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Oaxaca: Living and Breathing History 历史之都──瓦哈卡

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课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

Behind the steep stone steps of an ancient temple nestled in the mountains of central Mexico, a group of tourists is crowded into a dank room, staring up at a hole in the ceiling. Over a thousand years ago, the Zapotec people who build these pyramids used this room as an observatory from which to chart the path of celestial bodies. Today, the awe-inspiring temples of Monte Alban – one of the major pre-colonial cities in the Americas – still reach silently to the sky as a reminder to tourists of Mexico’s rich past.

在墨西哥中部的群山间安坐着一间古庙，古庙陡峭的石阶之后，一群游客涌入一间湿冷的房间，瞪着天花板上的一个洞。一千多年前，建这些金字塔的萨波特克人用这间房间当作观测台来测量行星的轨道。今天，在美洲最大的殖民期前城市之一──蒙特阿尔班城──中令人叹为观止的寺庙仍寂静地高耸入云，提醒着游客：墨西哥曾拥有的富庶。

Many people are familiar with the Maya of eastern Mexico and the temples they carved out of the jungle on the Yucatan peninsula. However, far fewer tourists know of the older Zapotec civilization, which flourished in the mountain valleys around modern Oaxaca City from before 500 B.C. until the sixteenth century arrival of Spanish armies.

许多人熟悉东墨西哥的马雅人，及犹加敦半岛上他们辟林造出的神庙。然而，极少游客知道，位于今日瓦哈卡市附近的山谷中，更古老的萨波特克文明在公元五百年前曾辉煌一时，一直到十六世纪西班牙军队的到来为止。

The Zapotec were one of the few groups in Central America who maintained their independence under the Aztec Empire. There was even a Zapotec neighborhood within the Aztec capital, where people from the area around Monte Alban lived as artists and weavers, upholding their own traditions among their militaristic neighbors. Today their descendants continue to sell art and beautiful weavings in the crowded markets of Oaxaca City.

萨波特克是在阿兹提克帝国所统治的中美洲内，少数还维持独立的族群之一。甚至在阿兹提克的首都中有一个萨波特克区，来自蒙特阿尔班城四周的艺术家和织工安居此处，在他们军国主义的邻国当中维持着自己的传统。今天，他们的后裔继续在瓦哈卡市拥挤的市集里贩卖艺术品和美丽纺织品。

Vocabulary

单词发音

Oaxaca [wɑˈhɑrkɑ] n. [地名] [墨西哥] 瓦哈卡

nestle [ˋnɛs!] v. 舒适地安顿下来；安卧

dank [dæŋk] adj. 湿冷的﹐阴冷的

Zapotec [ˋzæpətɛk] adj. 萨巴特克人（语）的

observatory [əbˋzɝvə͵torɪ] n. 瞭望台；观测所

chart [tʃɑrt] v. 绘制……的图表

celestial [sɪˋlɛstʃəl] adj. 天的，天空的

awe-inspiring [ˋɔɪn͵spaɪərɪŋ] adj. 令人起敬畏心的；令人惊叹的

peninsula [pəˋnɪnsələ] n. 半岛

flourish [ˋflɝɪʃ] v. 繁荣，兴旺

neighborhood [ˋnebɚ͵hʊd] n. 小区﹐ 住宅小区; 四邻﹐ 街坊

weaver [ˋwivɚ] n. 织布工

uphold [ʌpˋhold] v. 维护；维持

militaristic [͵mɪlɪtəˋrɪstɪk] adj. 军国主义的；军国主义者的

descendant [dɪˋsɛndənt] n. 子孙，后裔

Sentence of the Day

They've got it down to a fine art.

他们已经驾轻就熟。

get something down to a fine art【口】学会将某事物做得尽善尽美

课文讲解

Anne and Jim are honeymooning in Mexico. They are exploring the cobbled street of Oaxaca City:  安和吉姆在墨西哥渡蜜月。他们探访瓦哈卡市内铺着碎石道的街市：

J: Wasn’t Cortez the explorer the first European to build here?

探险家柯尔特斯[注]是不是第一位在此建城的欧洲人？

A: He was. He had his choice of any site in Central America, and he chose Oaxaca.

是啊。他可以选择中美洲的任何地点，而他选择了瓦哈卡。

J: I understand why. This is my favorite place in Mexico too! The Spanish colonial architecture is in such striking juxtaposition with typical Mexican street life!

我了解为什么了。这城市也是我在墨西哥最喜欢的地方！西班牙殖民式的建筑跟典型的墨西哥街坊生活如此不搭调。

A: Yes; it is strange to see vender selling fried grasshoppers and shoes made from old tires in front of such European-looking buildings.

是啊！在这么具有欧洲风味的建筑物之前，看到卖烤蚱蜢及用旧轮胎制成的鞋子的小贩实在很怪。

J: It’s too bad we won’t be here for the Day of the Dead celebrations.

我们没有办法在这儿庆祝「死亡日」，实在是太可惜了。

A: Is that when families visit the graves of their relatives on November 1?

那是在十一月一日家族上坟追思亲人的日子？

J: It’s more than that! The whole city is gaily decorated, with garlands of flowers and colorful skeletons hanging from every lamppost and doorway.

不只哪！整座城市都用垂挂在灯柱和门口的花圈和彩色的骷髅头装饰得很耀眼。

A: That sounds beautiful. To make up for missing it, we’ll have to visit the cathedral by the town square tonight.

那听起来美极了。为了弥补错失良机之憾，我们今晚一定要探访城里广场旁的大教堂。

J: Oh, right! On the full moon, it casts a shadow of a praying nun down onto the square.

喔，对！月圆的时候，月亮会照在教堂，投射的影子像是个正在祷告的修女。

A: Exactly! We can have dinner overlooking the square, too.

没错！我们也可以在能够俯视广场的地方享用晚餐。

J: Good idea. I’m dying to taste chicken mole. Spicy chocolate sauce sounds tailor-made for lovebirds like us!

好主意。我想尝一尝鸡肉沾酱。辣巧克力酱对于像我们这样的情侣实在是再适合也不过了。

[注]：柯尔特斯，西班牙殖民者，1518年率探险队前往美洲大陆开辟新殖民地，1523年征服墨西哥。

－by Francoise Raunet

Vocabulary

单词发音

cobbled [ˋkɑb!d] adj.〔街道〕铺鹅卵石的

striking [ˋstraɪkɪŋ] adj. 惹人注目的；显著的，突出的

juxtaposition [͵dʒʌkstəpəˋzɪʃən] v. 并置，并列

grasshopper [ˋgræs͵hɑpɚ] n. 蚱蜢；蝗虫

grave [grev] n. 墓穴；埋葬处

gaily [ˋgelɪ] adv. 快乐地；兴高采烈地

garland [ˋgɑrlənd] n.（作为胜利和荣誉的象征）花环，花冠

lamppost [ˋlæmp͵post] n. 街灯柱

make up 补偿

cathedral [kəˋθidrəl] n. 大教堂

overlook [͵ovɚˋlʊk] v. 眺望；俯瞰

be dying to <口> 极想(做)..., 渴望(做)...

mole [mol] n. 墨西哥印第安人创制的一种略带辣味的调味酱

lovebird [ˋlʌv͵bɝd] n.（常用复数）情侣

Sentence of the Day

It's a taste of things to come.

这是将来会发生的事。

a taste of  一点儿，一口[S][（+of）]

Travel Oaxaca, Mexico