Plate 20, Well at Bolonchen
(on stone, by H. Warren) |
The town of Bolonchen (“The
Village of Nine Wells”) is located on the Yucatán
peninsula and is known today for its magnificent caves. It is
in a desert region of Mexico, where there are no rivers and the
only source of fresh water flows deep beneath limestone shelves.
Catherwood’s drawing emphasizes the physical labor involved
in obtaining water in this part of the world, while at the same
time creating a romantic perspective on the mysteries of the Maya
people. Light floods in from the mouth of the cave, yet the only
illumination at the bottom of the cavern is the incandescent glow
of a single torch. The rest of the cave is lost to darkness. One
can hardly imagine the labor involved in building this ladder
which provides the only access to the well below.
Stephens and Catherwood, as well as other scholars of the time,
wrote about the descendants of the ancient Maya as primitive and
lacking the glory of their ancestors. However, this 80-foot-tall
wooden ladder shows more than a glimmer of the past. Like their
ancestors, the Maya of the 19th century were quite capable of
using raw materials in a skillful and functional manner. [Spanish
version].
KATE O’CONNOR-MORRIS and AYLA SCHLOSSER |