Date Taken
Winter 1-25-2025
Category
Culture
Preview
Description
I had the honor to represent Nova Southeastern University at the XI International Symposium on Fish Parasites (my thesis is on parasites in stingrays) earlier this semester in the beautiful city of Mérida, Mexico. Mérida is the capital of the Mexican state of Yucatán and is characterized by its rich Mayan and colonial heritage.
During my time there, I was completely captivated by the cultural richness and historical significance of Mérida, such as the Mayan ruins and even the makech pendants worn by the locals (highly recommend you look up that legend!!). My favorite Mayan tradition was the art of wood carving. Mayan carving began in the first millennium B.C; when Mayan artists would sculpt in stone, wood, clay, and shell. These carvings represented folk art that reflected the cultural significance between ancient gods and the natural world.
While most of these ancient sculptures have lasted to the present day, the ancient sculptures made from wood are almost entirely lost. There are very few that survive that to the present because of the tropical environment and its humidity.
During my last day, I took this image of a large wood carving made by present-day artists to remind me of the community, tradition, and way of life of the Mayan people and their connection to natural world.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Keywords
Merida: Yucatán, Wood carvings