How would you interpret ‘monument’ here?
Somewhere during the lecture Jesús lost his way on the dirt track through jungle, and we found ourselves also called back to his home village, conveniently at lunchtime, as it happened. We were near enough to Chichén Itzá, the temples of one of its outlying towns towered above the treetops, a monument to ancient prosperity throwing its shadow across thatched roofs and the naked children who gathered to see what might emerge from this calamitous machine. We could as well have arrived by flying saucer.

How would you interpret ‘monument’ in the phrase: a monument to ancient prosperity?
I think the word ‘monument’ refer to the temples, right?
Thanks! And it’s from The Lacuna by Kingsolver.

Question

How would you interpret ‘monument’ here?
Somewhere during the lecture Jesús lost his way on the dirt track through jungle, and we found ourselves also called back to his home village, conveniently at lunchtime, as it happened. We were near enough to Chichén Itzá, the temples of one of its outlying towns towered above the treetops, a monument to ancient prosperity throwing its shadow across thatched roofs and the naked children who gathered to see what might emerge from this calamitous machine. We could as well have arrived by flying saucer.

How would you interpret ‘monument’ in the phrase: a monument to ancient prosperity?
I think the word ‘monument’ refer to the temples, right?
Thanks! And it’s from The Lacuna by Kingsolver.

Answer

The literal definition
Monument-a statue, building, or other structure erected to commemorate a notable person or event.

But in this sentence it means something like testament. Proof of something.
The fact that they were able to build such a things shows/proves that the ancient civilization was prosperous

Answer

A monument can be a physical structure.  But in this case, it refers to the temples, yes.  It is more like a result that can be seen and inferred to represent the ancient prosperity of the area's prosperity of that past time.  Technically, if you  look at that whole sentence, there is a prepositional phrase that can be set apart perhaps like this  (  )   (of one of its outlying towns tower above the treetops).  The following noun will not modify any of those words, which leads you back to the preceding word --temples, which it refers to.  So you are right!  Good job.  :)

Answers · 2

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