Having read in a cursory fashion "In the Forest of Kings" which really inspired me and having been thoroughly fascinated by the ruins I'd visited so far, it was only natural that I'd make the pilgrimmage to the Mayan site of Palenque. I opted to take a tour which passed by the water falls of Agua Azul and Misol Ha, but given my penchant for pottering around, it would probably have been better to have given myself all day there.... The ruins are amazing structures in themselves,, made only with hardened wood and stone tools, yet the most poignant fact for me was that Palenque was the site where Linda Schele, one of the authors of "Forest of Kings" was fired up, when she saw the waterfalls there and the ruins. I made a pilgrimage to the little falls just because of that.
Tlaloc mask at the base of Pyramid, Palenque. Tlaloc was the god of rain in Teothuacan, Xac in the Mayan lore.
Pakal's magnificent tomb, as seen from the Palace, Palenque here is a wonderful reconstruction along with the original artifacts at the Anthropology Museum in Mexico City
Stalgtite formed in over a 1000 years in the base of the T shaped window in the Palace at Palenque
Courtyard of the prisoners, in the Palace, Palenque. Where the hapless captives were displayed before meeting a grim fatem the record of their names together with the dates engraved on the monoliths
Engraving of a King in front of a captive pleading for clemency, with the glyphs that tell the story, Palenque
View from Temple of the Cross, Palenque, so called because of the beautiful fresco on the rear wall of the temple. The cross predates christianity in Mayan lore, relating to the creation myths where the gods fashioned humans out of maize. The cross arms had corn cob ends with human faces, the four cardinal points of the universe representing the north south east and west. East represented the birthplace of the sun...
The boat ride out to Yaxchilan on the Río Lacanjá
Bat in the "labyrinth" Yaxchilan
Beautiful engraved lintel in the doorway of a Temple Yaxchilan. Carved so that only the priest and the nobility allowed access to the temple at the top of the pyramid would see it.
Stela at the base of the Acropolis, Yaxchilan
Butterflies drinking on the river bank, just above the stones next to the water. Didn't know that they needed to drink...
Fresco with its colours after more than 1000 years of neglect, Bonampak. Although the pyramids appear white or grey, apparently they were once a very vivid red, with the sculptures and masks picked out on them in yellow and blue, black and white
Fresco showing captives begging for mercy having been tortured. The foreshortening in the painting is very sophisticated and would do Matisse or Picasso proud, Bonampak
Ornate lintel, Bonampak
The tall, restored Pyramid 5, Tikal
View from the top of Pyramid 5, you have to turn your head sideways to the right to see down the stairs, as I forgot to rotate the image (sorry!)
The view over the canopy from Pyramis 5, Tikal
Making friends with Inksy-Winksy. I have an aversion to creepy crawlies, but figured the best way to get over my fear of spiders was to hold a tarantula. I later went "fishing" for one, fortunately unsuccessfully! Tikal
Tlaloc mask, North Acropolis, Tikal
View from Temple of the Masks looking towards Temple of the Great Jaguar
Weaver birds' nests in the North Acropolis. These birds are much bigger and more colourful than their Zim counterparts, called "Oro pendula" here, because of the gold stripes down their bodies. They do this half somersault on the branch making a cry, quite spectacular, real show birds. Their nests are made of moss.
View through the canopy, Yaxha (Blue Water)
The top of the Pyramid from which we watched sunset, looking toward the Blue water lake, Yaxha
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