Palenque: Mayan marvel

Temple of the Inscriptions, Palenque.
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Arriving from Villahermosa on the ADO bus, we chose to stay at Margarita & Ed´s cabañas, set on the road to the Palenque ruins. El Panchán is like a village of cabañas, set in the jungle, and only 1.5kms to the ruins. It's hot and very humid. We´re staying here for 3 days to have time to explore Palenque and some of the other ruins in this area.

Palenque

Bats skim past your head...

Yaxchilan, Building 33.
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Founded around 100BC, but flourished from around 630AD to 740 AD under the rule of Pakal. This site bears closer resemblance to sites in Guatemala, than to the other sites on the Yucatan.

One of the most impressive structures on the site is the Temple of the Inscriptions, a 8-tiered pyramid, reaching 26m high. On the top is a temple containing inscriptions relating to Palenque's dynastic history. Inside the pyramid is the tomb of Pakal, and it is here that they found the jade death mask of Pakal, which we saw in the Anthropology Museum in Mexico City. Unfortunately you can neither enter or climb this pyramid, although you are permitted to climb many of the other structures around site.

Bonampak Frescoes.
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As we walked around the site, all of a sudden the hills around resounded to the booming calls of howler monkeys, while vibrant coloured butterflies fluttered all around.

In order to see the site fully, you do need to allow about 5 hours, and wear sturdy footwear as the steps are steep and often slippery.

8 December 2007 - visit to Yaxchilán & Bonampak

Margarita & Ed's Cabañas.
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After a 0530 wake up  we  set off southwards, hugging the Guatemalan border.  After about 3 hours, and a stop for breakfast at a roadside cafe, we transferred to our lancha (a long narrow, rather unstable boat) for the 50 minute journey up-river to the site of Yaxchilán. On disembarking, we had no sooner reached the Gran Plaza that we were attacked from all angles by mosquitoes, so we quickly applied our repellant, and hey presto, the mozzies left us alone for the rest of the day.

On the boat up-river to Yaxchilán.
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Yaxchilán is in a dramatic setting above a horseshoe loop in the Río Usumacinta, set deep in the jungle. It dates from 250AD and contains over 120 structures. This site is reknowned for its ornamented facades and roofcombs.

The best preserved structure here is Building 33, which forms part of the Acropolis. The lintels have some well perserved Mayan images and there is a headless statue of Pájaro Jaguar IV in one of the rooms.

Inside the Laberinto we saw two kinds of bats, and as we moved through the passageways they would skim past our heads, so close you could feel the beat of their wings.

Back on dry land, our boat below.
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We also glimpsed spider monkeys swinging through the trees.

Bonampak

This site was discovered only in 1946, when Lacandón Indians took Charles Frey , an American conscientous objector, deep into the forest. This site is unique because of its painted murals, and the site dates back to at least 402 AD.

The famous frescoes are found inside the Templo de las Pinturas, and because of their age and current state, you often have to look hard to make out what is happening.

Barbara at Building 33, Yaxchilán.
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Outside, and high in a tree, a large yellow and black bird serenaded us with the most amusing call. If we discover what this was, we'll update later.

On the road home we passed a small village where many people were heading to church. On passing another village we saw a young girl, blindfolded and stick in hand, trying to knock ten bells out of a piñata, which was suspended from a low hanging branch of a tree. Her father was teasing her by moving the piñata out of her reach.

For more about Piñatas, read our next blog.