We had already been introduced to some 'modern-day' Mayan experiences in the villages around San Cristobal, but now it was time to delve deeper into the history of this civilisation.
The Mayans had their '20 centuries of fame' between 500BC and 1500BC, after which the arrival of the Spanish brought an abrupt end to their power. For those who remember from a previous entry, this is contemporary with the subsequent civilisations that developed in the central part of Mexico (Teotihuacan, Toltecs and aztecs), with whom an ongoing exchange of goods and ideas took place.
During this period, several cities in an area that now spans part of Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and part of El Salvador rose to and fell from power. As such, it was not one empire, but a constellation of several 'city-doms' that each ruled over several vassal towns and their surroundings. Comprehensive trade took place between these cities, as did regular warfare.
Mayan religion, architecture, science and art have similarities with the activities in the centre of Mexico - they also built pyramids, worshipped the sun and moon, had extensive calendars to predict earthly events and drive agricultural activities, played the ballgame and used human sacrifice to placate the gods often. Still, for all their similarities it is distinctively different and the sites that are evidence of this were waiting for us.
However, first a bus-ride to Palenque. Our guidebook had promised us an amazing journey, with a road winding itself through the mountains, every now and again raising itself out of the clouds that continuously cover the jungle (which is appropriately called cloud forest). Admittedly, this promise came through, but sometimes you can have too much winding. After 5 hours of shaking, it felt like the whale-watching experience all over again. Needless to say that the remainder of the day was spent recovering, relaxing and sorting out our next few days.....
The first day in Palenque, the Mayan ruins were on the list. The site is in the midst of the jungle, at the bottom of the foothills of the range we had crossed the previous day. An amazing setting.... The first impressions, however, were defined by the howl of spider monkeys. These apes, roughly 60 centimeters/20 inches long make a noise that one wouldn't expect given their size. It is sort of a harrowing howl, like a ghost from a bad B-movie. Unfortunately no sighting though. But there was enough else to see, with temples, main plazas and government buildings partly restored. Incredible to see what these people were capable of doing, with man power only and without the wheel to lighten transport.
The site also contained some extensive waterworks in the form of partly-canalised rivers that would have provided the inhabitants with needed water. The part which wasn't canalised ran through the jungle, forming beautiful pools that were used for swimming and bathing. Along one of these, we were surprised by a hummingbird, that was hovering in the air, stocking up on nectar from the flowering trees. Amazing!
The second day in Palenque we did not spend in Palenque, but about 150 kilometers 'down the road'. Here there are two remote sites, Bonampak and Yakxilan, that have only been properly opened up for tourism in recent years. And still the journey there is quite an adventure, involving a long car journey through small villages and for Yakxilan an hour-long boat trip through the jungle. Because of its location, Yakxilan has perhaps only 100 visitors a day. It has the ruins of a main central plaza, an observatory and a so-called Acropolis. Wandering through the site, wondering about the architectural achievements and marvelling at the wildlife (more spider monkeys, and this time not only howls, but also sightings) was great. We did feel like proper explorers (although the group of a noisy French family challenged that illusion).
Bonampak is only 'down the road'- say 50 kilometers. Here the Mayans used a natural hill to build a three-tiered temple against it, with steps going all the way up. What is unique though, are the murals that were discovered here. A small temple consists of three rooms and here the original wall paintings have been preserved. The vibrancy of the colours and the drama (or is it cruelty?) of the pictures - one can easily see PoW's being tortured by having their nails pulled off (with a fountain of blood springing from them - nice touch) - make a great impression. Worth the trip!
From here it was back home, through the same villages and over the same speedbumps (they love them in Mexico, the more and the higher the better, must be a secret agreement between their government and the manufacturers of suspensions). Our first taste of the Mayan way made us want more.....
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