Mayan Coronas II:
Unfinished Business That's Easy for You to Say Wednesday 21st February 2024 |
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We slept like babies, or in other words, we woke up every couple of hours, hungry and needing to go to the toilet. It was in the middle of the night when we realised we hadn't eaten anything for supper last night only beer and tequila! Over tired and unsure whether it was night or day (the blackout blinds were doing a great job of keeping the light out); we eventually woke up and began our day.
It started with a coffee from the common room. There were six different coffee blends to choose from; Oaxaca, Veracruz and Chiapas named after Mexican regions, and a decaf, a mixed blend and a Gran Reserva. This morning we had a cup of the Chiapas. It was really nice. Julie took some time to come around. She wasn't feeling very well. Her tickly cough had now developed into a sore throat and a bit of a temperature. We usually pack paracetemols but we had foolishly forgotten them this time.
At 9am, as soon as the restaurant opened, we headed down for breakfast. The waiter remembered "no chicken" this morning as my green salsa chilaquiles was proudly presented to me. Today it also came with a small bowl of refried beans. The sun was low in the sky, shining on us from the Zocalo. It was so nice to sit outside watching the Mexican world walk by. Although half an hour later we were sat in the shade and actually felt cold! It was time to move on and we got an Uber taxi to the Museum of Anthropology.
Our route took us behind the Palacio de Bellas Artes where we could see the colourful tiled domes from a different angle. We continued onto the main road of Paseo de Reforma, past several non-descript monuments in the middle of roundabouts, before reaching the most famous of them all, the Angel of Independence.
El Angel was built in 1910 to commemorate the centenary of the War of Independence. The 6.7 metre 24 carat gold statue of Greek goddess Nike symbolises victory and freedom from Spanish rule, holding a laurel crown in one hand and a broken chain in the other. The monument is also a mausoleum with the remains of prominent insurgents such as Miguel Hidalgo and Jose Maria Morelos (both catholic priests) and over a dozen others interned in its base.
Unfortunately the base was hidden behind tall barriers. Apparently essential maintenance work to stabilise the monument and stop it sinking into the soft ground was taking place. Building in what was a middle of a lake 500 years ago does bring its problems.
We were dropped off as close to the entrance of the museum as the driver possibly could, next to a large Aztec statue stood on a plinth with the words Museo Nacional de Antropologia carved onto it. We looked around and couldn't find the museum! Surrounded by the greenery of the Chapultepec park you would have thought it easy to see it but we just couldn't. Eventually we saw this enormous building which we thought "It must be that" but then we couldn't work out how to reach it! After some head scratching we worked out our path, cutting through the park, and then across a bridge to reach the building we had seen, which as luck would have it, was the National Museum of Anthropology.
The emblem of Mexico, the eagle and the snake, the image on the Mexican flag, was carved into the otherwise plain marble front. After waking through almost airport level security checks we bought our tickets to enter. We didn't buy a guide book to accompany us, which with hindsight probably would have been a good idea.
Leaving the foyer we stepped into an enormous courtyard with an equally enormous canopy, spanning out from one central support. It was an astonishing architectural feat. It wasn't flowing but apparently there was a water feature that poured down from the top of the bronze column support. Now that would have been a sight to have seen. We began our self-guided museum tour in the first hall, to the right, where neolithic items from Mexico were on display. Skeletal remains and a few bits and pieces were interesting but we didn't spend long in there.
The next hall was far more interesting. It was dedicated to the Teotihuacan people and filled with their incredible artwork. I had always thought the temples at Teotihuacan were Aztec but it came as a surprise to learn that the Teotihuacan predated the Aztecs by over a thousand years. They established their great city state during the first centrury AD. The Aztecs didn't appear on the scene until the late 13th century!
As soon as we walked into the gallery we were immediately drawn to the disk of Mictlāntēcutli, the god of death. It was like a cartwheel, but only a third of it remained intact. Crucially the skull in the centre was complete. There was something quite basic or elementary but powerful about it.
In the next room we came across an entire wall from the step pyramid Temple of the Feathered Serpent in Teotihuacan. The Aztecs who arrived centuries later called this god Queztacoatl, the Mayans had a similar deity called Kukulkan or Q'uq'umatz. I must admit to feeling slightly cheated when I realised it wasn't an original piece. It was just a colourful reproduction. I then began to doubt all the other exhibits. Was that really the disk of Mictlāntēcutli or just a plaster cast mould reproduction?
We saw people walking behind the fake temple so we followed them. Inside there was a reconstruction of a mass burial site discovered inside the real temple in 1980. Human sacrifice was common practice especially during an opening ceremonies of temples, for example. Over 200 remains of men and women were found in the Temple of the Feathered Serpent.
We continued browsing the many objects on display. All were fascinating in their own right, all had a story to tell about the Teotihuacan people. It overwhelmed Julie so she decided to step outisde to the courtyard whilst I contiued.
During the 6th century the Teotihuacan influence and power declined and eventually fizzled out by the 8th century. It was another five hundred years before the Mexica Aztecs arrived.
I came out of the Teotihuacan gallery and crossed the courtyard to Julie and onto the next major civilisation to rise to prominence, the Mexica people of Tenochtitlan. Better known to us as the Aztecs. (It was the Spanish who gave them that name.)
The star attraction here was the famous Sun Stone and we could see it when we first walked in, high up on the wall opposite the entrance. However, we didn't rush straight towards it, chosing instead to give all the other artefacts a quick glance first.
There were several other stone discs on display but they were displayed differently, flat on their side on a raised platform rather than mounted on a wall. These discs were believed to be connected to ritual sacrifice. Either a temalacatl, where the victim would be tied to await their fate or a cuauhxicalli a ceremonial vessel to hold the human hearts. Or maybe they served no purpose at all and were just decorative ornamental pieces. We stopped at one called the Stone of Tizoc. Tizoc was the Mexica Emperor who ruled between 1481-86. The stone was about 2.5 metre in diameter, almost 1 metre thick and richly carved with several battle scenes celebrating Tizoc as a great tlatoani (emperor). What we couldn't see was the top of this stone which apparently had a design similar to that of the Sun Stone with the eight points of the compass.
With our interest now well and truly pricked we were so eager to see the Sun Stone that we skipped large swaythes of artefacts to make a b-line to the incredible monolith. We stood in front of it and were filled with wonder.
It was a colossal 3.6 metres in diameter and its entire surface was carved with such incredible detail. It's believed to have been carved during the reign of Moctezuma II, the Mexica ruler when the Spanish arrived in 1521. In the centre was the image of what's believed to be the sun god Tonatiu. There were four boxes surrounding it, representing different eras, Wind, Rain, Water and Jaguar. Each era, spanning centuries, where the world is destroyed and reborn. Then came concentric rings, the first had the 20 days of the Aztec calendar month. The stone is often called the Calendar stone. There were several other rings, finishing with the outer rim representing two snakes whose heads met at the base. During the late 16th century the Archibishop of Mexico had the sun stone removed from its position in Templo Mayor and then buried it in the main square in a symbolic gesture of getting rid of the past. It was later rediscovered in 1790 when they carried out work outside the Metropolitan cathedral and they placed it up against the cathedral's walls.
We left the Mexica (Aztecs) behind and returned to the courtyard. Up next were the Mayan civilisation but I decided to sacrifice our time here at the anthropology museum in order we could squeeze in another musuem before lunch. Desperate to see at least one Frida Khalo painting before we left I knew there was one on display at the Museum of Modern Art. I also knew it wasn't far, inside the Chapultepec park. It was still far enough so we decided to call a taxi.
A few minutes later we were walking towards the Museo de Arte Moderno. They had a no bags policy so I had to leave my small rucksack in the cloakroom. Not wanting to waste anytime we asked a member of staff "Frida Khalo?" She pointed us in the right direction.
In the gallery to the right, and then right again was Las Dos Fridas (The Two Fridas), one of her better known paintings. It was also one of her largest at almost 3 m². It wasn't at all busy which was great. By the time we reached the paining we had the room to ourselves.
We stood in front of it, taking in the big picture at first. It was a surreal scene where the two versions of Frida sat holding hands, in front of a stormy background, both their hearts exposed and connected to one another via an arterary. On the right the heart was complete whilst on the left her breast was exposed and her heart dissected. The faces were slightly different, with one appearing younger, arguably more attractive than the older face with the hairy upper lip.
Frida on the left wore a very traditional laced white dress, almost like a bridal gown. Although it was more New Spain than Old Mexican. In her right hand she held a pair of surgical pincers stemming the flow of an artery bleeding into her lap.
Frida on the right was dressed in a simpler traditional dress, more indigenous and held in her left hand an image of Diego, attached to a vein. She painted this in 1939 shortly after her divorce from Diego Rivera. It contained many powerful symbolic images of her pain, not only of her seperation but of her life in general. She certainly poured all her emotion into her painting. After a few uninterupted minutes we moved on to allow another couple who had just arrived an opportunity to stand in front of the masterpiece. There wasn't much else of interest to us, so moments later we returned to The Two Fridas for one last look before returning to the cloakroom to collect my bag. We literally had only been five minutes. The member of staff at the counter was surprised to see me so soon. He pointed upstairs to suggest there was more to see but I told him "We only came for Frida" which made him laugh out loud. Time was of an essence as they say so we caught a Uber taxi back to our hotel in time for a quick lunch.
Directly opposite the Mumedi Design Hotel was a very popular taqueria called Tacos de Canasta Los Especiales. It looked very rustic to say the least. This morning at breakfast we watched as supplies were being delivered on the back of a bicycle.
I already knew what I was having. I had earlier, after breakfast, popped inside to check the menu. Essentially they only had four choices, Chicharron ("pork rind" or possibly what we knew as belly pork) with Adobo, a delcious chilli sauce made with smokey chillies; Chicharron with Salsa Verde, a classic green chilli sauce, Frijoles Refritos, (refried beans), and Papa, a potato option! I was intrigued by the idea of a potato taco. I just had to try it! Also the price of 9 pesos per taco was ridiculously cheap. So we joined the back of the queue.
As we shuffled along we could see four large aluminium buckets on the counter from which they scooped out pre-made tacos, small soft corn tortilas, filled and folded over. The nearer we got to ordering the less Julie wanted some. It was my turn and I asked for "tres papas, por favor" Wearing catering gloves they went in with their hands and pulled three sorry looking tacos out of the bucket and slapped them onto a plastic plate which was wrapped in a clear plastic bag. I turned to Julie for her order and she shook her head to say no.
It was very busy, all the seats were taken. At the end of the narrow room it opened out into another small space with tall tables but standing room only. I followed the example of the locals eating there and helped myself to some guacomole and some even more green stuff to top my tacos. It looked like courgette and nopalito (cactus) in a spicy salsa verde. There was also some grated carrot but nobody seemed interested in it.
Julie was the first to notice, and she had a good belly laugh, before I realised I didnt have any cutlery. I had to eat it all with my hands! The tacos would have been fine but the guacamole and chunky salsa verde was a different prospect. I was making a real pigs ear of it and drawing some attention from the locals. Julie couldn't watch me any longer and decided to walk back to the hotel's restaurant to have her lunch. Despite the embarassment I really enjoyed my lunch! By the time I rejoined Julie she was just getting her version of a Club sandwich of chicken, bacon and cheese. She loved it. It looked great, tasted great and didn't come out of a bucket! Although she didn't eat it all. She was still not feeling a 100% and had lost her appetite.
With lunch over we walked towards our pick up point for our trip out this afternoon. It wasn't far, outside a department store called Robert's on the corner of Simon Bolivar street and Avenue 5 de Mayo. Julie was now struggling with a temperature so I popped to the nearest pharmacy to buy Julie some paracetemol. Thankfully they were easy to find and cheap to buy. Right on time our guide and driver arrived. He was driving a beaten up car, all scratched and dented. It sounded like it had a hole in the exhaust. He was only a young lad, he wore glasses and his shiny black hair seemed to be swept back with oil into quite a buffon. He apologised for the car. "It's the only one they gave me" he explained. "they say it has a problem with the liquifier but the engine is ok." He was very softly spoken. We set off heading North out of the city centre. "How safe do you feel in Mexico City?" he asked before telling us we had entered a notoriously dangerous area. "There are a lot of car-jackings here" he warned, just as we came to a stop at a red light. I could see Julie's eyes switch to high alert. It was only a few minutes drive from the centre. There was a local market in the area but he advised us not to stray here, especially at night. "Many tourist wander here and then get robbed" he added. The green light came, much to Julie's relief who had been holding her breath since we came to a stop, and we moved on. The conversation also moved on, taking a random segue to the attitudes towards the LGBT+ community in the UK. "They have bars and clubs they can go to?" he asked very inquisitively.
The topic of conversation continued as we travelled up Avenida Los Insurgentes Norte and only changed when I blurted out "Oh look, cable car" like an excitable child in the back seat. I think my reaction was justified. It was surprising to see cable cars overhead. The newly opened Cablebus system continued for miles out of the city high into the surrounding hillsides.
It was the strangest of sights, a scene more familiar with a ski resort but it made good sense as a method to transport commuters from the suburbs into the city centre and get them off the roads. I remember there being a similar system in the favellas of Rio de Janeiro.
All the way Jordi was trying to hold a conversation. Julie was sat directly behind him, so he kept on turning around to talk to me. I could hardly hear him over the noise of his faulty liquifier. I had to listen very intently to what he was saying. It was hard work being that polite. It came as great relief when we entered Teotihuacan park, although I didn't think we were going to make it as the road had turned into a cobble-stoned track for a mile or two. It shook the car so much I was concerned bits were going to drop off. At least he stopped talking at me.
After parking up we followed Jordi into a small museum which had many of the same artefacts we had already seen this morning. He began talking at us again with many facts and figures about the Teotihuacan. I'm sure he noticed that we were getting a little bored and his clutter chatter became more economical.
What did impress us however was a scale model of the city. It made us realise how large an area it covered. Jordi explained where we were on the map and explained what we were about to see this afternoon. He pointed out the Temple of the Sun and the smaller Temple of the Moon at the end of the Avenue of the Dead. It made me realise that we were only going to see about half of the site. The other half, known as the Cuidadela, the citadel, was mostly a residential area. "At one time it may have had a population of 200,000" Jordi explained which was a staggering fact, placing it as the sixth largest city in the world during the 5th century. But the citadel was also where the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, (the one reconstructed at the museum this morning) was located. It was a shame we weren't going to have time to see it. "Ah, a reason to return" Julie and I said at the same time. We looked out the window to what at first looked like a hill but was in fact a side view of the Temple of the Sun. We couldn't wait to get out there and see it up close.
We followed Jordi through a gate and walked along the side of this man-made mountain. It beggared belief. The whole structure was massive, although rising to 66 metres it was only half as tall as the great pyramids in Egypt. The surface of the pyramid was perfectly level with the exception of several spikes of rock. They weren't ill-fitting stones but intentionally protruding. Jordi claimed it had something to do with the process of human sacfrifice. It would have been originally covered in white lime plaster and then decorated with colourful painted designs. We walked towards the front of the temple for the best view. A grand staircase ran all the way to the top. Up until 2020 people freely walked up to the top of the 4th tier but when it reopened after the pandemic stepping onto the pyramids has been prohibited. A solitary figure patrolled from the second tier, making sure no one attempted to break the rules.
Julie was relieved that she wasn't expected to climb any pyramids today. Although to she wasn't completely exempt from climbing a few steps. A stepped wall seperated the plaza of the Sun Temple from the Avenue of the Dead. She managed to climb up them fine but when she reached the top her sense of balance deserted her. She stood there shaking, literally petrified whilst I took a few quick snaps of the pyramid. By that time she had built up so much anxiety she could hardly put one step in front of another. She has recently been struggling with steps, after falling down some in our garden and bumping her head. It wasn't easy but eventually she made it down unscathed which is more than I could say about my arm. She held onto me so tightly she left me bruised!
Her composure returned as we safely strolled down Calzada de los Muertos, the Avenue of the Dead, towards the Temple of the Moon, directly ahead of us. The North-South street, was named Miccaotli by the Mexica (Aztecs) who found this city abandoned in the 15th century. In fact the name Teotihuacan was also coined up by them and meant "the place where gods are created". Behind the Temple of the Moon was the extinct volcano of Cerro Gordo. "See how the pyramid is the same shape as the mountain behind it" Jordi pointed out. We nodded. The street was continuously lined with smaller structures, either temple platforms, palaces or simply a wall.
Jordi took us towards one with a canopy which was keeping an exposed mural in the shade. The image had deteriorated but you could still make out the body and claws of a big cat, probably a jaguar. It was remarkable to think how old it could be, possibly 1700 years old! Whilst Teotihuacan existed around 100 BC it didn't reach the height of its powers until the 3rd - 4th century AD. Most of what we see today was built during this period. We reached a free-standing platform in front of the Temple of the Moon. Jordi and I climbed up it. Julie decided to walk around it. She made the right call. The view from the top wasn't any different than standing at ground level. The Temple of the Moon was shorter than the Sun Temple, by almost a third but it didn't look any less impressive. It was still the second largest pyramid in the Americas. We could go no further, which was a real shame. One of the most iconic views of Teotihuacan was from the summit of the Moon pyramid. The day they remove the restrictions then we must return.
As we turned to face South I was surprised to see the Temple of the Sun looking even more like a man-made mountain because one side had been allowed to grass over. It was strange to see. Surely the roots of the vegetation would damage the structure.
Heading across the plaza, generally South West, Jordi then lead us up some steep steps. Julie agreed to walk up them because firstly he promised a great view, but secondly we weren't coming back down them. This was the way out, for us at least, towards Gate 3. He lived up to his word when we followed him to the edge and saw the Avenue of the Dead run South as far as the eyes could see. Unable to scale the heights of the pyramids it was probably the best vantage point left in Teotihuacan.
We continued our way towards a collection of palaces. The first was called the Palace of Quetzalpapálotl and is believed to have been a palace of the hight priests. Columns supported a flat roof as we entered the reception rooms. There was a great view of the plaza in front of the Temple of the Moon from its terrace.
Deep inside we came to a beautiful inner courtyard, with painted lintels still brightly coloured red. The name Quetzalpapálotl is derived from the images of the feathered god, half bird half butterfly, carved into the stone of the columns here. Jordi drew our attention to the different coloured stone and admitted that in order to reconstruct the palace they had to recreate the many missing pieces. Those in a redder tone were reproductions.
Next we came to the Palace of the Jaguar where we came across a mural painted onto a slab of a jaguar, wearing a feathered headress blowing into a feathered conch shell dripping with blood. Jordi explained more about the reconstruction where collapsed walls were rebuilt but to differentiate them from untouched walls they placed small pebbles in the mortar between the rocks. It made us realise that a large proportion of Teotihuacan had been reconstucted.
We moved on to another palace, this time on a lower level, below the others. It's believed to have been built 200 years earlier than the others. This was called the Palace of the Feathered Conch because of the images carved on the walls. The feathered conch was a sea shell embelished with green quetzal bird plumage and blown like a trumpet in ceremonies.
There was also some incredible murals. With its vivid colours protected from the sun we could make out a green bird, very similar to a macaw parrot, where out of its beak came water pouring over a yellow flower.
Nobody really knows the significance of these murals nor indeed of the feathered conch carvings. What was the purpose of these rooms? What happened within thses four walls almost two thousand years ago? There was no evience of a written language so there were no clues.
At this point Jordi returned to the car, the way we came, giving us some free time to explore more of Teotihuacan. Julie didn't want to go back down those steps so she decided to take the weight off her feet and sat down on a stool outisde a convenience store to sip a cold coke zero.
I headed back down to the plaza in front of the Temple of the Moon for another look. For a moment I thought about heading over to the pyramid and go up a few steps, to see how far I would get before being challenged. But I didn't.
It was now almost 4:30pm and closing time was fast approaching. The vendors who had set up on the Avenue of the Dead were all begining to pack up their wares. Visitors were thin on the ground by now.
It must be hard to make a living. All the time I spent here I didn't see one tourist buying anything from any of them. I was tempted to part with my cash when I saw this guy wearing an over sized sombrero. I thought it would be quite the novelty keepsake from the trip. It looked just like the one Speedy Gonzales used to wear.
I returned up the steps towards the Palace of Quetzalpapálotl, taking in a final few snapshots of the pyramids before joining Julie and then continuing to the car park to wait for Jordi to come and pick us up. He was late. "What if he's gone and left us?" worried Julie. As the minutes passed I also began to get a little concerned and searched for a Uber taxi back into the city. There were plenty available so we relaxed knowing we had a plan B. Ten minutes late he arrived on foot, apologising. They wouldn't let him drive his car into the car park because the site was now closed. Back in the car we returned to Mexico City. Thankfully Jordi was a lot less chatty on the way back so I could simpy relax in the back and enjoy the ride.
He dropped us off where he picked us up, outside Robert's Department Store. "Please leave a review" he kindly asked and we promised to do so (but never did). It was now just after 6pm and the sun was setting, bathing a catholic church, the Templo de San Felipe Neri, in its warm glow as we walked back to our hotel.
We only returned to the hotel for a quick shower and costume change and then back out again for a taxi ride to our dinner reservation. It wasn't far, we could have walked in less than ten minutes but we wanted to arrive relaxed and unflustered.
We virtually stumbled across the restaurant Limosneros online whilst researching places to eat. Their menu caught our eye because they offered a vegan tasting menu which was a rare find. I didn't want to have the seven course but at least I knew there was going to be plenty of interesting choices on their a la carte menu.
Our first impressions were impressive. The room was tastefully decorated and had such a comfortable vibe when you walked in. We were welcomed well and shown to our table. Our drinks order was taken care of first. We chose a bottle of Chenin Blanc, before realising the price was over £50. Not wanting to look like fools or stingy we let it roll.
We browsed the menu, taking our time to decide. For me it was a difficult choice because there were so many dishes to try. In the end I opted for three dishes. A starter, a main course and an inbetween. Once our order was taken an amuse bouche arrived. It was two mini tostadas topped with chopped grilled octopus and a blob of green paste, served on a lump of lava rock. Julie ate them both, obviously, and really enjoyed them.
We didn't have to wait long for our starters to arrive. I went for a dish called Mole de Olla described in English as a "red broth". It came to the table as an array of vegetables like baby carrots, creole courgettes, white squash, all neatly arranged in a bowl. Then the waiter poured from a rustic jug a rich coloured gravy, filling it up right to the rim of the shallow bowl. It looked wonderful. It tasted even better. The mole was absolutely delicious. Such incredible and complex flavours swirling around my mouth. I didn't want the dish to end. This was the mole I had dreamt about.
Julie's starter was described as heirloom tomatoes but it was much more that just that. Slices of seasoned green heirloom tomatoes was topped with regular red cherry tomatoes, green salad leaves, goat's cheese in panko breadcrumbs and topped with a tomato water granita. "This is amazing" she enthused. As it contained no meat I tried some and agreed it was fabulous.
I was hoping my "in between" course would arrive next but it was Julie's lamb chops that came. It was sparsely plated with three pieces of meat around a pool of thick Puya mole, with a small layered potato described as a potato lasagne on one side, and a quinelle of Hoja Santa puree on the other. Much to my suprise she was blown away by the mole. She even asked the waiter what was in it. Apparently it had cashew nut and tomato as its base and then a perfect blend of various chillies.
It wasn't long before my tacos came, served in a boat made from the same black lava we saw earlier. The main ingredient was cuitlacoche, a black fermented corn, topped with slices of pickled onion, turned pink from the vinegar, and the slightest dusting of finely grated cojita cheese. They were so good, and there were three of them.
I was still eating when my second dish arrived; a whole cuitlacoche. The shrivelled up cob of black corn looked so unattractive on the plate. It was served on top of grated cojita cheese. The corn had hints of a buttery mushroom flavour, and the aged cheese added a sharpness to balance it out. I had been given a steak knife to eat it so I assumed I needed to cut through the core and eat it. It was soft enough to bite into so I was confident I was doing the right thing. Although I was half expecting the waiter to rush over to ask me what the hell was I doing?! We opted out of desserts, however tempted I may have been. The bill was 2559 pesos which was expensive but if we took out 1050 pesos for the wine then the food came to around £36 per person. Everything we had eaten tonight was of the highest quality. A meal that will stay long in the memory.
After a short taxi ride to the hotel we were back in our room before 10pm. The universe wanted me to eat a dessert as there was a strawberry meringue waiting for us when we returned. They looked really nice served beneath a glass dome keeping them fresh. But still I abstained. I fell asleep a little stressed having spent half an hour trying to check-in online to our Volaris flights to Guatemala tomorrow. It kept on failing with the message "It has not been possible to complete your check-in online." Afer the fourth or fifth attempt I noticed a line that said "Please reach an agent at the airport to verify your travel doucuments" so that was that. It'll have to wait until tomorrow. Next Day >>> |
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