I have been visiting the archeological sties of the pre-Christian people of Mexico for many years, from Chichen-Itza on the Yucatan Peninsula to Teotihucan near Mexico City. Until I came to Guatemala, Monte Alban, near the city of Oaxaca, was my favorite site. It's temples and pyramids mirror the rise and fall of the surrounding mountains, conveying such respect for the natural world and such harmony with it that I was moved anew every time I visited. I did not know that the ancient sites of the Maya in Guatemala would be equally powerful to me. In Petén and in Palenque, the spectacular jungle setting of the ruins emphasizes the mystic qualities of the Maya structures.
In the Maya World Tree, the Ceiba, Palenque I spent two months living in Flores, Guatemala, getting to know people in Uaxactún and San Jose and learning more about the ancient Maya sites. Three weeks ago, I left Flores in a minivan and then took a boat across the river that divindes Guatemala from Mexico. A taxi and another minivan later, I landed in Palenque, Mexico, home to another famous Maya site.
I have been visiting the archeological sties of the pre-Christian people of Mexico for many years, from Chichen-Itza on the Yucatan Peninsula to Teotihucan near Mexico City. Until I came to Guatemala, Monte Alban, near the city of Oaxaca, was my favorite site. It's temples and pyramids mirror the rise and fall of the surrounding mountains, conveying such respect for the natural world and such harmony with it that I was moved anew every time I visited. I did not know that the ancient sites of the Maya in Guatemala would be equally powerful to me. In Petén and in Palenque, the spectacular jungle setting of the ruins emphasizes the mystic qualities of the Maya structures.
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1. Arrival
George, the German biologist whose eco-lodge, ElPasado Del Cerro, was my first base in Petén, told me that large areas of the Petén rainforest were officially protected and managed by local indigenous communities. He thought I might enjoy Uaxactún both because it was an early Mayan observatory and also because the community was working to develop sustainable enterprises as part of their protection of the surrounding jungle. It was still dark as I stood outside the eco-lodge where I was staying in El Remate . I thought about what other creatures might be awake in the jungle as I walked in the darkness down the stone steps to the road where I would meet my minivan at 5;30 AM. I had stayed in El Remate because it was closer to Tikal than Flores. I wanted to be at the park entrance by 6AM to see the first light at the site. I was surprised that after we paid our entrance fee at the park gate, we continued driving for another
thirty minutes. I kept expecting to see the temples and pyramids --Temple IV is the tallest structure in the Mayan world and is only one of the massive structures on this well excavated site. But there was only thick jungle vegetation, as far as I could see. Later I learned that Tikal encompasses 222 square miles and is important not only for its magnificent ruins but also for the protection of a vast array of wildlife and fauna. For the last two weeks I have been traveling farther from Antigua, to the Petén and Rio Dulce areas in the north and eastern parts of Guatemala. It was one of the most incredible trips of my life! I was deeply moved in visiting the ancient Mayan sites of Tikal and Uaxactún. It was impossible to be indifferent next to the temples and pyramids, these structures of massive limestone towering well above the tallest trees in the surrounding jungle, placed with incredible precision so that every year the path of solstices and equinoxes is light passing through an opening in the stones. Petén is home to one of the world’s largest remaining rainforests and is also considered to be the “cradle of Mayan civilization” a region where the Mayan calendar was perfected and the incredible site of Tikal constructed, over a period of nearly 2000 years. |
Louise "Luisa" Wisechild, PhDI first visited Guatemala in 1995 as a member of the Vashon Island sister city delgation to Santiago de Atitlan, Guatemala. Archives
October 2023
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