Palenque is HOT!!!
Hola Amig@s,
I am here SWEATING through my last afternoon in Palenque. Tomorrow I will leave early in the morning and head for the border. I am crossing my fingers that all will go smoothly. In the meantime, I am trying to find ways to take refuge from the heat. Despite how close they are. Palenque and San Cristobal couldn't be more different from each other in terms of climate.
Yesterday I got up early to head to the ruins. I made it there by 8:00, and it was already hotter than it ever got in San Cris. The ruins are truly amazing. The first view is incredible, huge pyramids, towers and domes rising out of the jungle. I went with a tour, this time with a group of Spaniards, and I think it is definitely good practive for me. The first several structures that you see coming in are old temples and buriel sites for important people. The largest pyramid was built on top of the tomb of Pakal, the most important king to rule Palenque. He lived to be 80 years old, about 2x the age expectancy of that time. They think that his tomb was built with his assistance before he died, and then after his death the 9-tiered pyramid was built on top of him. The 9 tiers are supposed to represent the 9 levels of the underworld. He was entombed in a magnificent and huge stone box, and the 6 servants who were sacrificed to accompany him into the underworld were simply placed in the room, no box, no offerings. The pyramid beside his, though much less elaborate, was also built around the tomb of a woman that they suspect is either his mother or his wife. She is called the res queen, because her box had cinnabar on the inside, and when they opened it, she was all red. You can go in and see the red queen's tomb, but Pakal's tomb is now closed off to the public. The humidity was causing too much damage.
The tour through the palace revealed things that I certainly wouldn't have seen on my own such as the hollows in the wall that served as door hinges and the toilets with their drainage systems. What is interesting to me is how advanced and developed the cities were all over this region, and that they were all essentially abandoned at the end of the 900s. I keep asking why, but nobody has a very satifying answer. Maybe it was drought, too many people, war. Amazing how much we can know about the past, and yet how much remains so mysterious.
Today I went on the tour of water, beginning with Misol-Ha, an immense waterfall. From there we went to agua clara, which looked more like agua sucia to me, but it was still beautiful. The big event there is to cross over the bridge of nearly certain death. This was a hanging bridge, of widely spaced boards, caged in with chainlink. The bridge sways, no more acurately swings, from side to side as you walk across. Several of the boards are brken in half, so you have the entire length if the cross to ponder what you would do if one gaveway under your foot. Thankfully that didn't happen. The disrepair of the bridge has provided an opening for local business however, because on the other side young boys will bring you back across on a raft for 10 pesos.
The highlight of the day was Agua Azul. Despite the crowds, this was a stunning place. Torquoise water falls over tiers of boulders and shelves into inviting pools at the bottom. It is the kind of place where everyone is joyful. Kids and parents swimming, splashing and LAUGHING their heads off. It was such a relief to get into the water and out of the heat. Pretty soon I am going to go back to my room, take advantage of my fan and my television, and veg out. I don't know how people live like this all the time. The last few days, after being out in the sun, I have been exhausted by 8:00!
I am here SWEATING through my last afternoon in Palenque. Tomorrow I will leave early in the morning and head for the border. I am crossing my fingers that all will go smoothly. In the meantime, I am trying to find ways to take refuge from the heat. Despite how close they are. Palenque and San Cristobal couldn't be more different from each other in terms of climate.
Yesterday I got up early to head to the ruins. I made it there by 8:00, and it was already hotter than it ever got in San Cris. The ruins are truly amazing. The first view is incredible, huge pyramids, towers and domes rising out of the jungle. I went with a tour, this time with a group of Spaniards, and I think it is definitely good practive for me. The first several structures that you see coming in are old temples and buriel sites for important people. The largest pyramid was built on top of the tomb of Pakal, the most important king to rule Palenque. He lived to be 80 years old, about 2x the age expectancy of that time. They think that his tomb was built with his assistance before he died, and then after his death the 9-tiered pyramid was built on top of him. The 9 tiers are supposed to represent the 9 levels of the underworld. He was entombed in a magnificent and huge stone box, and the 6 servants who were sacrificed to accompany him into the underworld were simply placed in the room, no box, no offerings. The pyramid beside his, though much less elaborate, was also built around the tomb of a woman that they suspect is either his mother or his wife. She is called the res queen, because her box had cinnabar on the inside, and when they opened it, she was all red. You can go in and see the red queen's tomb, but Pakal's tomb is now closed off to the public. The humidity was causing too much damage.
The tour through the palace revealed things that I certainly wouldn't have seen on my own such as the hollows in the wall that served as door hinges and the toilets with their drainage systems. What is interesting to me is how advanced and developed the cities were all over this region, and that they were all essentially abandoned at the end of the 900s. I keep asking why, but nobody has a very satifying answer. Maybe it was drought, too many people, war. Amazing how much we can know about the past, and yet how much remains so mysterious.
Today I went on the tour of water, beginning with Misol-Ha, an immense waterfall. From there we went to agua clara, which looked more like agua sucia to me, but it was still beautiful. The big event there is to cross over the bridge of nearly certain death. This was a hanging bridge, of widely spaced boards, caged in with chainlink. The bridge sways, no more acurately swings, from side to side as you walk across. Several of the boards are brken in half, so you have the entire length if the cross to ponder what you would do if one gaveway under your foot. Thankfully that didn't happen. The disrepair of the bridge has provided an opening for local business however, because on the other side young boys will bring you back across on a raft for 10 pesos.
The highlight of the day was Agua Azul. Despite the crowds, this was a stunning place. Torquoise water falls over tiers of boulders and shelves into inviting pools at the bottom. It is the kind of place where everyone is joyful. Kids and parents swimming, splashing and LAUGHING their heads off. It was such a relief to get into the water and out of the heat. Pretty soon I am going to go back to my room, take advantage of my fan and my television, and veg out. I don't know how people live like this all the time. The last few days, after being out in the sun, I have been exhausted by 8:00!
posted by Eva Hathaway at 3:29 PM
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