Archeology and ethnography came together on our trip to Mexico and Guatemala. The famous Museo Nacional de Antropologia in Mexico City proved a perfect introduction. On the archeology floor we saw masterworks and reproductions from the major Mayan sites we would be visiting, including the Royal Tomb from Palenque, the murals of Bonampak, and the Templo de Quetzalcoatl from Teotihuacán. Upstairs we learned more about the indigenous peoples whose customs and rituals we would be experiencing, from the furtive Lacandons to the colorful Tzotzils. With this introduction, we traveled to Oaxaca and San Cristobal in Mexico, Antigua and Tikal in Guatemala, and Copan in Honduras. We visited the major Mayan sites and many lesser ones. We observed Semana Santa in Antigua and visited the Easter Market in Chichicastenango. We tasted chapulines and escamoles and had our share of margaritas. We traveled in all manner of vehicles from bicycle taxis to luxury buses. And we brought home a renewed respect
