Factor #2 -- archaeological sites within driving distance
Factor #3 -- central location for other archaeological sites
"Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?" One of the classic lines from film.
If I had played the role of Joey, my answer would have been: "You bet, Captain Oveur!"
And I always have. Costume dramas fascinated me as long ago as I can recall. Egyptian. Babylonian. Greek. Roman. It did not matter. I wanted to learn about all of them. In high school, my bedroom looked as if Julius Caesar was moving in. That may be one reason why I grabbed the offer when Uncle Sam offered to send me to Greece as a cold warrior.
I learned to love several things in Greece, but primarily archaeology. I still remember my first sightings of the Parthenon and Acrocorinth. I felt as if I had come home.
Mexico gives me an opportunity to trowel through other layers of civilization. That is why being near archaeological sites is important to me.
If I had played the role of Joey, my answer would have been: "You bet, Captain Oveur!"
And I always have. Costume dramas fascinated me as long ago as I can recall. Egyptian. Babylonian. Greek. Roman. It did not matter. I wanted to learn about all of them. In high school, my bedroom looked as if Julius Caesar was moving in. That may be one reason why I grabbed the offer when Uncle Sam offered to send me to Greece as a cold warrior.
I learned to love several things in Greece, but primarily archaeology. I still remember my first sightings of the Parthenon and Acrocorinth. I felt as if I had come home.
Mexico gives me an opportunity to trowel through other layers of civilization. That is why being near archaeological sites is important to me.
Is this factor still important to me?
Apparently, I was not listening to me. Yes. Very important.
Grade for Melaque:
B
OK. I can hear all of those atlases opening up. If you find Melaque on the west coast and compare it with the archaeological sites everyone seems to visit, you will immediately notice: they are not close to Melaque.
The pyramid of the sun is what most people think of when visiting Mexico -- or any of the other big sites in Oxaca or on the Yucatan. But those places are the Disneylands of archaeology. Big. Bombastic. Reconstructed. And as sterile as my aunt's bathroom.
Now take a look at this map.
You will find no great pyramids. But each dot represents an archaeological site of importance. Some explored. Some not. Some are petroglyphs. Some are small platforms. But they all tell interesting tales of people who lived where I want to live. I suspect I could spend years studying each of these sites.
And recall from my earlier posts. I have already met a retired archaeologist, who lives in Mealque, and who is willing to show me several of these sites.
On this point, Melaque is a winner. I would have awarded an A here, except for the fact that size sometimes matters to me. I like the big sites now and then.
Next post: "warm, sunny days; cool nights" -- I feel another marginal grade on the way.
Apparently, I was not listening to me. Yes. Very important.
Grade for Melaque:
B
OK. I can hear all of those atlases opening up. If you find Melaque on the west coast and compare it with the archaeological sites everyone seems to visit, you will immediately notice: they are not close to Melaque.
The pyramid of the sun is what most people think of when visiting Mexico -- or any of the other big sites in Oxaca or on the Yucatan. But those places are the Disneylands of archaeology. Big. Bombastic. Reconstructed. And as sterile as my aunt's bathroom.
Now take a look at this map.
You will find no great pyramids. But each dot represents an archaeological site of importance. Some explored. Some not. Some are petroglyphs. Some are small platforms. But they all tell interesting tales of people who lived where I want to live. I suspect I could spend years studying each of these sites.
And recall from my earlier posts. I have already met a retired archaeologist, who lives in Mealque, and who is willing to show me several of these sites.
On this point, Melaque is a winner. I would have awarded an A here, except for the fact that size sometimes matters to me. I like the big sites now and then.
Next post: "warm, sunny days; cool nights" -- I feel another marginal grade on the way.
