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Showing posts with label Clive Cussler novel~Maya Codex influence storyline. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Clive Cussler novel~Maya Codex influence storyline. Show all posts

Sunday, August 30, 2026

A COZY CORNER~Self-Care/Shabbat; Castle-Rock-WA

My husband was spoiling me today 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨 - so, I spent the entire Day finishing the Cussler-Fargo novel I've been reading this week 📘:

Cussler-Fargo adventure, 'The Mayan Secrets'
The ending of the story & an absolute end to tyrannical thievery in Santa Maria de Los Montanas, Mexico.
Apache Helicopter; Holland has worked on construction for personnel offices in the Phoenix location, where these helicopters are built. He was - and still is. impressed by these 'dragonfly looking' flying military machines.

{{Maya Tomb with 143 Pots is part of a major 2022–2024 excavation at Chochkitam, a lesser-known Maya site in the Guatemalan jungle near the borders of Mexico and Belize. Led by Tulane University archaeologist Francisco Estrada-Belli, the team uncovered a 1,700‑year‑old royal tomb dating to around 350 CE, during the height of the Maya Classic Period (250–900 CE).

The tomb, located beneath a pyramid, was remarkably well‑preserved despite looting — the only major damage was a collapsed stone ceiling. Inside, researchers found: A mosaic jade mask, a rare and sacred object believed to have been used in royal funerary rites; human femur bones inscribed with hieroglyphs, one depicts a previously unknown king, linked through royal lineage to the Maya states of Tikal and the central Mexican city of Teotihuacan; over 16 shells of spondylus, a rare spiny oyster used by Maya royalty as jewelry, currency, and in religious/sacrificial offerings; funerary pottery — while the exact count of 143 pots is not explicitly stated in the provided sources, the tomb contained multiple ceramic vessels, likely used for food, drink, and ritual offerings in the afterlife.

The discovery is considered a "lottery win: for archaeology because it provides rare, high-status artifacts from a period with very few surviving texts. The team first detected looter tunnels, using lider … a laser-based ground-pentrating technology, which "took X-rays of the jungle floor" to map hidden structures. They entered only about 2 meters from where looters had stopped, preserving much of the tomb's integrity.

Researchers are now conducting DNA analysis on the human remains and continuing excavations at Chochkitam to uncover more evidence of its connections to neighboring kingdoms. All artifacts will eventually be exhibited in Guatemala’s National Museum.

~Various information sources}}

I wasn't totally lazy though 😘 - I made a steamed supper 🥔🍠🥕🧄🥬🥚🍽️ 

Steamed Supper; potatoes, carrots, onions, cabbage, seasoned meatballs, & hard-boiled eggs.


MAYAN SECRESTS #1~August 25, 2026 - RISKY FRISKY~Self-Care 2026; Castle Rock-WA: https://roadgypsiesvalandholland.blogspot.com/2026/08/risky-friskyself-care-2026-castle-rock.html

MAYAN SECRESTS #2~August 26, 2026 - THE SONGBIRD HAS FLOWN~Self-Care 2026; Castle Rock-WA: https://roadgypsiesvalandholland.blogspot.com/2026/08/the-songbird-has-flownself-care-2026.html

MAYAN SECRESTS #3~August 28, 2026 - TENINO DRIVE~Self-Care 2026; Cathle Rock-WA https://roadgypsiesvalandholland.blogspot.com/2026/08/tenino-driveself-care-2026-cathle-rock.html

MAYAN SECRESTS #4~August 29, 2026 - GIFTING~Self-Care/Shabbat Eve; Castle Rock-WA https://roadgypsiesvalandholland.blogspot.com/2026/08/giftingself-careshabbat-eve-castle-rock.html

Saturday, August 29, 2026

GIFTING~Self-Care/Shabbat Eve; Castle Rock-WA

Today was all about gifting.

Holland had gifted himself … finally. He rarely spends $$$ on himself, so I was glad packages arrived for him.

Holland gifted me: a couple days ago, my headphones gutted out on me … and immediately, Holland went online and ordered me a new set - it was good of Elohim to make sure that everything arrived at the same time.

And my current Cussler-Fargo storyline is about thwarting greedy thieves; and gifting South America with their own artifacts, by the Fargo duo working with the governing leadership to stop black market criminals.

After coffee, we drove across the Columbia River to retrieve waiting packages:

Rainier-OR Post Office from Toutle River RV Resort, in Castle Rock-WA~via I-5 S; 23 min (20 mi)
Holland's piece for Betsy arrived - he's happy.
A water filter, so we'll be able to cut down on the bottled water; no matter where we go. And the added water softener to city water systems will be filtered out, thus skin irritations will be curbed.
He's also happy with his new shower head.
My new headphones also arrived - no more crackling static, or cut out dead silence. YAY!
Movies, documentaries, music - all coming thru loud & clear - I'm happy.
Various Artists - Adonai: The Power Of Worship From The Land Of Israel:  (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyk37WZD9hqVNdbeGOY2xgX9BrI7IwYW)
And, they fit my Tablet, too! Bonus - I use my Tablet a lot, on the road.

Today is basically a Day of Rest, so the morning drive was the extent of busyness. The rest of the Day was pretty laid-back, with lounging, napping, personal choices of low-key activity: we gifted ourselves with just "being".

My choice was getting back to the jungle adventure, in South America, with the Fargos …

Cussler-Fargo Novel~The Mayan Secrets
Last night, the Fargos left Valladolid-ES, to return home, in San Diego, CA
Today's adventure begins with them leaving La Jolla-CA to travel to an ancient mayan compound, in Belize.
Polochic River, Guatemala = The Polochic River is one of Guatemala's main rivers, draining into the Caribbean Sea. The river has a fairly cool climate - but also experiences excessive rainfall during the winter months, which generates a lot of humidity.
Polochic River, Guatemala
Guatemalan Highlands hillside.
Guatemalan Highlands.
Towering La Danta Pyramid rises from the jungle floor, of Guatemala's highland region.
From Belize, to Guatemala City & onto Alta Verapaz, Guatemala
Calakmul, Campeche, Mexico
Calakmul's murals and frescoes.
Establishing ownership of Calakmul's discovery - to thwart the murderous thievery.

{{La Danta: One of the Largest Pyramids on Earth is Hidden Beneath the Forest

I've only posted interesting tidbits of this original article; focusing on the facts touched on in Clive's novel.

~Ivan Petricevic

Built thousands of years ago in present-day Guatemala are the remnants of a lost city called El Mirador. This ancient metropolis thrived from approximately the sixth through the third centuries BC, wholly abandoned around the ninth century. During its heyday, the ancient Maya civilization built within Mirador a pyramid that would stand the test of time. But not just any pyramid. They built a massive superstructure (or better said, complex structures), rising a towering 72 meters into the air. Today, one could pass by it and barely notice a behemoth structure even larger than the Great Pyramid of Giza in terms of volume. But, in fact, some of the largest, most impressive pyramids were not built in Africa but in North, Central, and South America.

Found in 1926

The ancient city was revealed in 1926 by Percy Madeira. A brief survey of La Danta was done by a Carnegie expedition in 1934, but it only lasted a few hours due to a lack of water in the area. In 1962, archaeologist Ian Graham produced the first map of the site where the area identified as La Danta (1967) is known. Later from 1978 until 1983, the Mirador  Archaeological Project, led by Ray Matheny and Bruce Dahlin, conducted the first intensive investigations. During exploration, archeologists found, surprisingly, that a large number of constructions were not contemporary with the large Maya classic cities in the area but rather from centuries earlier, during the pre-classic period.

https://curiosmos.com/la-danta-one-of-the-largest-pyramids-on-earth-is-hidden-beneath-the-forest/ 

&

The Ambition, Power, and Downfall of the great Calakmul

I've only posted interesting tidbits of this original article; focusing on the facts touched on in Clive's novel.

~By Carlos Rosado van der Gracht

Calakmul is an ancient Mayan city found deep in the jungle of the southeastern Mexican state of Campeche, near the border with Guatemala. The site is also in the heart of the biosphere of the same name which covers an area of 700,000 hectares. The archeological site itself is well over 70 square kilometers and is home to approximately 6,000 structures that range enormously in size. 

Calakmul was first documented by the biologist Cyrus Longworth Lundell in 1931. But it is widely believed that the existence of the ancient city had become an open secret of sorts between the few people living in this remote territory and workers who would delve into the jungle to harvest chicle trees.

In Mayan, Calakmul means “the city of the adjacent pyramids,” but in antiquity the city was known as Oxte’Tun, meaning three stones. The date of Calakmul’s foundation has been lost to time, but most scholars agree that the city first rose sometime between 700 and 350 BCE. During excavations, archaeologists discover a network of Mayan roads or Sacbés connecting Calakmul with the powerful pre-classical age cities of Mirador, Nakbé, and Uaxactún. This fact, even taken on its own, hints at an extremely early foundation date, power, and prestige.

During the classic age, starting in the second half of third-century BCE, Calakmul had risen to considerable importance. But it would not be until several centuries after that the city would reach its greatest splendor. During the fifth century CE, Calakmul had become bold and strong enough to begin challenging the city which would become its greatest rival, Tikal. Hostility turned to war in 562 CE under the leadership of the king of Calakmul, Sky Witness, who launched an all-out invasion of Tikal. The battle was hard-fought, but in the end, Calakmul managed to capture Tikal’s ruling class, including its king who they put to death, and turned the once hegemonic power into a vassal kingdom.

https://yucatanmagazine.com/the-ambition-power-and-downfall-of-the-great-calakmul/ }}

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

THE SONGBIRD HAS FLOWN~Self-Care 2026; Castle Rock-WA

We had planned to drive to Rainier, to collect our mail, but when I came back into the livingroom from having changed my clothes - Holland said, "Dolly Parton died". I had kinda been expecting it; she's been in my thoughts … and media chatter has been pretty quiet concerning her activities since her husband Carl Dean died 16 months, ago. The last heard from her was a video she put out months ago, saying she was "getting medical treatment". So, the death notice this morning wasn't unexpected; sad, but not surprising.

{{NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Dolly Parton, the country music icon whose soaring vibrato vocals, poignant songwriting and sparkling costumes defined her rise from a log cabin in the Tennessee mountains to the height of stardom and acclaim, has died in Nashville. She was 80 years old.

“After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” her publicist, Marcel Pariseau, said in a statement Tuesday.

Known for her curvy physique, massive blond wigs and skin-tight outfits that served her self-deprecating wit, she was among the most beloved personalities in music and beyond — the rare celebrity whose appeal transcended generations, geography and politics.

https://apnews.com/article/dolly-parton-death-country-icon-87156f3e6a1547b88bf414529b644ad3 }}

We never made it to Rainier - but, we did get out of the house for a couple hours: nothing noteworthy to share, but we did enjoy a cozy lunch.

Then, we came back home to unwind in our own individual ways. With our own individual thoughts. 

My Post, earlier today: DOLLY PARTON HAS DIED~2026: (https://roadgypsiesvalandholland.blogspot.com/2026/08/dolly-parton-has-died2026.html)
The Empire State Building is lit up in pink to honor the late US singer-songwriter Dolly Parton in New York on August 25, 2026.
Fans paying respects at a statue of Dolly Parton, situated on the lawn of the Sevier County Courthouse on August 25, 2026 in Sevierville, Tennessee.

{{President Trump has repeatedly praised Parton over the years, describing her as an American cultural icon whose influence reached far beyond country music.

This is a true loss for millions of people. There has never been anyone like her, and never will,” President Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social following news of Parton’s death.

President Trump added that he was ordering the American flag to be at half-staff for one week starting Tuesday at 6 p.m.}}

Darebee Chair Abs workout: Strong abs and core affect posture, relieve back pain and change your mood by helping release dopamine, the feel-good hormone, in your bloodstream when you exercise.

WARM UP Bodyweight Fish Pose~12-15 ct.
WARM UP Bodyweight Standing Reach-Up Back Rotation Stretch~12-15 ct.
WARM UP Elbow-Touches~12-15 ct.
WARM UP WALL SQUATS FORM2~12-15 ct.
WARM UP Seated Marching in Place~12-15 ct.

Muscles Worked
Seated Knee Tuck-Crunch Kicks~Aim for 10-12 reps x2
Side-to-Side Knee Sweeps~Aim for 12-15 reps x2
Seated Knee-to-Elbow Crunch~Aim for 10-12 reps x2
Chair Seated Leg Raise-front~Aim for 12-15 reps x2
Seated Cycling Crunches~Aim for 10-12 reps x2
Seated Torso Twists~Aim for 12-15 reps x2
Bodyweight Glute Stepup~In & out of Beast Betsy, x8
Bodyweight Standing Calf Raise~Up & Down the stairs, x8

I wrapped my night up with a currant Cussler-Fargo adventure in my hands … and Dolly's songbird tunes playing in my ears:

Cussler-Fargo Mayan Adventure
Volcan Tacana, Mexico from Acapulco, Mexico
Volcan Tacana, Mexico~landscape.
Volcan Tacana, Mexico
Cussler-Fargo adventure taking form from Chapter 1 intro.
The Maya Codex of Mexico (MCM) is a Maya screenfold codex manuscript of a pre-Columbian type.

{{The Maya Codex of Mexico (MCM) is a Maya screenfold codex manuscript of a pre-Columbian type. Long known as the Grolier Codex or Sáenz Codex, in 2018 it was officially renamed the Códice Maya de México (CMM) by the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico. It is one of only four known extant Maya codices, and the only one that still resides in the Americas.

Its authenticity was disputed at the time of its discovery, but has been upheld by multiple studies. In 2018, a team of scientists coordinated by the National Institute for Anthropology and History demonstrated conclusively that the document dates to the period between 1021 and 1154 CE. The Mexican studies confirm that it is the oldest surviving codex from Mexico and the oldest book of the Americas.

The first Mexican owner, Josué Saenz, claimed that the manuscript had been recovered from a cave in the Mexican state of Chiapas in the 1960s, along with a mosaic mask, a wooden box, a knife handle, as well as a child's sandal and a piece of rope, along with some blank pages of amate (pre-Columbian fig-bark paper). Saenz lent the manuscript to the Grolier Club and later presented the book to the Mexican nation.

The codex is said to have been found enclosed in a wooden box in a dry cave in the highlands of Chiapas near Tortuguero;  it was said to have been found with a turquoise mask that is now in the collection of Dumbarton Oaks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Codex_of_Mexico }}

Playlist of Dolly Parton songs: 
(https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyrwHUSc5hkwBquJ8dGVSrYXq8hxhGf0J)