The rise and fall of the Maya Empire’s most powerful city - Geoffrey E. Braswell

翻译人员: Sabrina Wang 校对人员: suya f.

During an important calendrical celebration in 889 CE,

公元 889 年， 在一个重要的日历庆典上

Lord K’ak’ Upakal may have sat atop his ornate palace

卡克·乌帕卡尔领主， 可能坐在他华丽的宫殿之上，

and observed the bustling hub he’d helped Chichen Itza become.

目睹着奇琴伊察，因着他 而成为繁华枢纽的景象

The Maya city’s golden age would outlast K’ak’ Upakal’s own life,

玛雅城市的黄金时代 将超越卡克·乌帕卡尔自己的一生，

but he couldn’t have known the crises that lay ahead.

但他无法预知，未来的危机。

A century before, warfare and failing agriculture forced Maya people

一个世纪前， 战争和农业的衰退迫使玛雅人

to abandon numerous Central American settlements.

放弃了许多在中美洲居住点。

This shifted the center of their civilization north,

这使得他们的文明中心，向北转移

to hotter, drier Yucatan.

来到了更炎热、 更干燥的尤卡坦州。

During the early 800s,

在公元 800 年初，

cities like Chichen Itza, Izamal, and Uxmal expanded.

像奇琴伊察、伊萨马尔 和乌什马尔等城市，不断扩张，

But Yucatan presented its own challenges.

但尤卡坦也面临着自己的挑战。

Surface water was scarce

地表的水量稀缺，

and the region’s limestone bedrock rapidly absorbed rain.

该地区的石灰岩基岩 会迅速吸收雨水。

This forced many Yucatecan cities to collect rainwater in cisterns.

这迫使许多尤卡坦的城市 在蓄水池中收集雨水。

But the land surrounding Chichen Itza is pocked with sinkholes,

但奇琴伊察周围的土地布满了天坑，

where collapsed bedrock reveals an abundant supply of fresh groundwater.

坍塌的基岩中蕴藏着丰富的地下水。

Because of this freshwater access, when drought seized Yucatan in the early 900s,

由于这种淡水获取方式， 公元 900 年初，当干旱席卷尤卡坦时，

公元 900 年初， 当干旱席卷尤卡坦时，

Chichen Itza survived to become the most powerful Maya city.

奇琴伊察得以幸存， 成为玛雅最强大的城市。

People immigrated from hundreds of kilometers away,

人们从数百公里外的地方迁移至此，

and, at its height, Chichen Itza’s population possibly reached 50,000.

在鼎盛时期，奇琴伊察的人口 可能达到了 5 万。

奇琴伊察的人口 可能达到了 5 万。

The city came to reflect a diverse international culture

这座城市在各个领域都反映出了

in all spheres of life.

它多元的国际文化。

Its challenge then became sustaining a large population

随后，它所要面临的挑战 就是在一个不可预测的环境中

in an unpredictable environment.

维持如此庞大的人口数量。

During the 10th century, following K’ak’ Upakal’s death,

在 10 世纪，卡克·乌帕卡尔去世后

Chichen Itza’s government shifted from a focus solely on the king

奇琴伊察的政府从仅仅关注国王

to a more flexible system

转向了一个更灵活的制度，

that also included ruling councils of the city’s elite.

其中也包括由城市精英 组成的统治委员会。

Unlike traditional Maya kings,

与传统的玛雅国王不同，

who reinforced their legitimacy with destructive wars and costly monuments,

他们通过破坏性战争和耗资巨大的 纪念碑来巩固自己的合法性，

the new rulers focused largely on economic growth.

新统治者们更关注经济的增长。

They channeled the city’s military might into establishing long-distance trade

他们将城市的军事力量转化为 建立长距离贸易

and political dominance.

和政治优势。

Merchant-warriors traveled from coastal ports and captured valuable goods.

带着商业任务的士兵们， 从沿海港口出发，捕获有价值货物。

Using obsidian, gold, copper, turquoise, and jade

用的那些黑曜石、黄金、 铜、绿松石和翡翠，

from various parts of Central and North America,

都是来自中美洲和北美各地的宝藏，

Chichen Itza’s inhabitants crafted sharp tools and precious ornaments.

奇琴伊察的居民制作了 锋利的工具和珍贵的装饰品。

They traded food, textiles, feathers, minerals, and metals,

他们交易食品、纺织品、 羽毛、矿物和金属，

sometimes using cacao beans as currency.

有时会使用可可豆作为货币。

And they transported seafood from the coast

他们还从海岸运回来海鲜产品

to supplement the city’s locally grown staple crops.

以补充在当地种植的主要农作物。

Farming was essential to Chichen Itza’s survival.

农业对奇琴伊察的生存至关重要。

The city’s architecture and religious practices reflected this importance

这座城市的建筑和宗教习俗， 反映了这一重要性，

by keeping track of time, the transit of celestial bodies,

通过记录时间、天体运动

和农业周期。

and agricultural cycles.

As the city grew, its citizens built a vast platform

随着城市的发展， 市民们建造了一个巨大的平台

to support new temples, pyramids, altars, ballcourts, and colonnades.

来支持新的神庙、金字塔、 祭坛、球场和柱廊。

Builders carefully aligned a round temple to mark solstices, equinoxes,

建造者们仔细地将圆形神庙排列好， 以标志冬至、春分和秋分,

and the passing of the planet Venus,

和金星的经过，

an avatar of K’uk’ulkan, the feathered serpent god.

是玛雅羽蛇神库库尔坎的化身

K’uk’ulkan became Chichen Itza’s central deity,

库库尔坎成为奇琴伊察的中心神祇，

and his worship transformed the city into a center of religious pilgrimage.

对他的崇拜，使得这座城市 变成了一个宗教朝圣中心。

Architects designed a stepped pyramid and temple dedicated to K’uk’ulkan

建筑师为库库尔坎设计了一座 阶梯式金字塔和寺庙，

that towers 30 meters high,

塔高 30 米，

and features four stairs with a total of 365 steps,

设有四层阶梯，共 365 级台阶，

each representing a day in the solar year.

每级台阶代表太阳年中的一天。

It’s oriented so that, around each equinox,

它的方向是这样的：每到春分前后，

the setting sun creates snake-like shadows that slither down the balustrades,

夕阳便会映射出蛇一般的影子， 从栏杆上蜿蜒而下，

evoking the serpent god.

让人联想到蛇神的形象。

Several buildings feature representations of Flower Mountain,

有几座建筑以花山为特色，

the sacred paradise realm inhabited by gods and ancestors.

那是众神和祖先居住的神圣天堂。

And rulers from far and wide

来自四面八方的统治者们，

were inaugurated at Chichen Itza’s Great Ballcourt

在奇琴伊察的大球场上，

under the auspices of K’uk’ulkan

在库库尔坎的庇佑下，

and in the presence of thousands of spectators.

并在数千名观众面前举行了就职典礼

However, Chichen Itza’s golden age wouldn’t last forever.

然而，奇琴伊察的黄金时代 不会永远持续下去。

Around 1020 CE, an intense drought hit and lasted nearly a century.

公元 1020 年左右一场大旱降临， 持续了近一个世纪

In an effort to end the disaster,

为了结束这场灾难，

people made offerings to rain deities in nearby caves and sinkholes,

人们在附近的洞穴和天坑中， 祭祀雨神，

which were seen as entrances to the watery underworld realm of the gods.

这些地方被视为 通往冥界水神的入口。

Despite Chichen Itza’s natural advantages and the ingenuity of its people,

尽管奇琴伊察拥有得天独厚的 自然条件和人们的聪明才智

the city couldn't support itself through this extended drought.

这座城市还是无法支撑自己 度过这场持续的干旱。

Population plummeted during the 11th century,

在 11 世纪，人口急剧下降

and many people resettled on the coast.

许多人迁往海岸重新定居。

At the end of the drought,

在干旱结束时，

the new city of Mayapan emerged

新的城市玛雅潘出现了，

and replaced Chichen Itza as the principal city of Yucatan.

并取代了奇琴伊察， 成为尤卡坦的主要城市。

Yet, Chichen Itza was never fully abandoned or forgotten.

然而，奇琴伊察 从未被完全抛弃或遗忘。

When the Spanish arrived centuries later,

几个世纪后，当西班牙人抵达时，

it was still a small, local capital of a Maya province.

它仍然是玛雅省份的一个 小而地方性的首府。

Chichen Itza’s original name was preserved,

奇琴伊察的原名得以保留，

and its ancient stone constructions were still standing,

它的古代石头建筑仍然屹立不倒，

as they do to this day.

直到今天。