ABSTRACT
On vacation in Mexico, I had the opportunity to visit the Mayan ruins Chichen Itza. I sat for a while observing these soon to be subjects of my pen ascending and decending the pyramid. Most interesting was the way in which the individuals carefully came down. The best way to show the tension and caution I observed was going to be through the bent knees and hunched-over backs of those descending the pyramid. Each individual’s body language conveyed the same message. By bending the knees and back, one can get closer to the ground. In this case, the head is drawn over the weight bearing foot. There was a man coming down the pyramid using the aid of a rope. Even his knees and back were bent as he touched the next step down with his toes. Another man was balancing with his arms, just having let go contact with his right fingers. I observed a woman seated, about to scoot down another step and a teenager with his backpack balancing the same as the others, with bent knees and back.
