The most memorable time I have encountered an extraordinary aesthetic experience is in 2010 when I went to Belize of an archaeology field school for the first time. During the last few days we took a trip to Guatemala for two days and spent one of the days at Tikal, which is the largest Mayan center in Mesoamerica. From the time I stepped in to the first plaza till the end when we watched two storms collide on top of the largest pyramid at the site. Throughout the entire experience I was practically speechless and in awe of how massive and beautiful these structures are in real life, for me it was like my childhood fantasy coming to life. It just hit home about much time and effort and detail were put in to these enormous and beautiful structures. The purpose of many of these buildings was to create awe and attract people and were used in many supernatural ceremonies and rituals. These structures still exude the extraordinary and still had a similar effect on me after nearly 1000 years. How many 200ft tall structures made of stone in the modern day world, they peak out of the top of the jungle similar to mountains and clouds and there is now a vast sea of jungle around them. These structures were most likely more impressive during the time they were built, the limestone stucco they used for the exterior often shined and glistened in the sun kind of like snow, and many were painted especially on the interiors. One of the best parts was also sharing the experience with some of my best friends and teacher. This experience didn't feel real it felt like I was n a dream and I would wake up in my bed. But it made me realize that humans could produce this without modern day and its almost as if we haven't really progressed as much as people seem to think.
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