Central Campeche – August 16, 1970

It contains all the elements of Creek domestic compounds that were described by chroniclers of the De Soto Expedition, while it was passing through the future State of Georgia in 1540 . . . then confirmed by archaeologists, using remote sensing techniques at Etowah Mounds in 2006.

In Eastern (Georgia) Creek, such domestic compounds were called hutten, the plural of the word, hute . . . which was a small domestic or agricultural building. The English word, “hut” is derived from hute. Most of these buildings had identical or similar names in Itza Maya and Eastern Creek (Itzate).

by Richard L. Thornton, Architect & City Planner

Ana Rojas stopped her Jeep for a few seconds for me to take this snap shot. Five decades later, I wish we had stopped to ask permission to take more and better photos. Ana’s father was almost half Maya, so she knew some basic Campeche Maya. I am certain that she became fluent later, when working on her PhD in Cultural Anthropology.

I do have some slides from a domestic compound near Hopelchen, which was actually a brothel and so not so primitive-looking. At that time, Hopelchen contained the only posada (inn) within the interior of Campeche that offered running hot water, bathrooms, showers and electric lights . . . plus a pay phone in the lobby. This is where her father’s university professor and student clients stayed, when taking breaks from working on archaeological sites. Ana had reserved two rooms for us.

HOWEVER, as a teenager, Ana had some bad experiences with the Gringo academicians. Many ordered her around like she was an ignorant servant girl. Some presumed that all Latin American girls could be rented by the hour. On top of that were the three past years of university, where she was brainwashed to think that all Yanqui Imperialist men were arrogant swine.

In reality, though, I had almost as much Southern Mesoamerican DNA as her and really got along well with the Mexican people. Her brain told her to loath, even hate me. Her body was saying something else. In an act of temporary insanity, caused by confused hormonal angst, she dropped me off at Maya brothel, way out in the boonies . . . then headed to a wild, university student beach party on the coast. You will have to watch Parts One and Two of the Campeche videos on Youtube to find out what happened!

However, I will say that I had been warned by the Mexican Consul in Atlanta to avoid Mexican brothels like the plague. Gringo men, traveling alone, were usually robbed and frequently murdered at such places. Over and above that, the short-statured, Maya teenage girls at the brothel looked like munchkins to me. I spent that night, too terrified to sleep, with the door opening of my Maya hut barricaded with anything that I could find.

Most of indigenous tribes of the Southern Veracruz and Chiapas Highlands are much taller and in fact, look like Creek, Seminole, Chickasaw or Alabamu Indians in the United States.

Here are some color slides of the brothel.

Entrance to Maya extended family compound (now a brothel)

House in the compound, where I barricaded myself!

Courtyard between a barn (right) and a chiki (summer house-winter kitchen)

Outhouse (toilet) for the extended family compound near Hopelchen