TIKAL and Yaxha, Guatemala October 16-19, 2010
Majestic! Magical! Awe inspiring!
How did they get the stones up there?
I don’t think I can climb another temple!
Were they peaceful or war-like?
So how did the civilization fall? Why?
Gotta come back here!
These are all thoughts overheard from various tourists talking whom we encountered at the fabulous Mayan ruins of Tikal. They echo my own amazement and impressions in this my third visit to the archeological site of the ruins that once were the largest city state in the Mayan world.
FIRST Visit
Back in 1971 Dan and I drove through the US to Mexico and then to Belize and Guatemala, camping on the back of our white new Toyota pick-up truck. The road to Tikal from Belize was incredibly bad with huge pot-holes and large rocks. It took forever to arrive there. We chugged and bounced and made it to Tikal to camp. I can still remember the lightning bugs, the size and weight of locusts, that kept hitting our tent and us. First visit to the jungle! The ruin was mesmerizing! At that time there were many scientists and archeologists on-site. I don’t remember an official tour guide- but there was a village of Mayan people and they would offer to guide as well as sell local woven handicrafts --and some offered parts of the yet to be excavated temples or artifacts, guaranteeing the authenticity! We strolled through the entire site, climbing and birdwatching for a few days at least. There were toucans, huge flocks of turkeys, lots of monkeys—the whole place was magic, but the sounds at night and in the waking morning were indescribable- loud buzzings and chirps. Oropendolas nests hung like teardrops from the branches of the Ceiba tree. Scary howler howls while crashing through the trees screeching parrots and a full orchestra of chirps.
SECOND Visit
Then in 1998 Dan and I returned with our two boys aged 18 and 14. We had traveled to Rio Dulce by boat, our original Sea Star and we made our trip over the bumpy roads to Tikal by bus. We were excited as parents to share such an experience with our family. Because of road washout we had to wait by the side of the road for about an hour for the construction crew to allow our tour bus to pass through. We stayed at the then primitive Jungle Lodge within the ruin site and attended either an early morning or an evening sun ceremony from Mundo Perdido, enjoying every moment of the jungle’s sounds and smells. We watched the spider monkeys playing in the trees near us, heard the howler monkeys and other jungle creatures.
The temples in the main Plaza were excavated and maybe a few more at each of the larger groupings were visable through the forest growth, but the kids and we were able to climb every one on the original steps carved out by the Mayans. The archeologists were digging inside of temples to check for artifacts and tombs. The Mayan villagers clustered around the large entry tree, the Ceiba, to ask us to buy their handicrafts. A fantastic and memorable family experience. On the way out of Tikal our bus brought us to another ruin, hardly excavated at all where we were able to look around and climb just one temple up a rickity wooden staircase, that provided a panoramic view of the surrounding area.
THIRD Visit
In 2010 Dan and I are a bit older. We are back on the Rio Dulce on sailboat named Sea Star and this time we wondered if we really wanted to return to Tikal; what may have changed from our first magical visits? Cruisers returning from their visits to Tikal reported enjoying the trip and visiting the nearby town of Flores. Some other cruisers knew we were considering going and they wanted to go, too. Our transportation could have been bus again. Comfortable, air-conditioned buses now run a few times a day from Rio Dulce, Fronteras to Tikal and the nearest town to Tikal, Flores. In Flores, an island situated on Lake Peten, there is an airport with connections to Belize and Mexico, and a bus station where buses from Guatemala City and Antigua bring in tourists daily, and there are lots of restaurants and air-conditioned hotels. The hotels in the site of Tikal are limited in the time they run their generators for electricity. It can get hot and some tourists are put off by that problem.
Because we were a group of seven people, we rented an air-conditioned van with a sane driver (as opposed to the typical bus driver) who, for a reasonable fee, brought our group to and from Fronteras, and to and from both the Tikal and Yaxha ruins. We choose to stay in Flores to enjoy the restaurants and see the town and Lake Peten. Dan and I were torn about staying in town or in the jungle. To keep the group together we chose to stay in-town. To accommodate us and our desire to get into Tikal as early as possible the group arose at 4:00AM to arrive at the National Park of Tikal by entry time at 6:00AM. We had to sit in the van for ½ hour while waiting for the gates to open as the sun came up, and we realized that although we did our best to hurry, even forgoing our included full, hot breakfast and taking a box breakfast from our hotel, we would still miss sunrise in the jungle:(
Already behind us (our van was first at the gate) there was a line of buses, collectiveo vans and private cars. As about fifty buses decended into the park behind us, Dan and I entered the Park area , bought our $20 each tickets and quickly grabbed a coffee and headed out to walk to Mundo Perdido where, we were told by the guide the others hired, there were the most birds to be seen. As we all began the walk to the main gate we passed a certain small flowering tree. I did remember that spot because as we looked up- a Toucan, and Collared Aracaris squawked while eating the berries.
We started toward Mundo Perdido (The Lost World) and by the time we walked away from the main plaza and its temples we could see only one other tourist on our path. Terrific! He had a nice camera with a telephoto lens and was photographing monkeys! As the spider monkeys swung above our heads and we heard the howler monkeys somewhere else in the park, their deep barking sound resonating through the park; we began to relax and enjoy being at Tikal again.
We chose a temple to climb because it was in the sun and shaded by the folliage nearby-a good place to check for the early morning birdlife. While on top of the temple we caught a glimpse of what we hoped was the Orange breasted Falcon sitting in the tippity-top of a very tall tree barely in our binocular view. Turns out it was! Also in the same tree in the plaza near Perdido we were able to observe all three toucan species together- the elusive Emerald toucanet, the Collared toucan (aracari) and Keel billed Toucan as well as other birds flitting in and around that tree.
Still magical although changed.
Some changes were certainly for the better. In 1979 UNESCO took over the administration of Mayan ruins all over Quatemala and Tikal and others were named World Heritage Sites. Serious about conserving these national treasures the looting was stopped and although the Mayan village at the gate to Tikal was relocated, it makes a nicer, in my mind, visit when the hawkers of all the crafts and their child labor salespeople are not allowed to follow the tourists. There are more museum areas and craft sales areas where a tourist can browse without being accosted.
More excavation has opened up another temple, Temple V, with a new wooden, sturdy stairway to access the undercomb area at the top of the 46m climb. Guatemala received the funds for that part of the excavation from the country of Spain.
Tourists may no longer climb on the original stairs on the most popular temples. Apparently two tourists fell to their deaths from temple IV, so some restrictions were made. I can see how that could happen as tourists, for a better look at the top comb of the temple, used to be allowed to climb up about 50-60 feet more than now allowed, up where the falcon pair now lives. On many temples, original stone stairs have crumbled a bit from wear. The access is made more safely by the wooden staircases with sturdy railings placed in shady areas on the sides or back of the temples when possible. The exciting view down from the top still remains. Fortunately for me I did not have to climb down the steep stone stairway as before, scared to death, way too hot and feeling about to topple!
Evidence of ongoing excavation is seen in the tall scaffolding, and heavy plastic tarps covering large areas of ground around the base of some temples. Disappointingly, erosion has taken a toll on many, probably most of the stelai(large carved stone monuments telling the history of the rulers of Tikal) , but new information continues to be discovered from the carvings as the language of the ancient Maya is deciphered.
During our time in Tikal, one long day, Dan and I and the others climbed as many temples as we could possibly manage , walked miles on the ancient causeways and through the jungle on marked paths. We saw toucans, arricaries, Emerald Toucanet , Crested Guan, (now that’s a big bird) Montezuma's Oropendolas, lots of smaller birds, oscillated turkeys, coatimondi, pretty good sized spiders, spider monkeys and howler monkeys and a Squirrel Cuckoo—but the best find of all was the Orange breasted falcon that lives on the crest of temple IV.
The next day we took our van to see the ruin of Yaxha. Dan and I are pretty sure that may have been the ruin we saw twelve years ago that was just the unexcavated site with one large temple to climb up on rickety wooden steps. Now it is a fantastic place to visit, with broad walkways to the four cardinal directions on the old causeways past partially excavated smaller temples. Although growing in popularity, this Mayan site sees few tourists. The plazas are quiet open spaces and bench areas are provided to sit and commune with nature. Dan and I were atop a temple and near the back we were lucky enough to spot two great birds; a Blue crowned Motmot of which I took terrible pictures and an Bright rumped Attila. We spent a morning at Yaxha, then ate at a local place the guide, Rubin, brought us to nearby.
Our trip took three nights and four days. But soon we were back on the Rio.
Here are my pictures of Tikal and Yaxha. They are a combination of all our friends on the trip, with thanks! To access information about the Maya whose civilization seemed to just disappear about 900BC just type Maya history on Google as my link didn't work.
Click to see four different slideshows.
