Day 7: Visit to Community Museum & Archeological Site
Hello friends and family of PUC Mexico! Today is Sunday here in Suchil, and we had an exciting day of rest from our project. First, our team visited the community museum and learned about the cultural origin of the people of Suchil. The population comes from a unique mix of central American indigenous groups, including the Zapoteca, Mixtec, and Aztec. The Zapoteca are responsible for building the tomb on the “Hill of the Bell” on the outskirts of Suchil.
We were able to visit the archeological site where this tomb is located. As we hiked up the hill, we kept stopping to marvel at the view. We could see more and more of Suchil as we approached the peak. At the top, you can see the whole valley covered in a thin blanket of fog. A pair of mesquite trees grow on the edge of the hilltop near the site of the tomb, where we stopped to take a picture with the Mesquite Project Members who accompanied us that day. At the museum we learned about an old Mixtec sport, a sort of combination of soccer and baseball, that uses a heavy rubber mitt and a ball. The remnants of the playing field for this sport lay a few yards away from the site of the tomb. Mountains surrounded us on all sides, rising up through the fog and shadowing the town of Suchil and the neighboring Huitso. At the highest point lies the shrine, a concrete slab formed in the shape of a cross. The inscription claims the land for the people of Suchil. Every year on July 24, the people of Suchil end their festival by marching from the main Catholic church to this shrine, about an hour’s walk.
About 80% of the people in Suchil are Catholic, which is a result of Spanish influence during the Colonial period. Today we learned the diverse origins of the people of Suchil, and experienced firsthand the beauty of the valley it is located in. Each day, we grow to love the culture, the food, and the people here even more than the last. The people we meet approach us with curiosity, but also kindness and they welcome us into their lives and their homes. We can’t wait to learn more from our friends here!
