Sta. Elena, Guatemala
There is a delicious anticipation that comes with venturing into places new to our experience, in this case very old places, places active and vibrant fifteen centuries before Christopher Columbus ‘discovered’ the Americas. The reality is civilization had already advanced far beyond Europe more than two millennia earlier. The Mayan developed the most advanced and precise calendar known, capitalizing on well developed mathematics.
After a rather opulent breakfast across the street we made our way from San Ignacio to the border where we ‘abandoned’ our driver and van in Belize and acquired a new Mercedes coach and driver just inside Guatemala. Bureaucracy in Guatemala does not allow us to bring our own drivers and guides into the country. We kept our guide Juan with us as a Mexican tourist and instructed Axle to meet us in Chiapas a few days hence with his van. It was known ahead of time this was to happen so it did not constitute an unpleasant surprise. After but a few minutes in immigration Stuart fired up the coach and we were on our way to the ceremonial city to be found at Yaxha. After what seemed like a very long time on jaw-numbing gravel and ruts we arrived at the remote site of Yaxha. As was our experience previously at Lamanai and Chacchoben, we had this wondrous well restored city to ourselves.
There is almost a sense of being on pilgrimage when visiting these heritage sites in quietness and reflection. Our group of eight is rather tuned into exploring the Mayan mysteries and consensus of motivation makes the group very easy and enjoyable to be with. No one has been the least bit interested in shopping or behaving like an intrusive tourist.
Climbing the Temple of the Red Hands is a vertical experience, not for the faint of heart or those with height issues. Climbing this immense pyramid with sides pitched at 75-80 degrees is a bit like a fly climbing up the wall. The main difference is we had to come back down rather than simply fly off. The ascent is well worth any relapse of acrophobia – the view of the adjacent lake and emerald expanses of the Guatemalan jungle is overwhelming. The religious imagery intended in the original construction of these vast temples was not lost on us. We left no stair un-trodden and fully surveyed the whole of the excavated sites.
It is beyond imagination to visualize what these cities looked like when plastered and poly-chromed in intense color; with the structures in perfect alignment and order. Even harder to visualize is the exodus that took place when hundreds of these grand cities were simply abandoned, given over to the certain strangulation and death the jungle offered. It is tantalizing to realize virtually every hill and hummock around us constituted and un-excavated structure. It is one of the great mysteries of history as to what caused the abandonment and collapse of one of the greatest civilizations.
After an aerobic morning we were provided with a nicely prepared hot luncheon of seasoned chicken, rice, tropical fruits and vegetables, and drinks. This was offered to us in a fine al fresco setting under a thatched roof. Someone has been paying very careful attention to the details of our journey. Refueled and hydrated, we boarded a small boat to visit the lost city of Topoxte on an island in the lake. A rain squall came up during the journey across the lake and we scrambled to keep our cameras and clothing dry; knowing things which get wet hear stay wet for the duration. On shore we found a city clocked in jungle growth with just enough excavation to prove that a magnificent ceremonial site was underneath all the roots giving life to verdant green canopies over us. I found a compelling urge to get a shovel, dig out everything, re-mortar it all together and restore the splendor that was lost more than a thousand years ago.
Evening found us in a botanical paradise alongside Lago Peten Itza. Life is spectacular. Nothing could be more expansive that sitting with historians, linguists, and behavioral scientists pondering the great mysteries of distant eras. Archeology must be one of the most interesting disciplines in the world. One gets to go on a great search for beauty of a special kind. We have found it in great abundance.
Beauty is an infinitely renewable resource. The odds are 100% you will find it, if you but look for it.
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