Becán, Campeche, Mexico

Stucco relief of a Maya leader (?) with remnants of red and black paint. Becán, Campeche, Mexico. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

I’ve been missing Mexico, and since we won’t have an opportunity for real travel in the near future, I thought I’d take a trip down memory lane instead. This week’s particular road leads to Becán in southern Campeche.

The Preclassic Maya city of Becán was once the capital of its region, of sites now linked by their Río Bec and, to a lesser extent, Chenes architectural styles. It was probably founded around 550 BCE and remained an important center for trade even during its eventual decline in the early Classic period. Not coincidentally, a defensive moat or ditch was built by 250 CE, around the time the city began to falter. Becán was ultimately abandoned circa 1200 CE.

The INAH sign near Becán’s entrance, recreating the city center as it would have appeared after the moat’s construction. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Today, the site’s greatest highlight is perhaps a section of well-preserved stucco relief (pictured at the top of this post), now protected behind glass. As a former center with less tourist draw than places like Chichén Itzá and greater ease of access than nearby Calakmul, Becán is also a good site for exploring, whether wandering through narrow passageways or taking in the flora and fauna that call the ruins home.

Pyramid in Becán, Campeche, Mexico. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Becán anole. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Covered stairway at Becán. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Great Kiskadee in Becán, Campeche, Mexico. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Arched passageway in Becán. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

The stuff of dreams and nightmares. One of many old ceiba trees at Becán. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Narrow walkway leading to Mayan arch, Becán. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Salvaging otherwise terrible photos from the Capital Museum, Beijing

Detail of Arhats Crossing the Sea, Anonymous. Capital Museum, Beijing. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

I love museums. I love them so much, I once planned to spend my life in them. And, for several years, I essentially did.

I also love photographing those things I want to remember later and better focus on in the moment, so spending hours taking pictures of objects in museums is pretty much a staple of every trip I take. Fortunately for me, I married someone who likes to do the same.

Of course, a museum’s job is to balance the contrasting tasks of preserving its collection and making the objects of that collection available for public view. This dual desire to display and safeguard typically results in the use of low light, protective glass, and the creation of physical distance between the object and viewer. For those of us taking pictures, this all-too-often translates into awkward angles, reflections, glare, and blurriness.

Those objects that beat the odds and photograph well are the ones I feature on my website and remember best as time passes. Those that don’t are the ones I rarely share and frequently forget about, no matter how much they may have impressed me in person.

Going through my photos from Beijing’s Capital Museum again reminded me how many items really deserve a second look. To better appreciate the original objects, I set about salvaging some of the not-so-great images by reframing and refocusing on their more redeemable features. Those revised pictures are the ones featured in this post.

It’s been fun to rediscover these objects for myself, to have them surface like both an old memory and something completely new. And the exercise has also been a good reminder of the potential usefulness of revisiting former experiences with a new perspective and willingness to dig a little for some of those experiences’ best, if forgotten, parts.

Double-badger-shaped jade pendant. Capital Museum, Beijing. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Detail of Flowers in Ink Monochrome by Sun Zhaojing. Capital Museum, Beijing. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Jade washer engraved with a poem by the Emperor (1736–95). Capital Museum, Beijing. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Detail of Plum Blossom in Ink Monochrome, Anonymous. Capital Museum, Beijing. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Vajradhara statue in the Capital Museum, Beijing. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Detail of Birds and Flowers hanging scroll by Yuan Jiang (d. 1746). Capital Museum, Beijing. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Nephrite belt buckle in the shape of a lion. Capital Museum, Beijing. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Detail of Arhats Crossing the Sea, Anonymous. Capital Museum, Beijing. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Maitreya Bodhisattva from c. 1403–24 in the Capital Museum, Beijing. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Bamboo in Ink Monochrome by Zhao Ziyong. Capital Museum, Beijing. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.