Tzintzutzan–Thursday, February 19th

Today we visited Tzintzutzan–in Purhepecha it translates to ‘the Place of the Hummingbirds’. We spent the morning exploring the ‘yacatas’ which are believed to have been the bases for the Purhepechas’ temples. Even though Tzintzutzan is called the place of the hummingbird, we only saw a few buzzing around in the trees. I did see many different birds including robins, warblers, a black backed oriole (yes, one of those vicious, monarch-eating creatures!!) and a vermillion flycatcher! It’s not the best photo, but I am thrilled to see have seen one!

Here is a yacata that had been restored. When the Spaniards came to this region in the 1500’s, they destroyed much of the temples in an attempt to destroy the culture and religion of the indigenous people. Archaeologists have restored many of the yacatas.

This stone depicts Purhepecha calendar symbols!

As we drove through the hills and mountains and along the streets of Mexico, one thing that we saw time and time again were dogs. Dogs in the streets, dogs at the pyramids, dogs in the school and dogs on the roof! Yes! Dogs on the roof! Why? One of the teachers asked our guide and he told us that the Mexican people often disciplined their dogs by placing them on the roof when they misbehaved. After a certain amount of time, the dogs were allowed to come back down to the ground and resume regular activities. What an interesting form of discipline!

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