Ruins, Ruins, Ruins!

Palenque, Yaxchilán, and Bonampak--three major Mayan cities in two days (well, we did take a day off in the middle). 

We started with Palenque, since that is the closest to our hotel--an easy 15-minute drive. 

O is ready to explore. How fresh and innocent we were then.

It was a little before 9am. The temperature was around 82, headed for a high of 88 in few hours. That sounded doable, but we reckoned without the high humidity and utter lack of any kind of breeze in the jungle surrounding the site.

Within minutes, my shirt was soaked through with sweat, as if I had dipped it in a tub of warm water.

Still, we were game to go on.

One of the pyramids that line the Grand Plaza has a secret chamber discovered in 1994 by a young Latina archaeologist, Fanny Lopez Jimenez. In the chamber was a sarcophagus containing a female skeleton. Named the Red Queen, because the sarcophagus was lined with cinnabar, the skeleton is now thought to be that of Lady Ix Tz'akbu Ajaw, the wife of Pakal the Great, whose tomb is in the Temple of Inscriptions next door.

The corridors leading to the tomb are the typical narrow vaulted arches of Mayan architecture.

The sarcophagus is still stained with the cinnabar used both as a symbol of the blood of life and as a preservative.

The Temple of the Inscriptions, the largest structure in Palenque, houses the tomb of Pakal the Great, whose name means Radiant Cornflower Shield. Most of the monumental construction at the site was done during his 68-year reign the late 600s.

The nobility of Palenque lived in the Palace adjacent to the Grand Plaza.

The literally-translated names of the Mayan nobles are charmingly silly to our ears--Snake Spine, Jaguar Knotted-Eye, Great Bone Lord, Lady Yax-Rabbit, Radiant Turtle Macaw Lake, Precious Yellow-Tied Peccary, and my favorite, Lord Precious Ocelot.

Only 5% of Palenque has been excavated, the other 95% still remains hidden beneath the surrounding jungle. Many other structures have been identified, but the money and manpower needed to reveal their secrets are lacking.

The hike to the top of this temple was hot and sweaty.

But the view was worth it.

And we were rewarded by the presence of several well-preserved reliefs.

Perched atop the massive ruin, a monkey contemplates whatever monkeys contemplate.

A Mayan foot fetish?

The reliefs inside several of the structures are quite well-preserved.

The humidity and frequent rainfall encourages fungal growth.

Massive trees grow everywhere among the ruins. Reminiscent in places of Angkor Wat.

The path from the ruins back to civilization runs by Bat Creek. No mention of a Bat Cave.

The adjacent museum houses lots of great artifacts found at the site, like this vulture-headed figurine.

These glyphs were found in the remains of a collapsed temple. Since they were completely out of order, their message is forever untranslatable. 

Some reliefs still have traces of their original coloring.

I love this series of fantastical incense burners.

Pakal's huge sarcophagus is displayed in a massive plexiglass enclosure.

Here's a reproduction of the famous lid. No, it doesn't portray an ancient astronaut.

After the Palenque site, our tour took us to some cooling waterfalls. It's amazing how quickly an air-conditioned bus can revitalize tired and sweaty oldsters.

The spectacular falls at Misol Ha.

The even more spectacular multitiered cascades at Agua Azul.

And speaking of revitalizing, an ice-cold coconut with vodka certainly helps.

The hike alongside the seemingly never-ending tiers of the cascade is lined with vendors selling t-shirts, jewelry, and hand-woven fabrics. The blowing spray keeps things almost reasonably cool.

It wouldn't be a jungle with the marching files of leaf-cutter ants.

Tired from our exertions, we slept in the next day. Time for piña coladas at the pool!

Our excursion to Yaxchilán and Bonampak started with a 5:30am bus pickup.

Sunrise found us deep in the countryside, the night-mists still cloaking the deep green hills.

The little villages along the way were filled with animals starting their morning routines. It's odd to see turkeys running freely around the yard. Chickens invaded with the Spanish, so turkeys were the only domesticated fowl the Mayans had. These days they still thrive amidst the now ubiquitous chickens.

Pigs are also an invasive species, but a much-appreciated one. I, for one, welcome our swinish interlopers.

The journey to Yaxchilán (after a 3.5 hour bus ride) culminates in a half-hour boat ride down the Usumacinta River to the otherwise inaccessible site.

The river channels the copious rainfall in the Lancandón forest along the border of Mexico and Guatemala to the swamps lining the Bay of Campeche and the Caribbean Sea. That's a lot of rain, so the river is quite big. And full of crocodiles.

I find that the best way to face this kind of adventure is to remain steely-eyed and stern, focusing keenly on the river ahead.

The drifting carcass of a cow provides a floating buffet for the local vulture population.

First glimpse of Yaxchilán.

Colorful mushrooms dot the muddy soil and rotting logs.

Rounding a corner of a jungle trail to confront the overgrown ruins of an ancient city is never less than a thrill.

The most direct route to Yaxchilán's main plaza is through the unlit corridors of a ruined building. It's a pitch-black maze without any signage, guarded by this four-inch, crab-clawed spider.

And a colony of bats that I didn't notice until i just happened to aim my flashlight at the ceiling. They were not pleased by the sudden light and began to squeak and jostle. I decided to leave them in peace.

Like Palenque, only a small portion of Yaxchilán has been uncovered. It's far less visited than Palenque, and it feels almost untouched.

The Grand Acropolis is the highest point on the site.

Climbing it is a challenge we were determinedly up for. Even with the heat, which blessedly was several degrees cooler than the day before.

Challenging even for a goat. But surmountable. That's true goat grit.

The structure at the top was the main ceremonial building at Yaxchilán.

The amount of plant life adorning the ruins is amazing.

On our journey back upriver we stopped to admire a 12-foot crocodile with a fluttering crown of butterflies.

Last stop: Bonampak. Seemingly less impressive than either Yaxchilán or Palenque (it's smaller and even less of it has been excavated), Bonampak features two unique attractions.

There are several very large, especially well-preserved steles.

And in one of the buildings there are three chambers decorated with colorful murals still remarkably intact.

The government is taking extra precautions to preserve these murals. Only one person at a time is allowed to peer into each chamber and you have to wear a mask to keep your breath from damaging the paint.

You also can't wear sunglasses on your head because the light reflected from them might also cause damage.

It was nearly 6:00 when we began the long bus ride back to our hotel. We were weary and sweaty, but we were rewarded by a long and lovely sunset.

P.