La Ruta Maya


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May 4th 2006
Published: May 11th 2006
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YaxchilánYaxchilánYaxchilán

This is the first view of the ruins as I walked through the jungle.
The Mayan Route is a well traveled (but not well defined) path that winds its way through Southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras, linking together sites of cultural importance, like traditional Mayan villages, with the many archaeological sites that dot the area. While there are several places, such as San Cristobal de Las Casas, Palenque and Tikal, that end up on most peoples' itinerary, the overwhelming number of archaeological sites on the route mean that everyone's journey on La Ruta Maya is different. I spent most of my teenage years studying the Mayan world and dreaming of exploring the hidden depths of the Mayan jungles (I know, I was a nerd) and my time has finally come!

My journey on La Ruta Maya started in the highland Chiapas town of San Cristobal de Las Casas. San Cristobal and the surrounding area has a strong indigenous Mayan heritage, an enjoyable travelers' scene and a turbulent past from the Spanish colonial times to the more recent Zapatista rebellion. My time in San Cristobal was great! I spent a lot of time walking through the craft markets admiring the beautiful handicrafts and I did a lot of people watching. I visited Na Bolom
San Cristobal de Las CasasSan Cristobal de Las CasasSan Cristobal de Las Casas

The plaza was filled with music and a lively crowd every night in this highland Chiapas town.
(Jaguar House), which was home to Frans Blom, a famous archaeologist and Explorer Club member, and his wife Trudy Duby-Blom, who's outstanding efforts in anthropology helped preserve the rapidly changing culture of the Lancondón Maya. I also paid a visit to the ever popular Canyon del Sumidero and took a quick, but enjoyable, boat ride beneath its towering, sheer walls - The scenery reminded me a lot of Fiordland in New Zealand, only here we had crocodiles! My time in San Cristobal was enriched even more, because my arrival happened to coincide with the start of the Spring Festival. The festival filled the streets with large, friendly crowds and excellent music and dance shows every night with the occasional fireworks show. The festival also answered a question I had had in the back of my mind since before I got to Mexico: Do I really want to see a bull fight? I had entertained the thought, not because I wanted to see the lopsided fight to the death, but because it was a large part of the Mexican culture and because of the 'epic' Bugs Bunny cartoons from my childhood. In the end, when my chance arrived, I decided that
Na BolomNa BolomNa Bolom

Jaguar House was home to Frans Blom, a well known archaeologist and his wife Trudy, a well known anthropologist.
there was no possible way I could enjoy it and I decided not to go (In real life the bull doesn't actually get back up and shake it off after running full speed into the cape-concealed anvil, so to speak, and I decided that I didn't want to see that) - I will just have to rely on the detailed descriptions given by Hemmingway and Mitchner and leave it at that!

From San Cristobal I went to Ocosingo, a small town that only gets a trickle of tourists, with intentions of seeing Toniná. Toniná is a major Mayan ruin that doesn't get a lot of visitors for some reason beyond my comprehension. Toniná's claim to fame was that it conquered Palenque. My 'first' visit to Toniná didn't go so well. About half way up the massive hillside ceremonial center, Montezuma struck me a major blow as he took his revenge and I had to make a not-so-speedy, emergency retreat back to the visitor center. I spent the next four days enjoying (probably not the right word) the hospitality of the great staff at Hospedaje Esmerelda as I recovered and regained my strength. My return to Toniná went much better!
The Amber MuseumThe Amber MuseumThe Amber Museum

Chiapas is one of the worlds major amber sources and the Amber Museum tells you all about it.
I took it slow because I was still a little weak, but I managed to explore every inch of the completely open site. Toniná had many well preserved stucco sculptures, lots of steep pyramids to climb with lots of excellent views form the top and my favorite, the Thirty Meter Tomb. The tomb was nothing more than a steep stairway descending into one of the terraces and a long passage way that made a short turn at the end, but what made the tomb special was the fact that it was about a foot wide or less over most of its length - At one point, about mid-way in, I nearly got stuck when the passage got narrower than my legs about thigh height, but I forced my way through and was rewarded with a slightly wider passage on the other side. While by no means was Toniná the most impressive of Mayan sites, it was still a very impressive place to spend the day - I suppose that any time you get lucky enough to explore a major Mayan city by yourself it is a good day!

Back at the bus station in Ocosingo I received some not-so-good
Canyon del SumideroCanyon del SumideroCanyon del Sumidero

The scenery in this Chiapas canyon was very similar to Fiordland in New Zealand, but with crocodiles.
news - "The road to Palenque is broken and no buses are allowed through." All wasn't lost though, since the small camioneta pick-up trucks were still able to get through - I reluctantly said good-bye to the comfy, air-conditioned seat that I had been dreaming about all day (I was still a little sick after all) and I piled into the four person cab with five other adults and headed down the broken road towards Palenque, the next stop on my La Ruta Maya.

Even though I had never been there, Palenque has held a special place in my heart for many years and it was exciting to finally be there. Palenque is the location of one of the most important discoveries in the Mayan world, King Pakal's tomb, and the story of its discovery is what sparked my first interests in the Maya. The tomb was discovered in 1952 when archaeologist Alberto Ruz pried a large stone slab out of the floor of the Temple of Inscriptions revealing a rubble filled stairway heading down into the unknown bowels of the pyramid. After a period of several years, the rubble had been removed revealing a steep flight of stairs
Clouds Above the CanyonClouds Above the CanyonClouds Above the Canyon

Looking up from the river in the canyon.
leading down to a small landing and then another flight of stairs leading down from the landing in the opposite direction to the crypt, which contained a massive stone sarcophagus with an ornately carved lid. Inside the sarcophagus were the remains of Palenque's greatest ruler, King Pakal, wearing an ornate, jade funerary mask and jade-bead necklaces... King Pakal's tomb was very near the top of my list of places in the world I want to see and, for now, it will have to remain there, because the tomb has been closed indefinitely due to humidity problems and ongoing restoration work - I was so close! It took me a while to get over my disappointment, but I did and I ended up having a wonderful time at ruins. Most of Palenque's structures were open to the public and many well preserved carvings and stucco reliefs existed all over the site. The jungle setting meant there were many peaceful trails to follow and there were several structures way out of the standard tourist areas that were still strewn with obsidian blades and patterned pottery shards. Despite the crowds and the overbearing humidity, Palenque was an amazing place and I spent the
The Christmas TreeThe Christmas TreeThe Christmas Tree

This is a strange formation on one of the canyon walls that is called the Christmas Tree.
entire day there. As I was leaving at the end of the day, I got a small treat when I realized that they had opened the Red Queen's tomb for viewing - She is called the Red Queen because her skeleton was bright red due to a coating of cinnabar. I took a brief stroll down an unofficial jungle trail where there were several unexplored structures overgrown with vegetation and then I said farewell to Palenque. I walked through the souvenir stalls in the parking area to see what they had to offer and most of it was mass produced trinkets that I had no interest in, but something caught my eye and I had to have it! For all of you back home that have ever doubted my intelligence this should set your mind at ease: Now, in addition to the load I have carried through Mexico in my backpack, I have a slab of limestone roughly 18"x12"x1" carved in the likeness of King Pakal's sarcophagus lid and yes it is HEAVY! - I remember back in scouts when we would play jokes on each other by putting rocks in someone’s backpack and now I’ve gone and done it
A Crocodile!A Crocodile!A Crocodile!

They don't look all that mean.
to myself! That night I sat enjoying a pizza in Don Mucho's in El Panchan and tried to figure out how to get my slab of stone home (I still haven't figured it out!)

My next day's adventure stands as the highlight of my trip to date. I have long been drawn to the idea of exploring ruins lost in the jungle and my chance had arrived! I was heading to Bonampak and Yaxchilán on the border between Mexico and Guatemala. The day started bright and early at 6:00am (that's 6:45am Mexican time) when we all piled into the van and headed towards the border. Along the way our driver pointed out the wildlife he saw including a wild macaw and a wild toucan! We made a brief stop for breakfast and made it to Bonampak by mid-morning. Bonampak is located deep in the beautiful Lacandón Jungle on the edge of the remote Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve. I had wanted to go there for a while due to the site's impressive frescoes and remote location. One of my old employers once told me about the time he visited Bonampak in the '60s (I think) when it required a lengthy
TonináTonináToniná

The impressive ruins of Toniná are far from the tourist circuit and, as a result, completely open for exploration.
boat ride and a grand adventure to get there, now it is an easy trip from Palenque on a well paved road - Progress is not always a good thing! We were given an hour to see the ruins, so I set off in a sprint (I wanted to get ahead of the large group of people that had just arrived as well.) As a result of my running, I had the site to myself for about ten minutes, which was just long enough to snap some people-less pictures. Similar to Toniná, Bonampak's main ceremonial center rose from the plaza up the side of a hill in a series of stairways and man-made terraces. There were a few temples, including the Temple of Paintings, about half way up and the top of the hill was crowned with several small temples of a similar construction. From the top of the main structures, a mysterious, overgrown staircase ascended into the forest ending in yet another few un-restored structures. I explored the site at a leisurely pace amid the distant roar of the howler monkeys and the constant calls of the forest birds - It was a wonderful hour and I saved the
In the LabyrinthIn the LabyrinthIn the Labyrinth

One of the many well preserved structures at Toniná.
best for last, the frescoes. Bonampak's frescoes are located in three separate rooms in the Temple of Paintings and are some of the best preserved in the Mayan world - They were a pleasure to finally see! I had also read of a newly discovered fresco somewhere on site, but everyone I asked about where it was just laughed and didn't answer - They either didn't understand or were saying, "I know where it is, but I'm not going to tell you! I suspect it was behind the only locked gate I encountered on site, but next time I will know for sure. On the way out of the ruins we found a giant rubber tree with the tell-tale, criss-cross scars on its trunk from the harvesting process. While we waited for the rest of our group to show up we watched a couple of barefoot Mayan children swinging on vines and laughing a lot, much like I did when I was a kid - I though about joining them on the vines, but I would have felt horrible if I broke their swing! It was a short drive from Bonampak to Frontera Corozal and the Usumacinta River. The river
Palacio de las GrecasPalacio de las GrecasPalacio de las Grecas

These were the only stairs in Toniná that were closed and it is because the stairs themselves form a Greca pattern.
forms a large portion of the Mexico-Guatemala border and Yaxchilán is an hour down stream in a well-placed horseshoe bend in the river on the Mexican bank. The journey down the Usumacinta was every bit of the adventure I was hoping it would be - Our motorized launch sped down the chocolate-milk waterway, passing back and forth between the Mexican and Guatemalan sides of the river, as we searched for the best path through the obstacle course of submerged trees, sand bars and minor rapids. Towering walls of verdant jungle vegetation lined the banks of the river, sporadically broken by farmers' fields and smoldering wastelands recently slashed out of the forest. After a while, the river narrowed and the forest closed in a bit and the sandy river banks gave way to a jagged, rocky shore. The river made a sharp turn to the right and ruined stone structures appeared above the river, which confirmed my suspicion that we had reached the horseshoe bend in the river and the remote, jungle-shrouded ruins of Yaxchilán. It was with great excitement that I jumped off of the bow of the launch onto a wide, sandy beach among the rocks on the downriver
Mural de las Cuatro ErasMural de las Cuatro ErasMural de las Cuatro Eras

This is the most famous feature at Toniná and is an impressive sight - The dancing skeleton is holding a decapitated head, but it is hidden by the bench.
side of the horseshoe and headed up a flight of stairs into the jungle. After paying at the guard shack, I made my way down a rocky path beneath the canopy of the forest giants. While it wasn't overly hot, the humidity was oppressive and I was immediately soaked with perspiration, but I was too excited to care. Ahead of me the path seemed to end in a stone wall and a nice looking structure with several dark doorways. I donned my headlamp and I went into the darkness of the first door. At first, my headlamp did nothing to light my way, but I proceeded into the darkness anyway listening closely for the protests of any animals that may have been lurking in the darkness - The only sounds I heard were the unmistakeable squeaks of the bats overhead. As I got further from the sunlight pouring into the passage through the doorway, my eyes began making out the details inside - There was a labyrinthine network of passages of varying length, some with staircases going up. A few of the passages had stone benches, which would have been used as beds, tables and chairs, and all of the
On Top of a PyramidOn Top of a PyramidOn Top of a Pyramid

One of the grand views from the top of a steep-staired pyramid that I am surprised I was allowed to climb.
passages had vaulted ceilings and they were all full of bats, dozens of them - Occasionally I would feel a swoosh of air pass by my head as the bats took flight! I came around a bend and headed up a set of stairs into a room flooded with sunlight and I exited the dark passages into the Grand Plaza and am amazing jungle-scape. Armed with the knowledge that Yaxchilán's most impressive features were its intricately carved lintels and stele, I was able to quickly move from structure to structure only pausing when I found one of the carvings. A few of the lintels were un-carved or badly worn and a few are now adorning the collections of the Anthropology Museum in Mexico and the British Museum (I disagree with the practice of dismembering structures just so a museum can have something nice to show - They could at least replace the original carving with a reproduction, so the structures could remain whole), but the vast majority of the carved lintels were in place and in spectacular condition! Seeing that the six boatloads of people we had passed on the river (our boat was faster!) had arrived and were flooding
The Thirty-Meter TombThe Thirty-Meter TombThe Thirty-Meter Tomb

From inside of the insanely narrow passage looking up the stairs.
out of the dark doorway into the Grand Plaza, I decided to proceed directly to some of the more remote and better preserved structures and I started climbing a massive stone staircase up the hill into the jungle. At the top of the stairs in a small forest clearing stood Edificio 33 with a well preserved roof comb, superbly carved lintels, a nicely carved staircase (OK, only one step) and screen doors - I bet you didn't know that many Mayan temples had screen doors on them (they are actually new additions designed to keep wildlife out of the more sensitive structures). Inside the temple was a lovely statue of Pájaro Jaguar IV, who was one of Yaxchilán's rulers. The statue was unfortunately beheaded by treasure hunters in the 1800's - The head is now likely languishing in a private collection or dusty museum basement in America or Europe, longing to be reunited with its body. After I took the necissary photos and studied the details of the carvings, I took a moment to slow down and take in the stunning beauty of where I was standing - The well preserved temple was bathed in an island of mid-day sunlight;
A Parting Shot of TonináA Parting Shot of TonináA Parting Shot of Toniná

I truely loved my time at Toniná (OK, only my second visit was enjoyable).
giant, heavily buttressed trees surrounded the clearing and filled the forest as far as I could see through the tangle of lianas hanging down from the dense canopy; the intense, constant hum of the insects and the occasional bird songs were the only noises to be heard. I turned around and looked down the massive staircase forming a corridor through the towering trees and took in the commanding view of the Grand Plaza below - It was a spectacular scene, which I will not easily forget. A heart-wrenching roar shattered the peaceful silence and echoed through the forest. It was the type of throaty roar that instantly puts even the most adventurous souls on guard, the type of booming roar that tells all of the creatures in the forest, "Don't mess with me!" It was also a roar that I had been expecting and hoping for since we stepped off of the boat. The common misconception that most people have on hearing this sound for the first time is that there is a jaguar close by, which is always a possibility, but the roar, as menacing as it sounded, was not from a jaguar, or any other man-eating beast lurking
Temple of InscriptionsTemple of InscriptionsTemple of Inscriptions

This pyramid contains one of the places in the world that I most wanted to see, King Pakal's tomb, but it was recently closed to the public.
in the shadows, it was from a group of howler monkeys in the tree-tops warning their companions (and the rest of the forest) of the unwelcome and potentially dangerous intruders in their realm, in this case humans - A jaguar would not be so foolish as to go around roaring constantly and letting its next potential meal know exactly where it is; they are the king of the American forests, but their rein is a silent one! With this new addition to the symphony of jungle sounds booming constantly overhead, I set off to my next set of ruins ten minutes away up a narrow jungle path. I walked past several mysterious mounds of stone, all overgrown with dense jungle vegetation and mostly unexplored, and then I started up a steep incline, ascending a strange staircase of exposed roots and sporadic cut stones from some ancient structure. Half way up the hill I ran into a few other people from my group who were taking a breather and, after I set their minds at ease regarding the angry jaguars in the tree tops, I passed them and made it to the top and a large clearing containing the remote Edificios
El PalacioEl PalacioEl Palacio

One of the most famous structures at Palenque is the Palace. As far as I know it is the only multi-story tower in the Mayan world.
39, 40 and 41, all of similar construction and in various stages of restoration. Running short on time, I had to abandon my desire to sit down and soak in the view and I headed back down the path through the jungle to finish my tour of the Grand Plaza. My decision to leave the rest of the plaza for later paid off as I had the plaza to myself. Some of the most impressive carvings were on the end of the plaza I had initially skipped, including some very impressive stele. Stele were (usually) large slabs of stone stood on end and carved with glyphs and scenes to commemorate a certain event, usually with a corresponding date. Unlike many of the worn examples of stele I have seen in museums throughout Mexico, Yaxchilán's stele were amazingly detailed and in excellent condition. Most of them were standing under newly constructed roofs to keep the rain off of them, but my favorite on was laying on its back under a large tarp roof in a lonely corner of the plaza - The detail on that stele was beautiful and its recent history was quite strange (and unfortunate). Apparently it was broken
Stone That Tells a StoryStone That Tells a StoryStone That Tells a Story

Palenque was filled with beautiful sculptures and carvings that helped tell the story of the towns history.
when they tried to move it to the Anthropology Museum in Mexico City and it ended up in Guatemala for several years due to "Misadventures on the Usumacinta River" before finally returning home to Yaxchilán. I weaved my way through a new crowd of people and left the grand plaza, running up on long stairway to a structure I had missed on the way. When I reached the turn-off for the Pequeña Acrópolis I only had ten minutes left before I had to be back on the boat. I decided that a rushed visit of these last structures was better than no visit at all, so I started a fast run up the steep jungle trail. I passed the rest of my group as they descended the trail and they looked at me through exhausted eyes like I had gone mad. I quickly rushed around the site of the Pequeña Acrópolis and then I ran back down the trail and all the way to the boat, passing my companions as they rested in the shade of the guard shack. I, of course, forgot to take into account Mexican Time, which would have allowed me another twenty minutes of exploring -
Stone That Tells a Story (2)Stone That Tells a Story (2)Stone That Tells a Story (2)

Palenque was filled with beautiful sculptures and carvings that helped tell the story of the towns history.
I was the first person back to the boat by a large margin! I reflected on the day's grand adventure as we motored our way back up the Usumacinta to Frontera Corozal. I talked to the boatman about the possibilities and costs for reaching Piedras Negras, an even more remote site on the Guatemalan bank of the Usumacinta three or four hours down stream, and, to my surprise, it was not out of the realm of my budget if I found a few more companions - I was unable to drum up any interest in the trip back in Palenque, so I will try again from the Guatemalan side in a few weeks or so. We had an excellent lunch in Frontera Corozal and then we got into the air-conditioned van, where my fatigue finally caught up to me, and I drifted off to sleep.

The following day I joined a tour heading to two waterfalls in the area, Misol-Ha and Agua Azul. Misol-Ha was the tall waterfall of 'Predator' fame (Arnold's character jumped off into the pool at the bottom during the epic fight with the alien). The falls were not flowing at full capacity, but it was
Looking Out of the Funerary ChamberLooking Out of the Funerary ChamberLooking Out of the Funerary Chamber

The Templo del Bello Relieve is a small ruined structure down a peaceful trail in the jungle.
still a beautiful sight. My favorite part of Misol-Ha was the small cavern behind it where I waded through thigh deep water to a deep pool and an underground cascade. Misol-Ha was a nice place to visit, but Agua Azul was far and away the star of the day. Agua Azul was a long series of cascades, some violently falling twenty feet or more in turbulent torrents of white water and others peacefully pouring from pool to pool over natural stone weirs a foot high or less. As if the waterfalls were not enough to make the site spectacular, the water flowing over the many cascades was white, but the pools were a deep, chalky blue like a glacial lake - It was a truly amazing sight and a great place to swim and relax in the cool water. The tour van dropped me off at the bus station in Palenque town and I bought my ticket to Campeche, the next stop on my La Ruta Maya.




Additional photos below
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The Templo del Bello RelieveThe Templo del Bello Relieve
The Templo del Bello Relieve

This is a picture of the outside of the structure.


11th May 2006

Great
Thanks for your story.I´m going back to see more of the Maya wonders in october so your account was very helpful.Greetings from Finland. Timo
11th May 2006

I DO SEE THE JAGUAR! RUN, SON.
Just kidding. Cool pictures. Are you coming home for Mother's Day? No? Well then, Quiero algo de Mexico. Love, Mom
11th May 2006

Mayans
Keith, I have been facinated by the Mayans ever since I did a math project on their number system in my senior year in high school. I am really envious that you have had such a wonderful trip. Just stay away from Montezuma. He is up to nothing but bad things. Take care. Love, Sally
14th April 2011
Palacio de las Grecas

Ancient greeks in America...
The Colombus stuff is erratic... Ancient greeks and then Vikings have step foot in American continent...Many greeks colonised there... Read the ancient greek philosopher Plato (Myth of Atlantis) and Plutarch to read the truth...See the similarities in building patterns and art...The formal historians hide the truth...Greeting from Greece!!

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