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You are here: Home / Photo Blogging / On The Road – lashonharangue – Mayan Ruins and the Sacred Monkey River [1 of 4]

On The Road – lashonharangue – Mayan Ruins and the Sacred Monkey River [1 of 4]

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lashonharangue

I recently took a guided tour in Chiapas Mexico to visit Mayan ruins and raft down the Rio Usumacinta (known to the Mayans as the Sacred Monkey river). The first two days we traveled overland from the city of Palenque to visit archaeological sites. After that we got on the water and visited two more sites and went through occasional whitewater.

On The Road - lashonharangue - Mayan Ruins and the Sacred Monkey River [1 of 4] 9
Palenque

Palenque was the largest and most fully excavated of the various sites we saw on this trip. However, it is estimated that less than 10% of the site had been exposed and researched. Most structures are still buried in the surrounding jungle.

This is the palace and observatory. The tower is not in the process of settling like a certain tower in Italy. It was built at that angle to align it with a specific astronomical event. Our guide told us that other sites have similar structure but with different amounts of lean depending on their location.

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Palenque

Temple of the Inscriptions is noted for its hieroglyphics. About 70 years ago a crypt was found inside with the remains of a jade adorned person.

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Palenque

Ballcourt. Not played with human heads, instead a rubber ball was made with latex derived from a local tree – the caoutchouc. The rules seem to be subject to debate among scholars and may have changed over the centuries. Some sources say there were up to 6 players per team. This court is relatively small. Our guide suggested it was a two person game – the Mayan equivalent of single combat. The loser community was then a vassal of the winning side. 

On The Road - lashonharangue - Mayan Ruins and the Sacred Monkey River [1 of 4] 6
Palenque

The site is on several levels. We had to climb a series of stairs to get to more structures. This one is called the Temple of the Cross. Note that the structure is only partly exposed.

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Palenque

Every bit of all these structures was made by hand as the Mayans didn’t have draft animals.

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Bonampak

The next day we were driven to Bonampak. This is the Acropolis and plaza –  Structure 1 (Temple of Paintings) on the right.

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Bonampak

There were several stelae that are restored/conserved. I took a number of photos – Stela 2 was best preserved.

On The Road - lashonharangue - Mayan Ruins and the Sacred Monkey River [1 of 4] 2
Bonampak

The Temple of Paintings consisted of three rooms – each covered floor to ceiling with frescos. Before entering one first looked up to see the carved lintel. This one had the most paint remaining. One has to imagine all these structures with bright colors. This is the Room 1 lintel.

On The Road - lashonharangue - Mayan Ruins and the Sacred Monkey River [1 of 4] 1
Bonampak

The frescos date from about 790 c.e.

On The Road - lashonharangue - Mayan Ruins and the Sacred Monkey River [1 of 4]
Bonampak

This is the remains of a stucco figure. By now you should get that the Mayan big shots were very much into elaborate head decorations.

Reader Interactions

15Comments

  1. 1.

    evodevo

    Managed to make it to Chichen Itza many many years ago for a one day visit.  Fascinating.  I also have all of Linda Schele’s texts on Mayan glyphs and culture.  Their level of artistic skill always amazes, as does their complex culture.  Wish I could have made it to the places you went…

  2. 2.

    Steeplejack

    Interesting pictures from a mysterious site!

    Probably the vassal tribes were the “draft animals” used in construction.

  4. 4.

    AM in NC

    Amazing. Thank you for sharing!  If I may ask some questions: were you happy with the guide/company? Do you speak fluent Spanish? Were you worried about the recent uptick in violence/kidnappings in Mexico?

    My husband and I are mid-50s, and this trip sounds like something I would love to do. Just want to understand how realistic it is for us. We are both pretty fit (although I am currently in the late-stages of recovering from ACL surgery from a sports injury).

    Thanks again for the photos and narrative – very interesting!

  6. 6.

    Ken In Hogtown

    @AM in NC:   Good morning AM.  I haven’t had the pleasure of Palenque yet, but have visited a number of ruins in Mexico.  I do not speak fluent Spanish, but I always use the courtesies: thank you, please, you are welcome, etc.  The Mexicans are such fine, kind people and they appreciate your use of their language, as well as then using what English they may have.  If you are not in a border area, and typically southern Mexico doesn’t have the gang/cartel violence the north tends to have.  Never, ever have I been afraid of kidnapping.  Mexico is just wonderful.  Mexico City, Oaxaca, Merida, gosh, so many places that are just incredible.  BUT there is walking and uneven surfaces.  They do not have ADA like the US.  Thanks for letting me go on.

    Chichen Itza is an amazing ruin.  The best way to see it is to stay at Maya Land hotel/resort, next to the ruin.  I say that because there is a light show at night and you want to see that.  All in Spanish, but that is irrelevant.  Watching the serpent glide down the temple is amazing.  In short, visit Mexico!  ;-)

  7. 7.

    lashonharangue

    @AM in NC: I was very happy with the rafting company. There had been some trouble in this area but it had recently opened up again. The company had hired some local men to ride ahead in a motorized boat to provide security.  We and their previous trips had no incidents. Most of the staff understood at least a little English, while the head guide was pretty fluent. I highly recommend this trip. They were very helpful  to overcome our physical challenges.

  8. 8.

    Delk

    I went to Palenque in the early ‘80’s. It was amazing. There were about 10-15 other people there. Are you still able to climb down into the crypt?

  11. 11.

    SkyBluePink

    These are magnificent!  I never knew that there were painted frescos.

    What a weird and wonderful world we live in!

  12. 12.

    AM in NC

    @Ken In Hogtown:  and also lashonharangue (but I don’t know how to include two people in replies) – thank you!

    I have been to Mexico once with my sister, about 7 or 8  years ago; a little town called Sayulita, which used to be a sleepy fishing village but was turning into a more touristy spot by then. It was just beautiful, and the people were very nice.  My Spanish is passable as a tourist (as long as people don’t mind that almost everything I say is in the present tense!).

    My dream is to see the Mayan ruins, as well as some of the natural beauty of the country, so this trip sounds amazing.

    I really appreciate the information you both shared!

  13. 13.

    Pink Tie

    We used a guide to see Tulum with the kids a few years ago — that area is so much more accessible than some other Mayan ruins that it gets busy, so it was worth it to pay for a guide service that picked us up from Mayakoba, got us there probably an hour before most of the other tourists, and included narration during the trip (I don’t remember there being much signage). We loved our guide! The car service made it very comfortable as well, with cold drinks and guidebooks we could read on the way.

    I like to pair trips with literature, too, so I enjoyed Silvia Moreno Garcia’s The Daughter of Dr. Moreau and Mexican Gothic while on that vacation. The former takes place entirely on the Yucatan and involves Maya people, landscapes, etc. The Tulum guide told us to look for Mayans — he told us about Mayan physical characteristics & said we would be able to identify them at the resort where we were staying!

    (Side note: I discovered one of my favorite authors when we visited Jamaica – Marlon James. There is something transcendent and special about reading a book that’s set right where you are. In the case of Marlon James, also heartbreaking, but sometimes that’s why you have to read.)

  14. 14.

    way2blue

    @AM in NC:

    The advice we were given when traveling to La Manzanilla (Jalisco) a few years back—was to not wear flashy clothes or flashy jewelry.

  15. 15.

    way2blue

    lashonharangue.  I’ve had the chance to visit a few Mayan ruins in Mexico and Belize.  Your trip looks amazing.  And reminds me how much of the world is left to explore.

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