Palenque

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To break up the journey to Palenque from San Cristobal de las Casas, I headed to a couple of waterfalls that were off the direct route. This turned out to be well worth the extra time as they were both fine exhibits of natural beauty and it was wonderful to get back amongst nature again, which I had sorely missed since hiking through the Andes in Peru.

The first waterfall was called Agua Azul, which translates to 'Blue Water'. This was a long section of cascading waterfalls, some small and calming whilst others were quite impressive to the eye. The water was akin to glacial water in its creamy-blue hue and in warmer months the sections where you can swim would be a picturesque location in which to cool off. The second waterfall was called Misol-Ha and was tumbling down from quite a height. The greatest aspect of this waterfall is that you can walk behind its curtains of white water, making your way to a second smaller waterfall which emerges from a cave. A few of us shed our footwear and waded into the dark gaping maw in search of bats. Whilst I tentatively felt my way through the water to the deepest recesses of the cave I could hear a torrent of water pouring down from some unseen spot in the darkness. Using a flashlight from a camera I was able to see water emerging from the rear wall of the cave at a great rate, which was terrific to get a glimpse of, even if it was only fleeting due to the camera flash being rather brief. There weren't any bats present, but it was still well worth the adventure and I probably preferred the spectacular aspect of this waterfall when compared to Agua Azul. For those of you who are familiar with the classic Schwarzenegger film Predator from 1987 (am I showing my age here?), the waterfall that he jumps off before covering himself with mud is Misol-Ha, which gave the place one more vote from the little boy that still lives inside of me.

The ruins of Palenque are situated in the dense jungle that the great Mayan civilisation once inhabited. To begin my exploration of this site, I chose to embark on a walk through the jungle for an hour or so before emerging into the cleared section of the site. This turned out to be a fascinating walk, as most of Palenque is still covered by the jungle and it seemed that everywhere I looked I saw ancient temples, tombs and houses being strangled and suffocated by the jungle. These sights took me back to my time exploring the awesome Angkor ruins of Ta Prohm in Cambodia some years earlier. As I walked I could hear the guttural, lion-like call of the Howler Monkeys, along with various jungle birds, possibly even a toucan. I kept my eyes peeled for jaguars, but I would probably have to be wandering through there alone at night to have a chance of seeing one. In this case, it could also very well prove to be the last thing I ever see, so it's probably a good thing that I didn't have the opportunity or time for a moonlight jungle stroll.

I emerged from the jungle to see superb Mayan ruins dominating the clearing in front of me and I realised that I had finally walked into the ruins that I have seen in my mind's eye for many years. The jungle setting is truly spectacular and the architecture is grand and striking. The jungle has been cleared from some of the tombs, temples and palaces, revealing the evidence of a highly advanced civilisation who constructed aquaducts for fresh water, had drainage systems that fed the fields, produced fine artwork and, of course, constructed many altars for sacrifice. I walked into the tomb of the Red Queen, which is one of the more recent tombs to be uncovered. As I was inside, it was interesting to note the interior passageways which connected this tomb with others in the complex. The most impressive structure is the step pyramid that houses the tomb of Pakal, one of the greatest leaders of this empire. The internal structure of the tomb is not too dissimilar from the Great Pyramid of Cheops at Giza, leading to a large internal chamber that houses a sarcophagus of immense size (you can no longer enter this tomb, due to the artwork deteriorating from the exhalation of human breath and humidity; however, I saw a replica in the site museum). On some of the buildings in the site, such as the royal palace, you can still see the original colour of the paint, as well as the patterns of the artwork, which is remarkable. In order to create the plaster that adorned every building in the complex, the Mayans melted limestone, which necessitated vast quantities of wood to stoke the fires. When you see the size of Palenque (there are around 1,500 large structures in this jungle site), it is easier to understand the theory that deforestation could be the reason why the empire collapsed and they were forced to abandon great cities like Palenque, migrating northward to centres such as Chitzen Itza.

The site also has a number of cascading waterfalls amidst its lush jungle surrounds, creating a serene atmosphere amidst the once residential areas. The water in these streams is clearer than crystal and is obviously a reason why the Mayans chose this particular location to build a great city.

The Mayans certainly had some peculiar customs, such as compressing the skulls of children born into nobility to give their heads an elongated appearance. The artwork depicting rulers ascending to the throne always depicts these elongated foreheads, which you would have to think would make them look rather strange. Marrying one's sibling was also not uncommon if you were a ruler, thus, there were many cases of deformed and albino offspring who later became rulers themselves, repeating the process. One area they did truly excel in though was their knowledge of the solar system and calculating its cycles. Each cycle in the Mayan calendar lasts for 52 years, with the end of a major cycle occurring when all of the planets align. This next happens in 2012 - and they figured this out 1,500 years ago! Incredible. Some people seem to believe that the world will end in 2012, but it is simply the time when the planets will align and a new major astronomical cycle will begin. Will this alignment cause any shift in consciousness or the end of days? I guess we'll know soon enough, but I really think that such things would only occur as a result of the decisions we make as a human race. Admittedly, life as we know it could end as the result of a cataclysmic event, bringing on another iceage or smothering the atmosphere with a cloud of dust, for example, but that is out of our control and unrelated to the alignment of planets in my mind.

Okay, that is quite enough of me attempting to be philosophical. It's time to go and prepare for the early morning departure that is required in order to reach Chitzen Itza when the gates open.

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