of 620 inscriptions. One of the most important aspects of the crypt was the cover stone. There, they found a Maya hieroglyph that has become known as The Astronaut of Palenque. Some believe this means they were modern astronauts that came from the future. Others jump to the conclusion that the Maya people were victims of a planetary ascension or abduction. Some say they acquired the knowledge of the advance architecture, astronomy, and numeric system from visitors from the stars. We have an astronaut here, too.” He took out his cell phone and scrolled through the pictures, before turning it to Rowan. “See?”
Rowan took the phone and zoomed in on it, studying the square block, which really did look like an astronaut. It had a face in a round helmet with what looked like a breathing apparatus over the nose and mouth. It could have been a Yeti or a construction worker, but yeah, he could see why people might think it was an astronaut... or a time traveler.
He handed the phone back. “That’s amazing,” Rowan said.
“Just wait until you see what we found just off the Old Chichén.” He smiled and motioned for the team to follow.
* * *
They followed a narrow path through the jungle, which turned into more rugged terrain. Nearly twenty minutes later, they came out to a clearing on a slight hill, where seven stones stood in a circle. T
o Rowan, it looked like the henges he had studied in Britain. In the center, stood a stone altar with a V-shaped notch in the middle of it. There was a series of stone channels that ran from the altar to each of the upright pillars.
“Wow!” Rowan studied one of the monoliths. It was covered in hieroglyphs. Each symbol was different. Some were faces, either in profile or front-facing. Others were nondescript shapes. Some were animals, but like none that he had ever seen. “Look at that,” he said, breathlessly. “Looks like a 70’s VW bus,” Jean-René scoffed from behind the camera. “That one looks like an old Airstream camper.”
A foot. A button... and yes, an Airstream camper. Rowan turned to Enrique. “So what do these mean?”
Enrique gazed towards the top of the monolith. “Reading Maya is like reading Korean. But there’s no Rosetta stone to help us interpret the glyphs. We do know many, maybe even most of the symbols. The Mayan language isn’t completely dead. Maya people still live here.”
“We met some yesterday.” Rowan used his phone to snap some pictures to send to Lauren. He knew she’d be interested in the henge.
“Ancient Mayan was usually written in blocks arranged in columns two blocks wide. Deciphering the writing is a long and laborious process.”
“So you’ve deciphered some of these?” Rowan asked.
“This is the glyph for the word b’alam, or the jaguar.” Dr. DeLaFuentes pointed at one of the markings. “That might mean this is an altar to honor the Jaguar King. The jaguar is representative of power, ferocity, and valor. He is the embodiment of aggressiveness. Ek b’alam is also called the Jaguar God, the god of the Underworld.” He walked over to the tallest of the seven pillars. “This series of glyphs tell us about the Jaguar Queen. This has been the only one we found here that specifically relates to a woman. There is a jaguar goddess. She is related to childbirth, but this glyph is about an actual queen who lived during the height of the Maya empire. She was the bride of the Jaguar King. It says that she made the journey through the underworld and fell from the sky.”
“Fell from the sky? Like an astronaut or like ... like a parachute?” Wonder filled Rowan’s voice. The symbol in the center of the pillar did look a bit like a parachute.
The Jaguar Queen Page 4
