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Robert Laszkiewicz 996064217 GGR360H1S: Culture, History and Landscapes Wednesday, February-29-12

Assignment 2: Rocking Out at Chichen Itza Introduction In 1972 the World Heritage program was started by the General Conference of UNESCO, which was established to recognize and protect places that are of both cultural and physical significance (Rossler, 2007, p. 334). The pre-Hispanic city of Chichen Itza is one of these World Heritage sites located in Mexico. Being one of the greatest Mayan centres, this site has a rich history with lots of grand architecture. Chichen Itza is one of the most popular archaeological sites in Mexico, with numerous tourists, tourism plays an important part to both the site and the local area. In this assignment I will be analyzing a photograph taken at Chichen Itza during a concert performed by Elton John. Through this analysis I will identify various aspects that is depicted in this photograph of how tourism plays in World Heritage sites and how it can change the meaning and cultural significance of these sites. Landscape Description This photograph is of the temple El Castillo, a step pyramid, located at Chichen Itza, during an Elton John concert. This view of the UNESCO World Heritage site is unlike many other typical photo's of the landscape. This photo is taken at night, with the step pyramid lit up with many blue lights, with a concert stage in the center that is brightly lit up with white lights, contrasting with the step pyramid behind it. In the bottom right of the photo you can see the fringes of the surrounding audiences. In the photo both the pyramid and the concert stage share

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the focus, where you cannot help but look at both the stage and the pyramid when trying to focus on one of them, due to the sharp contrast they provide. Rocking Out at Chichen Itza This photograph is an very interesting photo of a World Heritage site, mainly due to the fact that the World Heritage site is being used as a backdrop to a live concert performance. Tourism plays an important part to World Heritage sites, many countries strive to put their own locales onto the list, knowing it will bring national acknowledgement and an increase in tourism. Having a live concert performed at the World Heritage site of Chichen Itza is just a part of this tourism, but what else does it mean for the landscape? When Elton John's performance was announced there were some objections from both the local community and archaeologists (Gordon, 2010). The price for the concert tickets were expensive, especially to those of the Mayan population, and the safety of the site was of concern to archaeologists (Gordon, 2010). The price of the tickets isolated the local community, meaning that the audience would consist of those from other countries or of the higher elite classes, those that do not have a cultural tie to the site. Many of the custodians of Chican Itza are those of the local community (Breglia, 2006, p. 395), where the job quite often runs in the family so current custodians' great grandparents were part of the original excavation team. While the locals are tasked with the upkeep of the site, outsiders and those of upper classes get to enjoy the many events held there. When first hearing about the Elton John concert at Chichen Itza, my first initial reaction consisted of "What exactly does Elton John have to do with Chichen Itza?". Elton John has not been the only person to perform at Chichen Itza, other big name English musicians such as Paul

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McCartney and Sarah Brightman have also performed at the location. What cultural ties if any are there to English music to Chichen Itza? "As integral part of culture, heritage is an essential element of national representation with the potential to perpetually remind nationals of the symbolic foundations upon which a sense of belonging is based. (Park, 2010, p. 116)." When a site becomes a World Heritage site, it is because of its cultural and physical significance it has to that country and to humanity as a whole. When a concert is performed at Chichen Itza, it isn't performed because the historical significance of the site plays a part in the performance, just that it is being used due to its popularity as a World Heritage site. What national representation is there of Mexico at the Elton John concert? These concerts are an example of how tourism can take over of a World Heritage site, where the cultural significance of the site and the national heritage of the site is downplayed in exchange for outside cultures and interests. Conclusion This photograph is an example of how landscapes can change to tourism, not only physically but culturally as well. While this change in landscape is only temporary at times, what with the concert stages not being permanent, it is just a sign of a future trend. With big plans in hotel developments near and around Chichen Itza developers are looking to make Chichen Itza into the new Cancun (ejalbright, 2012). The more that this site becomes nothing more but a backdrop to concerts and future resorts, the more the cultural and historical significance of the site gets downplayed. When a site becomes a World Heritage site, it does so because of not only its importance to the local country, but due to its importance to humanity as a whole. The site enters the national stage, and at this point is open to other nations and cultures. For in future concerts and resorts, it will not be the locals or ancestors of the Mayans who originally built this

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city, but those of people from other nations and cultures that will be enjoying the view of Chichen Itza.

Bibliography Breglia, L. C. (2006). Keeping world heritage in the family: a geneaology of maya labour at chichen itza. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 11(5), 385-398. Cleere, H. (1995). Cultural landscapes as world heritage. Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites, 1, 63-68. ejalbright. (2012, February 12). Mega-tourism development at chichen itza nearing reality?. Retrieved from http://www.americanegypt.com/blog/?p=2300 Gordon, B. (2010, April 3). Elton john concert at chichen itza encounters opposition. Digital Journal Park, H. Y. (2010). Heritage tourism emotional journeys into nationhood. Annals of Tourism Research, 37(1), 116-135. Rossler, M, (2007). World heritage cultural landscapes: a unesco flagship programme 19922006. Landscape Research, 31(4), 333-353.

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Elton John concert at Chichen Itza. Picture found at http://photo.lejdd.fr/media/images/culture/musique/elton-john-chichen-itza/1995940-1-freFR/Elton-John-Chichen-Itza_pics_809.jpg