 |
 1942 D MERCURY 90 SILVER DIME IN BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED $8.95 Time Remaining: 1h 46m |
 2005 D BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED ROOSEVELT FREE SHIPPING $1.95 Time Remaining: 18d 13h 36m Buy It Now for only: $1.95 |
 1957 ROOSEVELT SILVER DIME VERY NICE BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED $2.64 (5 Bids) Time Remaining: 2h 36m |
 2010 P BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED OBW MINT NF STRING DIME ROLL FREE SHIPPING SHARP $9.79 Time Remaining: 15d 2h 14m Buy It Now for only: $9.79 |
 1946 D SILVER Rare NGC MS 66 GEM BRILLIANT FIRST YEAR Roosevelt DIME US COIN $20.01 (10 Bids) Time Remaining: 3h 32m |
 1946 ROOSEVELT DIME GEM BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED LUSTER 7248 $3.75 (2 Bids) Time Remaining: 3h 47m |
 2009 D BU ROOSEVELT DIME BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED $1.65 Time Remaining: 28d 2h 8m Buy It Now for only: $1.65 |
 1946 D ROOSEVELT DIME GEM BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED LUSTER 7298A $3.75 (2 Bids) Time Remaining: 3h 49m |
 2009 P BU ROOSEVELT DIME BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED $1.85 Time Remaining: 28d 2h 8m Buy It Now for only: $1.85 |
 1947 S ROOSEVELT DIME GEM BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED LUSTER 7349A $6.38 (3 Bids) Time Remaining: 3h 50m |
 1952 S ROOSEVELT DIME GEM BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED LUSTER 7399A $8.05 (4 Bids) Time Remaining: 3h 53m |
 1969 D 10c Brilliant Uncirculated Roosevelt Dime $1.44 Time Remaining: 10d 2h 28m Buy It Now for only: $1.44 |
 1943 S MERCURY DIME 90 SILVER COIN AMAZING BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED DIME $14.50 (7 Bids) Time Remaining: 3h 56m |
 1971 P BU ROOSEVELT DIME BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED $2.15 Time Remaining: 27d 3h Buy It Now for only: $2.15 |
 1953 S ROOSEVELT DIME BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED LUSTER 6354 81A $3.25 (2 Bids) Time Remaining: 4h 2m |
 1954 S ROOSEVELT DIME BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED LUSTER 6382 6413A $3.25 (2 Bids) Time Remaining: 4h 5m |
 1986 P 10c Brilliant Uncirculated Roosevelt Dime $1.54 Time Remaining: 21d 18h 58m Buy It Now for only: $1.54 |
 2011 P D Roosevelt Dimes Brilliant Uncirculated Set $1.45 Time Remaining: 4h 51m Buy It Now for only: $1.75 |
 2010 D BU ROOSEVELT DIME BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED $1.55 Time Remaining: 28d 2h 22m Buy It Now for only: $1.55 |
 1941 P Silver Mercury Dime Brilliant Uncirculated Nice Split Bands $4.24 (3 Bids) Time Remaining: 4h 52m |
 1958 D ROOSEVELT DIME LUSTROUS BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED 7191A $2.99 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 4h 54m |
 2008 P BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED ROOSEVELT FREE SHIPPING $1.85 Time Remaining: 28d 17h 40m Buy It Now for only: $1.85 |
 1942 P Silver Mercury Dime Brilliant Uncirculated Nice Split Bands $2.38 (2 Bids) Time Remaining: 4h 54m |
 1998 P BU ROOSEVELT DIME BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED $1.55 Time Remaining: 27d 5h 15m Buy It Now for only: $1.55 |
 1946 D SILVER Rare NGC MS 66 GEM BRILLIANT FIRST YEAR Roosevelt DIME US COIN $14.79 (8 Bids) Time Remaining: 4h 56m |
 1942 D Silver Mercury Dime Brilliant Uncirculated Full Split Bands $4.24 (4 Bids) Time Remaining: 4h 57m |
 1969 P BU ROOSEVELT DIME BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED $2.95 Time Remaining: 27d 2h 45m Buy It Now for only: $2.95 |
 1945 D Silver Mercury Dime Brilliant Uncirculated Full Split Bands $4.24 (4 Bids) Time Remaining: 5h 4m |
 1965 BU ROOSEVELT DIME BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED $1.55 Time Remaining: 27d 2h 16m Buy It Now for only: $1.55 |
 1962 ROOSEVELT SILVER GEM BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED AWESOME TONING $3.99 Time Remaining: 7h 16m |
 1963 Roosevelt 90 Silver Dime Coin Brilliant White Uncirculated $2.60 (5 Bids) Time Remaining: 15h 43m |
 2010 P BU ROOSEVELT DIME BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED $1.45 Time Remaining: 28d 2h 21m Buy It Now for only: $1.45 |
 1963 Roosevelt 90 Silver Dime Coin Brilliant White Uncirculated $2.65 (6 Bids) Time Remaining: 15h 43m |
 2011 P MINT BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED ROOSEVELT DIME VERY NICE COINS HIGH LUSTER $1.89 Time Remaining: 10h 22m Buy It Now for only: $1.89 |
 1963 Roosevelt 90 Silver Dime Coin Brilliant White Uncirculated $2.65 (6 Bids) Time Remaining: 15h 43m |
 1985 S PROOF GEM BU ROOSEVELT DIME PR PF US BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED 10 CENT COIN $1.99 Time Remaining: 17h 21m |
 2008 P BU ROOSEVELT DIME BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED $1.65 Time Remaining: 28d 2h 6m Buy It Now for only: $1.65 |
 1987 S PROOF GEM BU ROOSEVELT DIME PR PF US BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED 10 CENT COIN $1.99 Time Remaining: 17h 21m |
 1955 S Choice Brilliant Uncirculated Roosevelt Dime $4.29 Time Remaining: 23d 20h 30m Buy It Now for only: $4.29 |
 1985 S PROOF GEM BU ROOSEVELT DIME PR PF US BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED 10 CENT COIN $1.99 Time Remaining: 17h 21m |
 1985 S PROOF GEM BU ROOSEVELT DIME PR PF US BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED 10 CENT COIN $1.99 Time Remaining: 17h 21m |
 1949 D Brilliant Uncirculated Roosevelt Dime See Pics $12.95 Time Remaining: 28d 1h 29m Buy It Now for only: $12.95 |
 1987 S PROOF GEM BU ROOSEVELT DIME PR PF US BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED 10 CENT COIN $1.99 Time Remaining: 17h 21m |
 1979 P BU ROOSEVELT DIME BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED $1.45 Time Remaining: 27d 3h 35m Buy It Now for only: $1.45 |
 1987 S PROOF GEM BU ROOSEVELT DIME PR PF US BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED 10 CENT COIN $1.99 Time Remaining: 17h 57m |
 1987 S PROOF GEM BU ROOSEVELT DIME PR PF US BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED 10 CENT COIN $1.99 Time Remaining: 17h 57m |
 1968 D BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED ROOSEVELT DIME VERY SHARP $1.89 Time Remaining: 26d 4h 56m Buy It Now for only: $1.89 |
 1988 S PROOF GEM BU ROOSEVELT DIME PR PF US BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED 10 CENT COIN $2.99 Time Remaining: 18h 54m |
 2007 PD BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED ROOSEVELT DIMES NICE $3.29 Time Remaining: 18d 17h Buy It Now for only: $3.29 |
 1991 S PROOF GEM BU ROOSEVELT DIME PR PF US BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED 10 CENT COIN $3.99 Time Remaining: 18h 54m |
 1989 S PROOF GEM BU ROOSEVELT DIME PR PF US BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED 10 CENT COIN $3.99 Time Remaining: 18h 54m |
 2007 PD BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED ROOSEVELT 2 DIME SET $2.19 Time Remaining: 26d 17h 9m Buy It Now for only: $2.19 |
 1988 S PROOF GEM BU ROOSEVELT DIME PR PF US BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED 10 CENT COIN $2.99 Time Remaining: 18h 54m |
 1977 D BU ROOSEVELT DIME BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED $1.45 Time Remaining: 27d 3h 27m Buy It Now for only: $1.45 |
 1987 S PROOF GEM BU ROOSEVELT DIME PR PF US BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED 10 CENT COIN $1.99 Time Remaining: 18h 54m |
 1988 S PROOF GEM BU ROOSEVELT DIME PR PF US BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED 10 CENT COIN $2.99 Time Remaining: 18h 54m |
 1978 P BU ROOSEVELT DIME BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED $1.45 Time Remaining: 27d 3h 32m Buy It Now for only: $1.45 |
 1993 S PROOF GEM BU ROOSEVELT DIME PR PF US BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED 10 CENT COIN $3.99 Time Remaining: 18h 57m |
 1968 D BU ROOSEVELT DIME BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED $1.65 Time Remaining: 27d 2h 45m Buy It Now for only: $1.65 |
 Choice to Gem Brilliant Uncirculated RARE 2009D Roosevelt Dime from bank roll $2.25 Time Remaining: 22h 29m Buy It Now for only: $3.00 |
 2005 P GEM BRILLIANT UNCIRC ROOSEVELT DIME BRANDT INC SHOTGUN HEADS TAILS ROLL $8.99 Time Remaining: 22h 30m Buy It Now for only: $14.99 |
 1946 S Brilliant Uncirculated Roosevelt Dime See Pics $6.99 Time Remaining: 27d 19h 41m Buy It Now for only: $6.99 |
 2005 D GEM BRILLIANT UNCIRC ROOSEVELT DIME NF STRING SHOTGUN HEADS TAILS ROLL $8.99 Time Remaining: 22h 31m Buy It Now for only: $14.99 |
 2011 P BU ROOSEVELT DIME BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED $1.35 Time Remaining: 28d 2h 22m Buy It Now for only: $1.35 |
 129 TOTAL 1938 TO 2003 D CHOICE TO GEM BRILLIANT UNCIRC PROOF IN US MINT BOOK $149.99 Time Remaining: 23h 6m Buy It Now for only: $199.99 |
 Choice to Gem Brilliant Uncirculated RARE 2009D Roosevelt Dime from bank roll $2.25 Time Remaining: 23h 18m Buy It Now for only: $3.00 |
 2002 P BU ROOSEVELT DIME BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED $1.65 Time Remaining: 28d 1h 53m Buy It Now for only: $1.65 |
 1958 Brilliant Uncirculated Silver Dime BU Coin $3.49 Time Remaining: 1d 27m Buy It Now for only: $3.99 |
 2005 PD BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED ROOSEVELT 2 DIME SET NICE HIGH LUSTER SET $2.19 Time Remaining: 15d 6h 29m Buy It Now for only: $2.19 |
 Three Brilliant 1960 P Roosevelt Dimes $6.59 (7 Bids) Time Remaining: 1d 54m |
 1955 PDS BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED DIMES FROM MINT SET KEY DATES LOW MINTAGE $5.24 (2 Bids) Time Remaining: 1d 1h |
 2005 P BU ROOSEVELT DIME BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED $1.55 Time Remaining: 28d 2h 2m Buy It Now for only: $1.55 |
 1944 S Mercury Dime in Brilliant Condition $9.99 Time Remaining: 1d 1h 25m |
 1991 P BU ROOSEVELT DIME BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED $1.45 Time Remaining: 27d 5h 4m Buy It Now for only: $1.45 |
 1943 D MERCURY DIME 90 SILVER COIN VERY NICE BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED DIME $3.24 (3 Bids) Time Remaining: 1d 2h 32m |
 1929 MERCURY DIME 90 SILVER COIN BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED DIME $9.00 (7 Bids) Time Remaining: 1d 2h 36m |
 1984 D BU ROOSEVELT DIME BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED $1.55 Time Remaining: 27d 4h 29m Buy It Now for only: $1.55 |
 2009 D ROOSEVELT DIME BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED LOW MINTAGE DATE $2.95 Time Remaining: 1d 3h 33m Buy It Now for only: $3.95 |
 2006 PD BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED ROOSEVELT 2 DIME SET NICE HIGH LUSTER SET $2.19 Time Remaining: 15d 6h 25m Buy It Now for only: $2.19 |
 1965 Canada Silver Quarter Dollar Dime Brilliant Uncirculated Proof Like Coins $7.57 (6 Bids) Time Remaining: 1d 3h 41m |
 1946 ROOSEVELT DIME GEM BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED LUSTER 7249 $3.50 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 1d 3h 47m |
 2009 PD BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED ROOSEVELT DIMES NICE $3.29 Time Remaining: 18d 17h 3m Buy It Now for only: $3.29 |
 1946 D ROOSEVELT DIME GEM BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED LUSTER 7299A $3.50 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 1d 3h 49m |
 2002 PD BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED ROOSEVELT 2 DIME SET NICE HIGH LUSTER SET $2.19 Time Remaining: 10h 58m Buy It Now for only: $2.19 |
 1947 S ROOSEVELT DIME GEM BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED LUSTER 7350A $3.50 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 1d 3h 50m |
 1952 S ROOSEVELT DIME GEM BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED LUSTER 7400A $3.50 Time Remaining: 1d 3h 53m |
 1979 D BU ROOSEVELT DIME BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED $1.45 Time Remaining: 27d 3h 36m Buy It Now for only: $1.45 |
 1953 S ROOSEVELT DIME BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED LUSTER 6354 81A $2.99 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 1d 4h 2m |
 1975 P BU ROOSEVELT DIME BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED $1.65 Time Remaining: 27d 3h 14m Buy It Now for only: $1.65 |
 1954 S ROOSEVELT DIME BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED LUSTER 6382 6413A $2.99 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 1d 4h 5m |
 1949 S ROOSEVELT DIME BRILLIANT $40.00 Time Remaining: 1d 4h 22m |
 1954 S Choice Gem Brilliant Uncirculated Roosevelt Dime $5.29 Time Remaining: 20d 23h 37m Buy It Now for only: $5.29 |
 1958 D ROOSEVELT DIME LUSTROUS BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED 7192A $2.99 Time Remaining: 1d 4h 54m |
 1960 D Roosevelt Dime Brilliant Uncirulated GEM $4.50 Time Remaining: 23d 4h 13m Buy It Now for only: $4.50 |
 PCGS 1945 D SILVER Mercury Dime MS66 Brilliant UNC GEM BLAZER $25.00 Time Remaining: 1d 5h 8m |
 RARE 1936 D MERCURY DIME CHOICE BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED CLOSE TO FSB $27.95 Time Remaining: 1d 6h 13m Buy It Now for only: $49.95 |
 1989 D 10c Brilliant Uncirculated Roosevelt Dime $1.39 Time Remaining: 27d 7h 17m Buy It Now for only: $1.39 |
 1943 D Mercury Dime Choice BU Brilliant Unc Full Bands Silver $11.75 Time Remaining: 1d 17h 45m |
 2008 PD BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED ROOSEVELT DIMES NICE $3.29 Time Remaining: 18d 17h 1m Buy It Now for only: $3.29 |
 1939 D MERCURY DIME GEM BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED FROM ORIGINAL ROLL $4.75 (7 Bids) Time Remaining: 1d 18h 30m |
Dime Brilliant
Cholula, Mexico: The World's Largest Pyramid
Theodore P. Druch
One of Teotihuacan's earliest trading colonies was established about sixty miles to the southeast at Acholollan, known today as Cholula.
During the 1st century BC, a pyramid was constructed here in the Talud-tablero style, an unmistakable link, but the main growth of the city occurred long afterwards, and successive pyramids grew over and absorbed the earlier, until the final large structure built here was of an unusual design.
Whoever were the people who built it, they created a pyramid stepped all the way around so that the temple on top could be approached from any direction instead of just the usual cardinal compass points. In doing this, they accomplished something much more than merely a revolutionary design in the history of Mesoamerican pyramid architecture; they also erected the largest structure ever built on the face of the Earth.
Measuring more than a quarter-mile (1476 ft) on each side, and over 200 ft tall, the volume of this pyramid is an astounding 159 million cu ft, more than twice the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.
The Nahuatl Indians who may have built it, named it something that gringos are physiologically unable to pronounce but which means, rather unimaginatively I think, "artificial mountain." The name seems rather insipid in light of the monumental physical reality of the object itself and, since the pyramid complex was dedicated to Quetzalcoatl, "Mountain of the God" or something akin, would certainly have been more dramatic.
When the Toltec Indians conquered this place in 1200, it was already a ruin, though they continued to use the Temple of Quetzalcoatl as a ceremonial center. By the time the Conquistadores arrived, the almost completely earth covered pyramid was the place of anointment for Aztec kings, who believed it had been constructed by the mythological giant Xelhua (Shel-wa).
At this time, Acholollan, with about 100,000 people was second in size only to the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, which maintained an uneasy alliance with the generally rebellious Toltecs who didn't fully appreciate having their cities raided for sacrificial victims.
Into this less than pacific environment, the wily Hernan Cortez, in 1519, introduced an alliance with the Cholulan Toltecs who were happy to use the Spanish firepower against their traditional and mortal foes. However, themselves no slouches in the art of perfidy, the Cholulans also made a deal with the Aztecs to attack the Spanish when they weren't looking. At least, that was the claim made by Cortez when he vowed to destroy every one of the 365 pagan temples in the city and replace it with a church after a punitive massacre during which thousands of Indians were slaughtered.
Cortez missed by a mile though; there are only thirty-nine churches in Cholula, but considering that the modern city still has a population of about 100,000, that's nothing to sneeze at. In 1666 The Capilla de la Virgen de los Remedios was built directly on top of the earthen mound under which most of the pyramid is buried, and there it still sits, the safety of its magnificently gilded interior one of the main reasons that most of the pyramid remains unexcavated. Its exposed parts, however, still half buried in the man-made mountain, do provide a line of ruins along the grassy expanse of the central plaza which is larger in size than the entire citadels of many another ancient city.
Over the last hundred and fifty years of excavation, archaeologists have dug nearly five miles of tunnels through the rock solid adobe walls of the pyramid's base; narrow and low, with bottomless pits once used as water cisterns dotted throughout. These are fenced off for the safety of those adventurous or foolish enough to use the tunnels as a way to get to the main plaza.
Maria opted for the outside route, climbing up from the street. I went for the tunnels.
Occasional light bulbs, strung along the rough and pocked walls, illuminate the passages through which we must walk single file, the tallest of us bending forward to avoid striking our heads on the roof which narrows to an almost pointed arch overhead. The bulbs, spaced about twenty feet apart, create alternating chevrons of light and dark that stretch along the arrow straight corridors diminishing into the distance; like looking into a hair salon mirror reflecting the infinity of mirrors on the other side of the shop.
Besides being eerie, which is wonderful, it's also hot and uncomfortable, and I mentally prod our guide to hurry up with his explanations of the history of Cholula and the pyramid, which he recounts every time we reach a wider opening in the tunnel and are able to gather about. But our birth will not be an easy one and, after at least half-an-hour of winding about in the claustrophobic corridors, hoping that the electricity won't fail, the blinding light of day finally reaches us as, the path suddenly ascending, we struggle to release ourselves from the pyramid's subterranean grip.
The brilliant green of the plaza greets our eyes as, squinting against the brightness, we emerge from the bowels of the gigantic monument almost overwhelmed by the vast size of the ruin now stretching around us; stepped stone feet themselves emergent from the hillside, most of the interior still interred beneath the spectacular church perched high above.
Scattered about here and there on the greensward, rectangular holes covered with heavy glass contain the remains of people buried below; bleached skulls grin at us from within the grave which swallowed them up a thousand years ago. Other holes lead down into tombs whose occupants now greet visitors from glass cases in various museums.
The site is enormous; people wandering about appear tiny against the immensity of the sloping hillside. All along its nearly 1500 ft, the many parts making up the whole of the pyramid struggle to break free of the weight of centuries of deposition of dust and dirt; generally undisturbed by human occupation, almost indistinguishable from any other tree-covered hill in the area.
And there are three more equal sides to this thing!
Here and there, large pieces of the original stucco facing cling tenaciously to the uneven rocks piled together into walls, while larger, shaped stones build stairways which ascend either into partially excavated temples, or simply disappear into the grassy slopes. Occasional excavations have revealed the angled wall of the pyramid's base descending as much as thirty feet to the bottoms of the pits cut alongside. At one corner, the remains of a section of the original, four-story talud-tablero structure have been partially reconstructed in what the archaeologists believe was its original magnificence, complete with fancy brickwork and carvings. Even this building, one of the smallest to have been buried within the Great Pyramid, is 250 ft on a side, and people climbing the hundred or so high, steep steps of the monumental western stairway are dwarfed by it.
One of the most interesting finds was a mural, almost 200 ft long, depicting what seems to be a drinking scene with figures in various stages of inebriation lounging about in a large room. Pulque, an indigenous and, I am told, extremely potent beverage fermented from the maguey aloe, seems to have played a major role in ancient religious ceremonies. Whether it was used for ordinary parties is unknown, but those of us who've spent any amount of time in college drinking orgies will recognize the scenes on the mural with a certain wistful fondness in which memories of the dry heaves and brain-wrenching hangovers take a back seat.
The trek to the top of the hill and the Capilla, takes us to one of the most beautiful churches in Mexico, where beautiful churches are "a dime a dozen."
It is difficult to find anything approaching a Gothic Cathedral in Mexico. The dark, somber, forbidding - and foreboding - atmosphere of the magnificent European churches, couldn't find an echo in Mesoamerica. The overwhelming style here is Baroque, mainly inspired by the Italian Churriguerra family of architects, often reviled in Europe for wretched excess in rococo design.
Many of Mexico's greatest churches were designed and built in this fashion, but what in Europe was kitsch, here, in the hands of skilled Indian artists and craftsmen, was transformed into a colorful and lively exposition of the ancient indigenous animistic tradition, filling their interiors and exteriors with brilliantly colored figures and designs, nominally Christian, but joyously pagan in expression. The Saints and angels were depicted with ancient symbols representing various aspects of the old gods, but eventually, under the new Spanish regime, their memory faded away and the old gods and the new became indistinguishable one from the other.
Mexican churches are filled with light, and the golden retables, altars, candlesticks and chalices glow brightly, filling them with gleaming splendor; hardly any piece of wood is not burnished with gold leaf. But the greatest glory is in the brilliantly painted figures of saints, angels, cupids, and old Indian deities which fill every nook and cranny. The over-all effect is not unlike the interior of a chandelier shop; the shapes are all different, but they're everywhere you look, and the whole makes a single brilliance.
Where the Gothic cathedrals of Europe celebrate eternal life over physical death, the churches of Mexico celebrate earthly life - colorful, vibrant, exciting life in all its aspects and forms - life, real life, far and away triumphant over death, or at least the fear of it.
An illusion, perhaps, but one which has inspired some of the most beautiful church decoration anywhere. Tiles in every shape and color decorate the exteriors, while plasterwork moldings and sculptures, painted in brilliant hues, fill every possible inch of space within; as gaudy as any tasteless European extravaganza, but with the saving grace of being authentic - an expression of the artist's true milieu rather than merely a job mimicking the style of a different time and place. Church exteriors may be filled with carvings, painted or not, and painted tiles in pleasing patterns. They may be architecturally ornate or adobe simple, but they are always colorful and inviting, a place where people are happy to come and spend time; color and light attract not only moths. The fusion of Spanish Catholicism and Indian paganism created, to my mind, the most beautiful churches to be found anywhere on Earth.
Even in secular, non-church decoration, the Indian sensibility turned the Spanish glazed pottery from Talavera de la Reina in Spain, into something totally transformed; a fact we appreciated all the more when we visited the Spanish pottery shops several years later. We expected to see something marvelous; instead, we saw a pale prototype, for all its elegance and sophistication, of the magnificent Talavera style in Mexico.
From outside the church, a vista of magnificent proportions fills our senses. Below, the gigantic skeleton of the buried pyramid and its outliers spreads out, tiny human figures dotted about the green sea of the grassy field which engulfs them in its abundance. In the near distance, the domes and spires of Cholula's churches raise themselves above the streets and low houses of the city. In the far distance, thrusting above the sierran massif, Popocatepetl, one of the most active volcanoes on Earth, raises its glacier-covered sides nearly 18,000 ft into the clear Mexican sky, the thick plume of smoke pouring from its jagged cone providing the only cloud in the vast blue expanse of the heavens.
(This article is excerpted from my book, Footprints on a Small Planet, available at Amazon.com)
About the Author
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1939 on the eve of WWII, Theodore P. Druch, Ted to his friends, has misspent his life in various vain pursuits including an MA in Near Eastern Studies, several years as a resident at Timothy Leary's League for Spiritual Discovery in Millbrook, New York and later in an Ashram in Benson, Arizona; in San Francisco as a general contractor remodeling old Victorians (only their houses); as a neophyte computer geek helping his wife Maria in her fledgling software business; and finally, as a windblown vagabond, traipsing around the planet from one hemisphere to the other with Maria and their beloved Miniature Schnauzers Sherman and Schatzie.
Today, ensconced in a lovely house with an open atrium in the heart of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Ted has embarked upon a new incarnation as a writer, hoping to get all the above down on paper before his ultimate eviction from the world writes an unwelcome finis to his adventures.
Why do girls not like long relationships with me?
Now I'm aware that I'm only in high school but still I see relationships that seem to have been going on forever.
Anyways, I can get one week girlfriends like they're dime a dozen but I can't seem to have them stick. I suppose I might seem over obsessive when it comes to loving someone, but hey that's just me. I'm sort of a feminine guy but I am still tough and resilient, all my teachers say I am brilliant and I would say I'm pretty good looking.
So what I'm really asking is it me or is it them? What could i do? Whats the deal?
You sound EXACTLY like me.
Maybe they feel like you're a "player" or whatever. I honestly hate when I get called that.
Or maybe they're just not the right one? Sometimes, the best medicine is to wait. Actually, that's usually ALWAYS the best medicine. Eventually, the girl that will stick will come. I'm in high school too, and I waited. And now I have a girl that's sticking strong and is perfect. Trust me dude, the girl will come. Just make sure you don't overlook anything in the girls you find interest in. Make sure their traits and qualities make you happy, and make you want to be with them for years. Maybe wait two or three months before getting together with them. I know it probably seems like a while, but my dad wanted me to wait four, so yeah, haha. Don't worry, it will happen, you just need to be patient. She might even come to you when you're not even looking.
(:
Ami Miller Brilliant