eIrOcA

Palenque - Yaxchilan - Bonampak (Wednesday 05/09/07)

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2019-01-19T16:07:07+0000

Palenque - Yaxchilan - Bonampak (Wednesday 05/09/07)

For this hike it is imperative to have a chaffeur… get to Yaxchilan and Bonampak is a task for local people … you will be safer, but not without emotions.
Bring water down the road because there are not great places where to stop to drink.
This trip has occupied the entire day, but it was worth it. We started early, the sun had not risen, we made the breakfast under a thatched hut in the faint light of dawn (we were the first).

Yaxchilan

Usumacinta River

The region of Usumacinta and its tributaries acquires a great importance to the development of Yaxchilan, the main center in the early sixth century. This site is nestled in a strip of the river and knows its peak during the “Late Classic” with the JAGUAR dynasty whose reign and achievements are mentioned on the many carved monuments of the city, stems, altars, lintels. The last entry is dated early ninth century. Moreover, the lush vegetation that surrounded it makes Yaxchilan a magnificent panorama.

After two hours of travel we arrived at the border between Mexico and Guatemala the Usumacinta River, from there our driver become a boatman who, by river, took us to the site, after about an hour of navigation. The river is the source of livelihood for local people.
The boatman left us two hours to visit the site and we realized that there are few, it is really huge.
Shame not to have brought with us a stack, as this is the only site where it would be possible to do a few laps in the tunnels, in the company of bats, though!
From the main square an immense and slippery staircase that leads to the Great Acropolis.
Unlike other sites, here is all original, none of the buildings have been reconstructed to make revive the grandeur, but it's all very well preserved and very beautiful, surrounded by tropical jungle.
This time we are truly isolated, we are the first group to arrive at the site, and the only crowd that we are the howler monkeys that we hear all around in really lush jungle.

Yaxchilan

Residents of Yaxchilan

Yaxchilan

Main Square

Staircase

Great Acropolis

Yaxchilan

Bonampak

Cauchou tree

Bonampak, has preserved the most complete of all the monumental paintings Maya, is a site of medium importance discovered in 1946. It's very likely that in all the Maya sites were covered with painted walls that complete the decoration carved or modeled outwardly.

Bonampak you leave the car at about 8km before the site and take a car driven by the natives after to agree with them on price and time to tour the archaeological site, and this is where the chaffeur become useful again, he makes all the arragment with natives.
The last stretch of road is bumpy, it's a kind of Indian reservation, and only few people speak Spanish, main language is a local Mayan dialect, which obviously differs from those of neighboring areas.
On this site we had the chance to have a local guide (who speaks Spanish only), he has explained the history of the place, wars and local customs. He described us the various well-preserved frescoes in time.
He showed a cauchoutree where there was still evident where the incisions made to collect the liquid with which to make objects, including the ball for the game of pelota.

Bonampak

Paintings

⇐ Day 11: San Cristobal - Palenque

⇒ Day 13: Palenque - Campeche

Travels, Mexico, Yaxchilan, Bonampak

Teotihuacan (Monday 27/08/07)

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2019-01-19T16:07:07+0000

Teotihuacan (Monday 27/08/07)

For reasons of traffic you should visit Teotihuacan in the morning. For convenience, we endorsed one of the many taxi drivers affiliated with the hotel, and it was good.
As a first step took us to the place of a cooperative living by making Obsidian objects and multicolored fabrics made of cotton and agave. They shown us the working of obsidian, how to build cord from the agave and how to extract the Pulche, agave lymph, which can be drunk as it is slightly alcoholic (not bad after all).
Subsequently, the driver took us to the Pyramid of the Moon and he waited us at the end of the Way of the Dead, but only after making a long introduction to the site and having us hear the cry of an ancient extinct bird, a strange acoustic effect produced clapping in the middle of the squares of some archaeological sites (also at Chichen Itza).

Teotihuacan where "men become gods"

Lying forty kilometers northeast of Mexico City, the city is located in a huge valley in the middle of the arid mountains, it was the largest city and capital of Mexico's largest pre-Columbian empire.
It is one of the most important archaeological sites. In its period of maximum splendor, the place where “men became gods”, was inhabited by 250,000 people. It was founded in 150 BC in a strategic position, by the excellent climate, capable of controlling the traffic to the Gulf of Mexico. From farming town soon became a manufacturer of obsidian and trade center.
Today is one of the most visited sites of Mexico and the local population continues to live on the production of obsidian, manufacturing beautiful pieces based upon models collected in different sites of the country.
In the seventh century began its decline. I Its inhabitants abandoned it in 750.
Entering you see the Great Sacred Way, Avenida de los Muertos, the main axis, is flanked by wide platform for the celebration of religious rites.
The Great Sacred Way leads to Ciudadela, built in the classical period, reaches a considerable length of 400m. It consists of four platforms and preserves the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, whose facade has fine examples of Teotihuacan tablero. The steps of the temple is flanked by numerous alfarda with huge heads of plumed serpent.

Avenida de los Muertos

Head of plumed serpent

On the left rises the gigantic the Pyramid of the Sun: a square base with 225m and 63m high, 365 steps.
Get ready for a long, steep climb (in the whole site there are also steps on the road in plain …), but from the top the view is remarkable.

Pyramid of the Sun

At the north stands, in the Plaza de la Luna, the Pyramid of the Moon: 46m high, formed by four superimposed levels, with 112 steps. This ascent was certainly easier to accomplish than the climb to the Pyramid of the Sun, also because it was limited the first steps, as you can not climb to the top.

Plaza de la Luna

Pyramid of the Moon

The Plaza de la Luna includes other buildings such as the Palace of the Butterfly or Placio del Quetzalpapalotl, with a patio that has several columns with depictions of the Quetzal Butterfly, the Patio of the Jaguars with traces of paintings and the Temple of the fledged shells dating back to second century.

Patio of the Jaguars - traces of paintings

Guadalupe, Our Lady India

Apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe

In December 9, 1533 the Virgin appeared close in a cloak embroidered with gold, to the Indian Juan Diego in the woods, on the Cerro El Tepeyac, where once stood the Aztec temple of the goddess Tonantzin, mother of the gods. Our Lady asked him to build a chapel in her honor, but the bishop, Fray Juan de Zumarraga, gave no regard to the words of Juan Diego. The Mother of Christ, then clear again, imprinting his image on the white mantle of indium and telling him to gather the roses that grew in that place and to bring them along to the mantle, to the prelate.
The coat is hung above the marble altar of the new Basilica.
Since then, Our Lady of Guadalupe was the saint patron of Mexico. Thus the work of conversion of indigenous peoples was also facilitated by this prodigy, used instrumentally by Spanish clergy.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

The new basilica

⇐ Day 2: Mexico City

⇒ Day 4: Mexico City

Travels, Mexico, Mexico City, Teotihuacan, Our Lady of Guadalupe

Palenque - Campeche (Thursday 06/09/07)

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2019-01-19T16:07:07+0000

Palenque - Campeche (Thursday 06/09/07)

Palenque

Buried in the jungle of Chiapas, Palenque is considered one of the most important Mayan ceremonial centers. Knows its apogee during the classical era (600 - 800).
The excavations carried out along a perimeter of 1.3km² have unearthed the remains of what many consider the pinnacle of architecture and west Maya civilization.

The day for this hike was not the most propitious, but considering that we arrived shortly after a hurricane and another was coming was not so bad.

You visit the Temple of Inscriptions, which contains one of the rare crypts discovered in a pyramid in Mexico in 1952 by the archaeologist Alberto Ruz L'Huiller.
The tomb of Pakal, Mayan leader of the sixth century, were found baby walkers, masks, jade ornaments and other important objects.

Unfortunately the temple was one of the few buildings not accessible.
Despite the bad day, the site has been wonderful, and maybe the rain has intensified the colors.

Temple of Inscriptions

Palenque

The Palacio, where works for the preservation of artefacts are on going.

The Palacio

The Templo del Sol also here there are some frescoes still preserved and the Templo de la Cruz Foliada.

Templo del Sol

Templo de la Cruz Foliada

Campeche

Founded in 1540 by Francisco Montejo known as “the ship's boy ” Campeche is the oldest Spanish city in the Yucatan Peninsula.
Capital of the state, this city seems to live peacefully along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. In the center of city there are beautiful colonial buildings with pastel colors and it is surrounded by “strongholds” bunkers used to protect the city from pirates.
Campeche was a strategically important to the Spanish due to its geographical position and for the export of precious wood from dyeing, the famous “Wood of Campeche”.
Campeche is currently undergoing a major restoration effort. In the evening a small train enables you to make the tour of the enlightened walls. The local population lives from fishing for prawns and extraction of oil.

Campeche

⇐ Day 12: Palenque - Yaxchilan - Bonampak

⇒ Day 14: Campeche - Uxmal - Merida

Travels, Mexico, Palenque, Campeche

Mexico City (Saturday 25/08/07)

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2019-01-19T16:07:07+0000

Mexico City (Saturday 25/08/07)

Welcome to Mexico City, capital of the country, considered as the largest city in the world with its approximately 23 million inhabitants, all is well positioned at a high altitude, 2240m above sea level, this means that even in warmer periods in Mexico City the temperatures are very mild.

Città del Messico

Mexico City

During the pre-Hispanic times, this marsh city was the capital of the “Aztec” or “Mexican” empire.
Founded in 1321 with the name of “Tenochtitlan” by the priest “Tenoch”, Tenochtitlan in the indigenous Nahuatl language means “the city of Tenoch”. After the Spanish conquest, will retain its role of capital, to become today the largest urban concentration in the world. Mexico D.F. (Federal District) is the administrative, political, economic and social country; all is centralized in the capital, even if the government tries to create local agencies.
With its 23 million people in this enormous city knows the real problems of circulation, sanitation, insecurity and above all pollution. However Mexico City remains a beautiful city with an history immensely rich.

After 12 grueling hours of flight, we arrived at the airport, collected our luggage and took the car (unfortunately with automatic gear), then we settled into the hotel. To drive the car is better to know “something” for driving in Mexico (recommendations for driving).

⇐ Faces of Mexico

⇒ Day 2: Mexico City

Travels, Mexico, Mexico City