Like us
Bright Future Global Tours
  • Home
  • Semana Santa
  • 10 Day Kites & Culture
  • Custom Tours
  • Blog
  • About
    • Testimonials
    • FAQ
    • Contact
    • Links
  • Registration

Uaxactún: Living with Time

3/10/2015

0 Comments

 
23 km north of Tikal, Uaxactún is both a remote pueblo in Petén Guatemala and the site of some of the earliest Maya achievements in astronomy and the Mayan Calendar.  The buried city might  have been lost forever, but chicleros, drawn by the opportunity to make money in chicle, ventured into Petén's vast forest.  These chicleros were invaluable guides to archeologists in the early 1900s, who were just beginning to rediscover the Maya civilization.  This area, renamed Uaxactún, became a base camp for chiclero's and archeologiests.  In 1929 Wrigley built an airstrip in Uaxactún, the first road was built in 1985.  The community of Uaxactún is responsible for managing and conserving a large part of the Maya biosphere, considered one of the last great lungs of the planet. 

I have been to Uaxactún several times, the most recent for 12 days.  Although it doesn't have the grandeur of Tikal, I find it more beautiful and somehow more alive. As it is still relatively untouristed, I spent days wandering the ruins and many hours just listening and leaning against the remains of these ancient buildings.  There are many birds to be heard in the mornings and later in the day.  But there was something else there, something I had not heard since childhood.  Silence.  I listened to silence.  I was struck by how unfamilar that sound was.  I wondered if silence was the sound of the trees breathing.

Below, in the pueblo that is situated in the middle of the archeological sites, it is not totally quiet ,of course.  Of course Uaxactún is more alive, content.  Of course at night




0 Comments
    Picture

    Louise "Luisa" Wisechild, PhD

    I first visited Guatemala in 1995  as a member of the Vashon Island sister city delgation to Santiago de Atitlan, Guatemala.
    I been living in Guatemala since 2011.   I didn't intend to stay  -- my idea was to develop tours in numerous countries.  But I fell in love with Guatemala --  where every day I learn something new or see something I have not seen before.  Guatemala is a land of diverse natural beauty.  Living in a Kachikel Maya pueblo, which is also a gathering spot for international budget travelers, makes this a rare and fascinating residence.    My  curiosity and my heart  are engaged here every day, in my relationships.   .  I enjoy  speaking spanish with friends, and learning more about the Maya culture, giving tarot readings in Spanish and also singing my growing  repertoire of  Spanish songs. 
    I am a  lifelong independent traveler and group leader.  As a graduate student in interpersonal communication and the creative arts, I  led tours to Oaxaca, Mexico for the Day of the Dead and co-facilitated a tour to the goddess sites of Mexico with Global Awareness through Experience.  I have  been fortunate to visit Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Bali, Thailand, Australia, Europe, Canada and  the US.   Bit by bit, I will go global again, but Latin America is so enchanting. . . .

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    December 2015
    June 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    May 2013
    January 2013
    November 2012
    October 2012
    June 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011

    Picture

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Antigua
    Community Based Tourism
    Food
    Free Hugs
    Giant Kites
    Insects
    Jade
    Kite Making
    La Azotea Music And Coffee Museum
    Livingston
    Magnificent And Fragile Art
    Markets
    Maya Art
    Maya Healing
    Mayan Astronomy
    Maya Sites
    Medicinal Plants
    Monterrico
    Palenque
    Panajachel
    Petén
    Petén
    Photos San Pedro
    Ramón
    Rio Dulce
    San Cristóbal
    San Cristóbal De Las Casas
    Sea Turtles
    Sumpango
    Sumpango & Giant Kites
    Tikal
    Uaxactún

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.