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

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: C Leung

During an important calendrical celebration in 889 CE,

在公元 889 年一場 重要曆法的慶典中，

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

統治者卡卡‧烏帕卡爾可能 在他華麗的宮殿頂上，

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

看著因為他才變成 繁華樞紐的奇琴伊察。

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

這座馬雅城市的黃金時期，會比 卡卡·烏帕卡爾自己的壽命還長，

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

但他不可能知道 有什麼危機等在前頭。

A century before, warfare and failing agriculture forced Maya people

一個世紀前，戰爭和失敗的農業

迫使馬雅人放棄了 中美洲的許多定居地。

to abandon numerous Central American settlements.

This shifted the center of their civilization north,

結果造成他們的文明中心北移，

to hotter, drier Yucatan.

到更熱、更乾燥的尤卡坦。

During the early 800s,

在 800 年的初期，

cities like Chichen Itza, Izamal, and Uxmal expanded.

奇琴伊察、伊扎馬爾， 和烏克斯馬爾等城市都在擴展。

But Yucatan presented its own challenges.

但尤卡坦有它要面臨的挑戰。

Surface water was scarce

地表水很稀少，

and the region’s limestone bedrock rapidly absorbed rain.

且該地區的石灰岩基岩 會迅速吸收雨水。

This forced many Yucatecan cities to collect rainwater in cisterns.

這迫使許多尤卡坦城市 得把雨水收集到水槽中。

But the land surrounding Chichen Itza is pocked with sinkholes,

但奇琴伊察周圍的 土地上滿是落水洞，

where collapsed bedrock reveals an abundant supply of fresh groundwater.

在這些地方，基岩坍塌， 讓豐富的地下淡水顯露出來。

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

因為能這樣取得淡水，

在 900 年初期， 當乾旱襲擊尤卡坦時，

Chichen Itza survived to become the most powerful Maya city.

奇琴伊察存活下來， 成為最強大的馬雅城市。

People immigrated from hundreds of kilometers away,

有人從數百公里外的地方移民過來，

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

在頂峰時期，奇琴伊察的 人口數可能高達五萬。

The city came to reflect a diverse international culture

這座城市在生活的

各個方面都反映出多元的國際文化。

in all spheres of life.

Its challenge then became sustaining a large population

於是，它面臨的挑戰變成 要在不可預測的

in an unpredictable environment.

環境中維持龐大的人口。

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

在第十世紀，

卡卡‧烏帕卡爾過世後，

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

奇琴伊察的政府

從單單只關注國王轉變成 一個更有彈性的制度，

to a more flexible system

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

制度包括了該市菁英 組成的統治委員會。

Unlike traditional Maya kings,

不像傳統的馬雅國王

who reinforced their legitimacy with destructive wars and costly monuments,

會透過破壞性的戰爭和昂貴的 紀念碑來提升他們的正當性，

the new rulers focused largely on economic growth.

新統治者的焦點大部分 放在經濟成長上，

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

他們將城市的軍事力量 運用在建立長途貿易

and political dominance.

和政治支配上。

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

商人戰士從海岸港口出發， 獲得寶貴的商品。

Using obsidian, gold, copper, turquoise, and jade

運用來自中美和北美各地的黑曜石、

from various parts of Central and North America,

黃金、銅、綠松石，和翡翠，

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

奇琴伊察的居民製做出 尖銳的工具和珍貴飾品。

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

他們買賣食物、紡織品、 羽毛、礦物，和金屬，

sometimes using cacao beans as currency.

有時使可可豆當作貨幣。

And they transported seafood from the coast

他們從海岸運來海鮮，

to supplement the city’s locally grown staple crops.

以補充該城市當地種植的主要作物。

Farming was essential to Chichen Itza’s survival.

農業對於奇琴伊察的生存至關重要。

The city’s architecture and religious practices reflected this importance

該城市的建築和宗教習俗 都反映出這種重要性，

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

把時間、天體運行， 和農業週期記錄下來。

and agricultural cycles.

As the city grew, its citizens built a vast platform

隨著城市成長，其市民 建造了一個廣闊的平台，

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

以支撐新的寺廟、金字塔、 祭壇、球場，和柱廊。

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

工匠小心將一座圓形的寺廟對齊，

以標示出夏至冬至、春分秋分，

and the passing of the planet Venus,

以及金星的通過，

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

金星是羽毛蛇神庫庫爾坎的化身。

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

庫庫爾坎成了奇琴伊察的中心神明，

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

對祂的崇拜將該城市 轉變成了宗教朝聖的中心。

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

建築師設計了一座獻給 庫庫爾坎的階梯金字塔寺廟，

that towers 30 meters high,

它高達三十公尺，

and features four stairs with a total of 365 steps,

主要特色是有四座樓梯， 總共三百六十五階，

each representing a day in the solar year.

每一階代表太陽年中的一天。

It’s oriented so that, around each equinox,

它的方向有設計過， 每到春秋二分日前後，

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

落日就會造成如蛇般的陰影，

沿著欄杆向下滑行，

evoking the serpent god.

讓人想起蛇神。

Several buildings feature representations of Flower Mountain,

有數座建築物的特色是花山的象徵，

the sacred paradise realm inhabited by gods and ancestors.

花山是神明和祖先 居住的神聖天堂王國。

And rulers from far and wide

而來自四面八方的統治者

were inaugurated at Chichen Itza’s Great Ballcourt

參與在奇琴伊察的大球場上，

under the auspices of K’uk’ulkan

在庫庫爾砍的庇佑下舉辦的就職典禮，

and in the presence of thousands of spectators.

且有數千名出席者。

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

然而，奇琴伊察的黃金時期 不會千秋萬世。

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

約在公元 1020 年，

一次嚴重的乾旱襲來 ， 且持續了近一個世紀。

In an effort to end the disaster,

為了終結這場災難，

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

人們在附近的洞穴和落水洞對雨神獻祭，

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

因為這些地方被視為是入口， 通往眾神的水下王國。

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

儘管奇琴伊察擁有天然優勢， 人們也足智多謀，

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

這座城市仍然無法在 持續的乾旱中維持自給自足。

Population plummeted during the 11th century,

在十一世紀，人口急劇下降，

and many people resettled on the coast.

許多人在海岸重新定居。

At the end of the drought,

乾旱結束時，

the new city of Mayapan emerged

新城市馬雅潘出現，

and replaced Chichen Itza as the principal city of Yucatan.

並取代琴伊察，成為 尤卡坦的主要城市。

Yet, Chichen Itza was never fully abandoned or forgotten.

然而，奇琴伊察從未 被完全放棄或遺忘。

When the Spanish arrived centuries later,

數世紀後，當西班牙人抵達時，

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

它仍然是一個馬雅省的 小型當地首都。

Chichen Itza’s original name was preserved,

奇琴伊察的原名被保留下來，

and its ancient stone constructions were still standing,

它的古老石製建築仍然屹立不搖，

as they do to this day.

直到現今都還是如此。