Mayan Ruins and the Sacred Monkey River

This was a giant Mayan calendar.

The geology of the river banks kept changing. While it was mostly all limestone, the shapes caused by erosion constantly changed.

We got into inflatable rafts and kayaks and started an easy paddle down the river.

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.