iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

John L. Stephens, "Incidents of Travel in Yucatan," originally published in 1843; v. 1, Preface. This book was a source for wikiGong.com's "Praying for Rain" at the 2026 soundpedro sound art event. #johnlstephens #incidentsoftravelinyucatan #yucatan #soundpedro #soundart @angelsgateart.bsky.social

010

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

It has been the fortune of the author to step between them and the entire destruction to which they are destined; and it is his hope to snatch from oblivion these perishing, but still gigantic memorials of a mysterious people.

110

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

In a few generations, great edifices, their façades covered with sculptured ornaments, already cracked and yawning, must fall, and become mere shapeless mounds.

110

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

For a brief space the stillness that reigned around them was broken, and they were again left to solitude and silence. Time and the elements are hastening them to utter destruction.

110

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

The existence of most of these ruins was entirely unknown to the residents of the capital;—but few had ever been visited by white inhabitants;—they were desolate, and overgrown with trees.

121

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

We premiered "Praying for Rain" at the 6/6/2026 soundpedro sound art event (soundpedro.art/on-site-even...).

soundpedro.art

On-site events 2026 – soundpedro

010

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

wikiGong.com will continue exploration of "Praying for Rain" as part of the 2026 LBsoundbrowse (soundpedro.art/lbsoundbrows...) on Saturday, 10/10, 6-9 PM. We'll be outside Sheldrake Coffee Roasting, at 4606 East Second Street, in the Belmont Shore neighborhood of Long Beach, California.

wikigong.com

wikiGong

122

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

John L. Stephens, "Incidents of Travel in Yucatan," originally published in 1843; v. 2, ch VIII. Volume 2 will be a source for the wikiGong.com "Praying for Rain," at the 2026 LBsoundbrowse event. #johnlstephens #incidentsoftravelinyucatan #yucatan #soundpedro #soundart @angelsgateart.bsky.social

wikigong.com

wikiGong

011

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

In the doorway of an inner apartment was an ornamented pillar, and on the walls was the print of the mysterious red hand. Turn which way we would, ruin was before us.

112

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

John L. Stephens, "Incidents of Travel in Yucatan," originally published in 1843; v. 2, ch IX. Volume 2 will be a source for the wikiGong.com "Praying for Rain," at the 2026 LBsoundbrowse event. #johnlstephens #incidentsoftravelinyucatan #yucatan #soundpedro #soundart @angelsgateart.bsky.social

wikigong.com

wikiGong

010

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

…I can hardly imagine a higher excitement than to go through that country with a strong force, time, and means at command, to lay bare the whole region in which so many ruined cities are now buried.

111

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

John L. Stephens, "Incidents of Travel in Yucatan," originally published in 1843; v. 2, ch XIV. Volume 2 will be a source for the wikiGong.com "Praying for Rain," at the 2026 LBsoundbrowse event. #johnlstephens #incidentsoftravelinyucatan #yucatan #soundpedro #soundart @angelsgateart.bsky.social

wikigong.com

wikiGong

000

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

but though they spared the life of this one, they put out his eyes with an arrow, and sent him, under the charge of four captains, to the territory of Tutul Xiu, where they left him and returned to their own country.

100

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

On the fourth they assembled to eat beneath a large sapote tree, and the last act of the feast was to cut the throats of the ambassadors, sparing but one, whom they charged to inform Tutul Xiu of their reception of his embassy, and to reproach him with his cowardice;

100

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Under this pretext, they enticed them from the inhabited parts of the country into a dense forest, and feasted them three days.

100

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

The latter requested them to wait four or five days for their answer, and in the mean time convoked all his dependant caciques, who, in concert with this chief, determined to make a great wild-boar hunt, ostensibly to fête the ambassadors.

100

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

The ambassadors proceeded to the district of Zotuta, and made known their embassy to Nachi Cocom, the principal lord of that territory.

100

Reposted by wikiGong.com

Jacob Dickinson @jjldickinson.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

This stuff reminds me of a collision I witnessed, between Homer and our world. In 2009, a friend had the classiest idea ever for his mom's birthday party: A live recitation of chapter one of "The Iliad" by Los Angeles actor Eldon Quick (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eldon_Q...).

en.wikipedia.org

Eldon Quick - Wikipedia

111

Reposted by wikiGong.com

Jacob Dickinson @jjldickinson.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

The combination of [these] two engravings is probably intended to represent a hideous human face; the eyes and teeth appear in the first, and the projecting stone is perhaps intended for the nose or snout. It occupies a space in breadth equal to about five feet of the wall.

Front view of a "sculptured mosaic" about five feet wide, from the cornice of the Casa del Gobernador ("Governor's House") at Uxmal, in Yucatan, probably representing a "hideous human face," with eyes, teeth, and a "nose or snout."
John L. Stephens, "Incidents of Travel in Yucatan," originally published in 1843; v. 1, plate III, based on Catherwood's daguerreotype.

Side view of a "sculptured mosaic" from the cornice of the Casa del Gobernador ("Governor's House") at Uxmal, in Yucatan, probably representing the "nose or snout" of a "hideous human face." It "resembles somewhat an elephant's trunk, which name has, perhaps not inaptly, been given to it by Waldeck, though it is not probable that as such the sculptor intended it, for the elephant was unknown on the Continent of America."
John L. Stephens, "Incidents of Travel in Yucatan," originally published in 1843; v. 1, figure 7, based on Catherwood's daguerreotype.

121

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

John L. Stephens, "Incidents of Travel in Yucatan," originally published in 1843; v. 1, ch VIII. This book was a source for wikiGong.com's "Praying for Rain" at the 2026 soundpedro sound art event. #johnlstephens #incidentsoftravelinyucatan #yucatan #soundpedro #soundart @angelsgateart.bsky.social

010

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

He therefore completed everything with his pencil and camera lucida, which Doctor Cabot and myself took up the Daguerreotype; and in order to ensure the utmost accuracy, the Daguerreotype views were placed with the drawings in the hands of the engravers for their guidance.

110

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

They gave a general idea of the character of the buildings, but would not do to put into the hands of the engraver without copying the views on paper, and introducing the defective parts, which would require more labor than that of making at once complete original drawings.

110

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

but the results were not sufficiently perfect to suit his ideas. At times the projecting cornices and ornaments threw parts of the subject in shade, while others were in bright sunshine; so that, while parts were brought out well, other parts required pencil drawings to supply their defects.

110

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

for the purpose of obtaining the utmost accuracy of proportion and detail. Besides which, we had with us a Daguerreotype apparatus, the best that could be procured in New-York, with which, immediately on our arrival in Uxmal, Mr. Catherwood began taking views;

Daguerreotype camera attributed to Thomas Davidson, 1840. I have no idea if this is what Mr. Catherwood's camera looked like; but the vintage is about right (only a year after Daguerre announced his technique!), and it looks like a relatively compact, no-frills model, more suitable for travel.
Photographed at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, by Alf van Beem and found on Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Daguerreotype_camera_attributed_to_Thomas_Davidson,_1840.JPG). This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en).

110

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Mr. Catherwood made minute architectural drawings of the whole, and has in his possession the materials for erecting a building exactly like it; and I would remark that, as on our former expedition, he made all his drawings with the camera lucida,

Engraving showing a man using a camera lucida, an optical device used to draw accurate images, to draw a picture of a figurine. A small figurine stands on a pedestal at the left. A man in a vest and jacket bends his head over the table, putting a pencil to the paper tacked to the wooden tabletop in front of him. An extensible arm, attached to the edge of the table with a clamp, holds the camera lucida just below his eyes. Dotted lines between the figurine and the camera lucida trace the convergence of light rays from different parts of the figurine on the camera lucida prism.
This image is available from Wikimedia Commons; see https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Camera_Lucida_in_use_drawing_small_figurine.jpg. It was originally published in the "Scientific American Supplement" on January 11, 1879, and is now in the public domain.

110

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Such is the exterior of the Casa del Gobernador. To go into any description of its details would extend these pages to an indefinite length. Its distinguishing features are, that it was long, low, and narrow; below the cornice plain, and above ornamented with sculpture all around.

110

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

The two ends [of the Casa del Gobernador, or "Governor's House," at Uxmal] are thirty-nine feet each. ...[T]he southern end...has but one doorway, and of this, too, the sculptured subjects were more simple. The roof is flat, and had been covered with cement; but the whole is now overgrown....

South end of the Casa del Gobernador ("Governor's House") at Uxmal. About half the height of an eroded stone masonry wall is occupied by an ornamental cornice. Left of center is a single doorway. The top of the building is overgrown with grass and bushes. The building is at the top of a slope or mound, on which scattered palm trees grow. A human figure in the foreground provides scale.
Figure 8, based on Mr. Catherwood's architectural drawings and daguerreotypes by John L. Stephens and Dr. Cabot. Body text describes the difficulties involved in making this image.

111

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

John L. Stephens, "Incidents of Travel in Yucatan," originally published in 1843; v. 1, ch VI. This book was a source for wikiGong.com's "Praying for Rain" at the 2026 soundpedro sound art event. #johnlstephens #incidentsoftravelinyucatan #yucatan #soundpedro #soundart @angelsgateart.bsky.social

010

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

The door faces the west; and over it is a lintel of stone. The outer wall is five feet thick; the door opens into a circular passage three feet wide, and in the centre is a cylindrical solid mass of stone, without any doorway or opening of any kind.

110

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

It stood on a ruined mound about thirty feet hight. What the shape of the mound had been it was difficult to make out, but the building was circular.... The exterior is of plain stone, ten feet high to the top of the lower cornice, and fourteen more to that of the upper one.

110

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Leaving the cave or senote, we continued rambling among the ruins. The mounds were all of the same general character, and the buildings had entirely disappeared on all except one; but this was different from any we had at that time seen, though we afterward found others like it.

Mayan ruin: Remains of a stone tower, about 25 feet high, on top of a 30-foot mound. Two men in the foreground, one standing, one sitting, indicate approximate scale. Jungle plants are scattered in the foreground, and grow beside and on the structure.
Figure 3, based on Catherwood's Daguerrotype.

111

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

And did you know there's ONE surviving contemporaneous account, written by a Chinese ambassador? About a third of it survives. Translated to many languages. I found an annotated edition.... #henrimouhot #zhoudaguan #angkorwat

010

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Incommunicado: Yes, that could work. Or you could wait to see what dead empire Elegiac reads about next.... Flashback to hurried conversation during last-minute preparations: Elegiac: I found a translation of the journals of the first European to popularize Angkor. He died of fever afterward....

Engraving from Henri Mouhot's "Voyage dans les royaumes de Siam, de Cambodge, de Laos et autres parties centrales de l'Indochine" ("Travels in the Central Parts of Indo-China, Cambodia and Laos During the Years 1858, 1859, and 1860," first published in 1863 and 1864). A large stone structure spans most of the image, with some trees in the foreground. A long colonnade appears near the bottom of the structure, as far as it can be seen. Stories or levels of the building climb from left to right, so that four towers rising from the building reach increasing heights.
Public domain, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mouhot_drawing_of_Ongcor.jpg.

110

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Reconstructed sound art planning session between wikiGong.com members returning home from the 2026 #soundpedro #soundart event: Disaffected: So, do you think we should further develop and extend "Praying for Rain," for future performance?

wikigong.com

wikiGong

111

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

010

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

The summit was a plain stone platform, fifteen feet square. It had no structure upon it, nor were there vestiges of any. Probably it was the great mound of sacrifice, on which the priests, in the sight of the assembled people, cut out the hearts of human victims.

60-foot pyramidal stone "mound" in Mayan ruins at Mayapan, with some palm trees flanking the base and a human figure crossing the center foreground. A stairway goes up the middle of the side shown. Based on Catherwood's Daguerrotype.

121

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

John L. Stephens, "Incidents of Travel in Yucatan," originally published in 1843; v. 1, ch VII. This book was a source for wikiGong.com's "Praying for Rain" at the 2026 soundpedro sound art event.

100

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Very soon we were in the water, and before we came out we resolved to postpone our journey till the next day, for the sake of an evening bath.

100

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

A light cloud of almost imperceptible dust, ascribed to the dripping of the waters of the rainy season, or perhaps made visible by the rays of the midday sun, rested on the surface, but underneath were the same crystal fluid and the same clear bottom.

100

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

My first impression of the beauty of this fancy bathing place did not deceive me, and the first glance satisfied me that I incurred no risk in introducing to it a stranger.

100

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

It was but ten o'clock, and we intended to continue our journey to Uxmal, but first we resolved upon another bath in the senote.

Engraving of cenote in Yucatan, based on Catherwood's Daguerrotype. In the foreground, a child and adult stand on a paved road sloping down to the waterline of a cenote. A person stands knee-deep in the water, and others are visible bathing or swimming in the background. The water recedes into a cave beneath an overhanging stone cliff, supporting a few hanging plants, with scattered trees above.

111

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

John L. Stephens, "Incidents of Travel in Yucatan" v. I, Dover Publications, 1963; p. 53. #johnlstephens #incidentsoftravelinyucatan #yucatan

000

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

or, to fall back upon my old ground, that they were the work "of the same race of people," or "their not very distant progenitors." Who these races were, whence they came, or who were their progenitors, I did not undertake to say, nor do I now.

110

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

In my opinion, the solitary arch found in this convent is very strong, if not conclusive, evidence that all the ruined buildings scattered over Yucatan were erected by the very Indians who occupied the country at the time of the Spanish conquest,

101

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

John L. Stephens, "Incidents of Travel in Yucatan" v. I, Dover Publications, 1963; p. 5. #johnlstephens #incidentsoftravelinyucatan #yucatan

000

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Priests in glittering vestments were officiating before it, music was swelling through the corridor and arches, and the floor of the immense church was covered with women on their knees, dressed in white, with white shawls over their heads.

100

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

On each side hung innumerable lamps, dotting the whole space from the floor to the ceiling; and back at the extreme end, standing on an elevated platform, was an altar thirty feet high, rich with silver ornaments and vases of flowers, and hung with innumerable lamps brilliantly burning.

100

wikiGong.com @wikigong.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

We worked our way up to the door, and found the church within a blaze of light. Two rows of high candlesticks, with wax candles eight or ten feet high, extended the whole length from the door to the altar.

110

Reposted by wikiGong.com

Angels Gate Cultural Center @angelsgateart.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

◎ soundpedro2025 chthonic: One-night event presents over 100 #artists who experiment in #sound and aural perception via #performance, #video, and #installation soundpedro is decidedly not a music event. SAT. JUNE 7, 7-10PM Angels Gate Cultural Center, San Pedro Details: soundpedro.art #soundart

023