How does that line go?
"New York, New York/ so good they named it twice."
That is exactly how I feel about archaeology.
That is why I listed it as two separate factors:
"New York, New York/ so good they named it twice."
That is exactly how I feel about archaeology.
That is why I listed it as two separate factors:
- archaeological sites within driving distance
- central location for other archaeological sites
When I was in my teens, ancient civilizations fascinated me. Egypt. Babylonia. Greece. Rome.
I read whatever I could find. To this day, I remember an afternoon in 1964 when I first saw a photograph of "Ram in a Thicket" (pictured at the top of this post). I was hooked.
Other than a few courses, I did not followup on my love for archaeology until the summer of 1973 when I moved to Greece for a year.
For someone interested in archaeology, living in Greece was every bit as satisfying as an actor spending a year on Broadway. I visited the big sites. Some small sites. Helped on a dig. Went off searching on my own.
I then used those newly-developed skills during my two years in Great Britain. And saw the original Ram in the British Museum. It was almost as if I was reunited with a long-lost love.
If my archaeological background sounds Eurocentric. It is.
But, when I decided to move to Mexico, I knew I had hit the Indiana Jones jackpot. Troweling through new layers of old civilizations was enticement enough for me to head south.
Most people have a very limited knowledge of archaeological sites in Mexico. They know about the pyramid of the sun or the sites in Oxaca or the big sites on the Yucatan.
But those places are the Disneylands of archaeology. Big. Bombastic. Reconstructed. And as sterile as a maiden aunt's bathroom.
The west coast of Mexico offers some fascinating sites. Colima is a perfect example. But there are also petroglyphs and barrow tombs. Archaeology on a human scale.
Melaque meets half of the two factors. There are archaeological sites near to town. But it certainly is not central.
So, why have I not got out in the last two months to see the local sites?
We all know the answer. But, now that Jiggs is feeling better, I feel comfortable leaving him for a half-day at a time.
That will give me time to visit the sites around Colima -- a two-hour drive from here. I may need to make my visits in series.
Melaque gets high marks on the first factor, not so much on the second.
I have had this dream for 45 years. Now is the time to put it into practice.
I read whatever I could find. To this day, I remember an afternoon in 1964 when I first saw a photograph of "Ram in a Thicket" (pictured at the top of this post). I was hooked.
Other than a few courses, I did not followup on my love for archaeology until the summer of 1973 when I moved to Greece for a year.
For someone interested in archaeology, living in Greece was every bit as satisfying as an actor spending a year on Broadway. I visited the big sites. Some small sites. Helped on a dig. Went off searching on my own.
I then used those newly-developed skills during my two years in Great Britain. And saw the original Ram in the British Museum. It was almost as if I was reunited with a long-lost love.
If my archaeological background sounds Eurocentric. It is.
But, when I decided to move to Mexico, I knew I had hit the Indiana Jones jackpot. Troweling through new layers of old civilizations was enticement enough for me to head south.
Most people have a very limited knowledge of archaeological sites in Mexico. They know about the pyramid of the sun or the sites in Oxaca or the big sites on the Yucatan.
But those places are the Disneylands of archaeology. Big. Bombastic. Reconstructed. And as sterile as a maiden aunt's bathroom.
The west coast of Mexico offers some fascinating sites. Colima is a perfect example. But there are also petroglyphs and barrow tombs. Archaeology on a human scale.
Melaque meets half of the two factors. There are archaeological sites near to town. But it certainly is not central.
So, why have I not got out in the last two months to see the local sites?
We all know the answer. But, now that Jiggs is feeling better, I feel comfortable leaving him for a half-day at a time.
That will give me time to visit the sites around Colima -- a two-hour drive from here. I may need to make my visits in series.
Melaque gets high marks on the first factor, not so much on the second.
I have had this dream for 45 years. Now is the time to put it into practice.
