The Pyramid of Sun Mexico

The Pyramid of Sun is the largest building in Teotihuacan and Mesoamerica. The name derives from Aztecs, who visited the Teotihuacan during abandoned times. However, the name given to Pyramid by the Teotihuacanos is not confirmed. The Pyramid is found along the Avenue of the Dead, in between the Pyramid of the Moon and the Ciudadela, and in the shadow of the massive mountain Cerro Gordo. The pyramid rises 216 feet above ground level, and it measures about 720 by 760 feet at its base. It was constructed of about 1,000,000 cubic yards of material.

The two phase construction brought the size making the third largest Pyramid in the world, just over half and height of the Great Pyramid of Giza. However, the second phase construction could not survive into modern times. The Pyramid lime plaster imported from nearby areas, with dazzlingly colored murals. As the time passes, the Pyramid paint and plaster have no longer visible. The temple on the top of pyramid demolished deliberately and natural forces has prevented identification of the Pyramid. 

The structure orientation had some anthropological significance, August 12, and April 29 is divinatory Calendar year for the Teotihuacanos. Hence, August 12, is most important actually marked the date of beginning of the present era and initial day of the Maya long count calendar. The Pyramid was built on a man-made tunnel, and it is believed that place could have been used as royal tomb. There’re sacrificial objects found inside the Pyramid and same objects have been discovered at the nearby Pyramid of the Moon. 

A unique historical artifact discovered near the foot of the pyramid is now in the British Museum's collection. Moreover, the burial sites of children have been found in excavations at the corners of the pyramid, and thought these burials were part of a sacrificial ritual dedicating the building of the pyramid. The city and civilization was decline after 450 CE is not confirmed. Although, archaeologists believe, that climate change severe droughts led to internal unrest may have caused the destruction of the city. Nowadays, Teotihuacan is a widespread tourist destination replete with museums and ongoing archaeological investigation.

The Shiprock of New Mexico

Shiprock or “The Winged Rock” is a monadnock rising approximately 1,583 feet above the high-desert plain of the Navajo Nation in San Juan County, New Mexico, United States. It is located in the center of the Ancient Pueblo People, a prehistoric Native American culture often referred to as the Anasazi. It is the most noticeable landmark in northwestern New Mexico. Shiprock peak elevation is approximately 7,177 feet above sea level and it lies around 10.75 miles southwest of the town of Shiprock, which is named for the peak.

Well, the formation is four corners region and plays a significant role in Navajo religion mythology and tradition. Thus, Shiprock is composed of fractured volcanic breccia and black dikes of igneous rock called minette. It is the erosional leftover of the throat of a volcano, and the volcanic breccia formed in a diatreme. Moreover, shiprock is famous location for rock climbers and has been featured in several Hollywood movies and novels. It is also consider a heaven for photographer to take stunning photographs.  Furthermore "Shiprock" or Shiprock peak's has similarity to an enormous 19th-century clipper ship. Anglos first called the peak "The Needle", a name indicate that "Ship Rock" dates from the 1870s. The exposed rock probably was originally formed 2,500–3000 feet below the Earth's surface, and exposed after millions of years of erosion. 

Shiprock and the surrounding land have religious and historical significance to the Navajo people and has mentioned in numerous of their myths and legends. Navajo legends put the peak in a larger geographic context, and said to be either a medicine pouch or a bow carried by the "Goods of Value Mountain", a large mythic male figure comprising several mountain features throughout the region. Navajo legend has it that Bird Monsters nested on the peak and fed on human flesh. The peak is mentioned in stories from the Enemy Side Ceremony and the Navajo Mountain Chant, and is allied with the Bead Chant and the Naayee'ee Ceremony. The legend of the rock seems more likely to be a metaphor hinting of the site's magical power to lift the human soul above the problems of daily existence into an awareness of the Great Spirit.

Therefore, the first recorded ascent was in 1939, by a Sierra Club party including David Brower, Raffi Bedayn, Bestor Robinson and John Dyer. So, this was the first climb in the United States to use expansion bolts for protection. After that at least seven routes have been climbed on the peak, all of them of great technical difficulty. Moreover, the first ascent route is featured in the book Fifty Classic Climbs of North America; however, the idea of climbing Shiprock is offensive to numerous Navajo people; climbing has been illegal since 1970. 

In spite of this, rock climbers continue to see Shiprock as an interesting place to climb. Even more serious than the possible physical harm illegal climbs could pose is the religious damage done to the Navajo people by these non-Navajo visitors. The Monuments are sacred to the Navajo, and any human interaction is strictly off limits. Please abide by the humble religious requests of the Navajo people and do not climb the Monuments. Navajo law will be firmly enforced on this issue, Parks Department Manager Ray Russell also added.

“Basalt Prisms” An Ideal Picnic Place in Mexico

Los Prismas Basálticos also called “Basalt Prisms” is tall columns of basalt rock that line a ravine through which water runs from the San Antonio Dam, which falls through the prisms and into the river. This ravine area was part of the Santa María Regla Hacienda and it was first promoted by Alexander von Humboldt in 1803. So are let you to be amazed by the natural beauty of the Basaltic Prisms, rock formations carved by water over millions of years, thus formed in a flawless geometric structure. This geologic phenomenon is really unique in the whole continent. Basaltic Prisms is located just 30 minutes from Pachuca, Hidalgo’s capital, in the town of Santa María Regla, these stone columns are listed in one of the 13 natural wonders. 

 

It is perfectly surrounded by forests and lush green vegetation, and picture-perfect for hiking, or taking trips in hot air balloons and camping, and are a “must visit” landmark in Hidalgo. These’re an extensive network of cracks often develop in basalt, which may extend several meters deep. These cracks tend to leave columns between them which are approximately hexagonal six sides in shape. They’re around 98 feet high and their flanks are washed by the Azul and San Antonio Regla dams, giving a natural sight that has long impacted local and foreign visitors. . The walls of the canyon, called the Barranca de Alcholoya, are lined by polygonal columns between 30 to 35 meters high with six sides. It is believed that the basalt columns were formed by the slow cooling of volcanic lava. The noticeable columns are backed by even more polygonal basalt columns. There’re two waterfalls. The higher one has its water supplemented by diversions from adjacent dams. The lower one is called the Cascada de la Rosa. The canyon has been prepared by the addition of stairs, walkways and hanging bridges for easy access. Therefore among the most famous & recognized examples of basalt columns or pavements in the world are Giant’s Causeway (Northern Ireland), Fingal’s Cave (Scotland) and Devil’s Postpile (California, USA).

Well, to wander among its rocks, get wet in the waterfall formed by spring water, and later, relish a picnic in the nearby green areas. This is the ideal place, where you can spend a day full of intense adventure with your family and friends, and when the sun goes down, prepare you tent and spend the night in the valley, surrounded by the forest and relishing the attractive view. You can also flee the heat to cool down in the nearby swimming pools, play football, basketball and volleyball in their courts, go horseback riding in the surrounding areas or take boat trips on the San Antonio dam. Moreover you can bring your own food for a picnic or have a food at the stands set inside the tourist area presenting typical local dishes such as barbacoa, enchiladas served with salted meat, pastes and other jewels of Hidalgo’s cuisine. In conclusion, if you wish to keep the best souvenirs of the prisms in the palm of your hand, don’t forget to visit the handicraft shops offering objects made of obsidian, clay and wood, as well as garments made of wool, and many other curiosities.

Source: Charismatic Planet

The Unique Shaped Tent Rocks

Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks is a distinctive group of rock formations situated in the foothills of the Jemez Mountains, north-central New Mexico, U.S., between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, about 40 miles southwest of the latter. The Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks features big tent-shaped rocks hugging the steep cliffs of Peralta Canyon, the product of potent forces of vulcanism and erosion, which have built up and then torn down this landscape. The unique cone-shaped tent rock shaped out of pumice, ash, and tuff deposits more than 1,000 feet thick that escapes from volcanic eruptions from Jemez volcanic field that occurred six to seven million years ago.

Over this, “pyroclastic flow” composed of rock fragments and searing hot gases blasted down slopes in an incandescent avalanche. Over time, wind and water cut into these deposits, creating canyons and arroyos, scooping holes in the rock, and contouring the ends of small, inward ravines into smooth semi-circles. As a result, the tent rocks cones have cores composed of soft pumice and tuff beneath harder cap-rocks. Some tents have lost their hard, resistant cap-rocks and are decaying. While fairly uniform in shape, the tent rock formations vary in height from a few feet up to 90 feet. The Kasha-Katuwe area was populated by humans for over 7,000 years. 

In the history, during the 15th century the ancestors of present-day Pueblo Indian peoples built pueblos here and left numerous petroglyphs and ruins to make available evidence of their habitation. Even though a Spanish expedition was passed through in 1598, the first modern settlers even did not arrive until the late 1700s. The unique monument’s name is derived from the Keresan language of the area’s Pueblo people which means ‘white cliffs’. The area was designated a National Monument in 2001.

 

Source: Charismatic Planet

The Petrified Waterfalls of Hierve el Agua Mexico

One of the most eye-catching natural attractions in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca, Hierve el Agua provides an unusual and off-the-beaten-path travel experience. It’s a top ecotourism destination in Oaxaca, particularly popular among naturalists, hikers and photographers. Hierve el Agua is located in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, about 70 km east of Oaxaca City, and 14 kilometers southeast of the town of Mitla. In Spanish Hierve el Agua means “the water boils”, and the name derives from the bubbling natural mineral springs that are originate here, that run into bathing pools on a gorgeous cliff-top location. When you see Hierve el Agus from some distance you’ll feel that a massive waterfalls frozen on the side of the mountain. But ice is impossible in this hot climate. 

These’re actually mineral deposits formed over thousands of years as a result of the mineral-laden water spilling over the edge of the cliff and trickling down the rocky mountain side. As the water runs down the rock face, it forms large stalactites similar to the structures to those found in caves. It is difficult to resist a soak in the springs at Hierve el Agua, because the minerals in the water are believed to be beneficial for the skin and the views from the two cliff-top bathing pools, both of which offer extensive panoramas of the valleys below, are some of the most spectacular in Oaxaca. 

Hierve el Agua is just like a rock formation and consists of two waterfalls. These’re formed on cliffs that rise over 50 meters from the valley floor, with one “Waterfalls” reaching down 12 meters and the other reaching down 30 meters. The 12 meter one is called "Cascada Chica" which means small waterfall and "Flows" off a base which is about 60 meters wide. However the other is called "Cascada Grande" which means large waterfall, and spreads down from a base with which is around 90 meters wide and 80 meters above the valley floor. Moreover the more straightforwardly accessible and more often visited of the two waterfalls is the "Cascada Chica". It is also called the Amphitheatre. 

In springs; the waters are over saturated with calcium carbonate, which is what gets deposited forming the waterfalls-like rock structures. The waters, with their high mineral content, are reputed to have healing qualities, and you’ll see tourists soaking in the waters in one of the natural pools at the top of the rock. Hiking is considering a great favorite activity at this place, there’re lot of trails and walking paths at Hierve el Agua. Most of hiking tracks in less than an hour, including the central trail that leads down the side of the mountain to the base of the petrified falls where it is possible to get a close view of the mineral formations and even do a bit of climbing as well. Therefore; Hierve el Agua is a best visited on day trips and guided tours from Oaxaca City. Some basic cabanas and a few small restaurants cater to overnight visitors.

There’re large impressive traditional swimming pool, and dining facilities above the actual Hierve el Agua site. A lot of small well maintained restaurants alongside the shady, palm leaf palapa; there's an equal number of row-house hotel suites close by, constructed years earlier. It is not known when any of it will be operational. There’re basic washroom facilities adjacent, and more down at Hierve el Agua itself, adjoining rudimentary change rooms. Moreover; the village where Hierve el Agua is located, San Isidro Roaguía, has a few small stores and a restaurant. If you’re really nature lover, then you select the scenic rout of Highway 190, passing by a few quaint roadside mezcal factories, as well as El Tigre, a combined comedor and mezcal palenque about ½ kilometer before the San Lorenzo turnoff, from where Hierve el Agua has traditionally been accessed.

Source: Charismatic Planet