Features disabled! Please read the following:<< I Have the Plugin - Show Flash Content >> | << No Plugin - Hide this Warning >>
Limited Functionality ~ Flash Required!
Posted from Palenque, Mexico at 11:55 PM local timeRuinedI ... am ... melting ... Wow. I'd begun to think Mexico couldn't compete with Asian climes for unbearable humidity. That was before I arrived in Palenque last night. I stepped onto the bus in the mountains of Chiapas, enjoyed air-conditioned comfort along the way, then hopped off in Palenque at 7 p.m. I was blown away. From over 7,000 feet to just a few hundred feet above sea level, the contrast in climate was striking. Within seconds, I began to melt. Somehow, I also ended up in one of the least desirable guesthouses I've encountered thus far on the trip. There's little airflow in the rooms (making the humidity still worse), and I was awakened at 4:30 this morning by a cockroach crawling across my arm. I didn't go back to bed - and was greeted by a second cockroach in the shower. I've learned that unlike tarantulas (which - though I have met others who have - I've not encountered on any of my journeys), cockroaches won't inflict any harm. Still, there's something disconcerting about discovering the little buggers scurrying across your bed (and body)! Fortunately, I'd planned an early morning, having decided to walk the 7+ kilometers from modern Palenque town to the ruins. My cockroach alarm simply gave me an early start. Palenque was among the greatest cities of the ancient Maya, its setting on the edge of the first hills rising above the jungle plain of the Yucatán Peninsula strategic and visually impressive. Palenque was first settled around 100 BCE but reached its zenith in the 7th century. The 7th and 8th centuries saw a flurry of development. The city's palace (that's it on the right) was a large structure that included a curious tower apparently used by Mayan priests and royals to observe the sunlight cast inside the Temple of the Inscriptions during the winter solstice. The Temple of the Inscriptions was named for the extensive glyphs inside recounting the history of the temple and ancient city. The tallest building in the city, the temple contains the tomb of Pakal, one of Palenque's greatest and longest-reigning kings. (He ruled for nearly 70 years.) Numerous gems and a priceless jade death mask were found inside the tomb; the mask was moved to Mexico City's Museum of Anthropology, from which it was stolen in 1985. A third important set of buildings is known as the Group of the Cross, the spiritual center of the city. You may have noted in my previous entry the comments about the symbolism of the Mayan cross. These symbols, representing the sacred ceiba tree, can be seen gracing the walls of the three temples that make up the Grupo de la Cruz. While Palenque's architecture is impressive, so too is its jungle setting. I was a bit disappointed by the visiting hours at the site, as it opens long after sunrise and closes promptly at 5 p.m. Despite my early start, I was unable to capture any particularly striking photos in part because the best hours of sunlight were before and after my visit. In addition, Palenque is a popular tourist attraction complete with plenty of trinket vendors. There were moments of tranquility, especially away from the largest structures, but it wasn't as peaceful as I'd imagined. While well worth visiting, I'm looking forward to seeing a few of the ruins further afield. The Palenque museum, on the edge of the ruins themselves, provides a nice introduction to the history of the city. It's well worth a visit. Though admittedly not outstanding, I thought I'd share a few other photos depicting the Palenque ruins since they won't be included later as part of a permanent show: Jungle Vegetation | Temple of the Inscriptions | Temple of the Count (where the eccentric Count of Waldeck lived for two years in the 1800s) | Branches | Up Close (No, I was not using a powerful zoom here - and this fella was at least four or five feet long from nose to tail.) Alright. It's well past midnight and I'm out by 5:30 in the morning. For perhaps the first time on this trip, I'm finally venturing out on my own. I've been traveling on far too many comfortable buses and doing the standard tourist circuit for too long. It's off to the border to see the ruins of Yaxchilán and Bonampak followed by a river journey and entry into Guatemala. My guidebook suggests there'll be hitching and walking involved if I attempt this stretch on my own. Sounds like a challenge to me.
|