Lacanja I - The Lacandon people and Las Ruinas de Bonampak

The Lacandon region is very close to Guatamala in SE Mexico. Until relatively good roads were constructed over the last 50-60 years, this area was largely unknown - dominated by once-impenetrable rain forests - literally blank spots on the map. Well into the 20th century, there were still populations of people - the Lacandon - living in a semi-nomadic manner, hunting, gathering, and growing traditional meso-american foods: corn, peppers, watermelon, pineapples, cacao, tomatoes, bananas, beans, mango, etc and also gathering the considerable bounty of the forest - fruits, nuts, and so on.

The state of Chiapas still has 60+ distinct native languages today, not counting Spanish. These people of the rain forest now share their name with the place: Lacandon. They live and look very differently than the other people that we can seen in Mexico. They often wear long, white, simply-cut robes, They speak Chol, or Tchol as their first language. They wear their hair long. They apparently still hunt in the selva at times with a bow and arrow, occasionally still eat howler monkey when they can find it.

The Lacandon most closely resemble the Mayan we see in the historic codices and hieroglyphs on carved into stone centuries ago - short, solid physiques, prominent noses and other facial features, a forehead that slants backwards a bit. But they have only lived here for 100+ years. 500 years ago, they lived on the Gulf Coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. When the Spanish arrived, they fled south and east, over a period of several hundred years, eventually settling in what is now south-eastern Mexico. They are Mayan people, but from quite far away. For centuries, they actively sought remote regions to isolate themselves and protect their freedoms and lifeways.

The Lacandon today live on the edge of this huge protected forest, and apparently have special access to and use of the forest for traditional activities. We spent two nights in Lacanja Chansayab, a small, low-key Lacandon community near the Bonampak ruins, which they seem to co-manage as a tourism resource with the federal government.

We visited Bonampak (accessible deep in the selva only by bus (a bus with no windows, no shocks, leaky roof, driven by a Coca-cola inspired Lacandon man), Yaxchilan (accessible only by a 1 hour motorized canoe ride via the Ucintasima River on the border of Mexico and Guatamala). Both places are today deep in the selva, isolated from nearby communities, and quite amazing places to visit and ponder.

The daily rains seem to have arrived early to the Lacandon area. Mornings begin start cool, heat up as the day progresses, clouds and humidity builds into the afternoon, and then the lightning, rain and thunder starts. it rains (hard, warm, steady, soaking rains) and thunders into the night. And in the morning, it starts all over again.

The approach to Bonampak is 20 minutes on a narrow, pitted dirt road in a blown out bus - the only window is the wind shield, no doors, seat belts, cushions or shocks. Driven by a Lacandon, fired up with Coca Cola.

Bonampak is not a huge site, but it is beautiful - it is deep in the selva and the buildings and structures are in very good shape.

This is a stella - they are large stones, carved with images and hieroglifs that tell stories and record history: successes in war, succession of kings, birth of elites, etc. Nearly all major Mayan cities maintained them. Winners in warfare typically destroyed the losers' stelae - and their history and story and identity.

This is close-up of some of the detail on the stela. Very intricate, very beautiful.

Detail of the stonework, though these stones have been displaeed over the centuries. Original Mayan stonework was exacting.

This butterfly took a liking to J-man and stuck with him for more than 15 minutes. Who can blame it?

A jaguar sculpture - worn by the passage of time. The jaguar was  probably the most powerful and revered animal in the forest, and god in the Mayan cosmology.

Another view of the main temples rising up above the forest.

These very narrow and nearly vertical stairs rise up to one of the important buildings.

These frescos are extremely rare today in Mayan ruins. These survived 1000 years inside one of the temples, showing pictures of the coronation of a new king, warfare and torture, and finally, a big victory party and celebration. Though badly faded, these colors and images give a glimpse into what must have been powerful, beautiful, and intimidating images.

Looking from the inside out - over the forest.

L and J in front of another big stele. Bigger really IS better - Bigger stellae reflect more powerful leaders/cities.

We finished our day at Bonampak in a torrential downpour. Others huddled under whatever cover they can find.

The ride back through the forest, through the downpour, at breakneck speed, no windshield wipers, leaky roof. The same Lacandon man driving, fueled by more Coke, roaring through the forest.

We found this scarlet tanager in the afternoon, striking and beautiful...and dead.

Las Guacamayas II - on the river.

Our last act in Guacamayas was an early morning boat ride for two hours along the edge of and into the protected selva. We split the cost of the trip with three young men from Mexico City who were on a high speed road trip through Chiapas. The river was swollen, a thick brown, full of of floating debris shaken free by the storm the night before. We passed many kilometers of thick impenetrable jungle. Tremendous trees, vines, dense vegetation in all directions. Saw lots of birds: tiger herons, flycatchers, two types of toucans, parrots, chachacala, howler monkeys and spider monkeys flying through the air together in the tops of trees.

Though neither our words nor photos will reflect it, it was a truly amazing trip - the river and forest seem so large, so powerful, so mysterious, so impenetrable, and so full of life. Fortunately, this large expanse of forest is protected, in theory forever, from human exploitation.

Then off to the Lacandon River, selva, and people along the border with Guatamala, and in the neighborhood of Bonampak and Yaxchilan - both famous Classic Mayan ruins that date back to the first millennium after Christ.

It should be emphasized that the Mayan had their own time-marking systems (plural) that were considerably more complicated than the one invented in the West. The Mayans/Mesoamericans also independently developed very sophisticated writing systems, astronomy, architecture, agriculture and political and religious and economic systems (that included warfare, slavery, torture and other unsavory activities) that supported fantastic cities - that left the Hernan Cortez and his invading troops literally speechless. Much of this knowledge of course was destroyed and burned by Europeans when they conquered the area - as the works of Satan...

Our early morning departure was delayed a bit because our boats were literally underwater in the morning, due to the deluge the previous night. The guy responsible for managing the boats through the night dropped the ball. The boat needed to be bailed.

Here is a shot of the river from our camp. On the far side is the protected selva/biosphere.

Cesar who led us on the forest walk the previous day, led our boat trip as well.

This is one of the many isolated settlements - probably for just one family - in the forest along the river. Simple homes of rough-cut lumber and palm leaf roofs. Growing crops, fishing, raising livestock.

The river is immense, and swollen, brown, and full of debris, as a result of last night's rains.

The giant, sacred Ceiba tree. Today, it is Mexico's national tree.

Another towering Ceiba.

We saw howlers - saraguatos and spider monkeys - mono arano - high in the trees from the boat.

I must admit...this looks a little bit like the classic Bigfoot photo. You'll have to trust us on this one.

Dense, impenetrable forest.

Las Guacamayas I - Hiking in the Rain Forest.

We spent two nights and part of three days in Guacamayas - living on the edge of this huge protected selva - rainforest. Only a wide, steady, chocolate brown river separated us. From our "centro ecoturistico" we took a 2 hour hike through the jungle guided by a Guatemalteco named Cesar. Really nice, well informed, and interesting in sharing and learning. We saw tons of ants (of course, they are everywhere!), howler monkeys (saw and heard), saw the prints of javelin (which can attack when provoked - climbing wet slippery, smooth, branchless, completely vertical trees was our escape route. Fortunately we didn't need one on this hike), tracks of rare, endangered jaguar (!!!), stickbugs, butterflies, and of course, tons of plants and trees, some of them enormous.

One night at Guacamayas was interrupted by howler monkeys, just outside our window, reminding us all that this is really their territory - not ours. The males and females apparently both roar. If you didn't know it was a monkey, you might think that it was a jaguar or perhaps a dinosaur.  Very loud, very deep, very aggressive (sounding), and, frankly, a little intimidating. That said, the monkeys are not aggressive at all toward humans.

Our other night was interrupted by a wild tormenta - an electrical storm lasting several hours and delivering a biblical deluge of ray. Our electricity went out almost immediately (which meant our fan stopped). The thunder was at times very close, literally gut-shaking, and continuous - at times we heard thunder rolling across the forest without interruption for minutes at a time. Though safe and dry, the flashes and thunder was still a little harrowing.

This was home for a few days - palm-leaf roofed palapas, raised on stilts, mosquito-netting on the inside (!!), with our door opening to the river.

Lots of neighbors - this is a giant grasshopper.

This was a GREAT place for birding - parrots, macaws, tanagers, eastern meadowlarks, flycatchers, grackles (of course, they are everywhere), hawks, etc.

So these are the scarlet macaws (our little camera did them little justice. They were the original inspiration for developing this camp - to protect a dwindling population. The local people applied to the government to set up a protection/restoration program and asked for funding. Today, the guacamayas, or scarlet macaws were easy to see, usually flying in pairs between the big trees. These birds are stunning, especially in flight - vibrant reds, blues, and yellows that burst out against the green landscape. Truly fantastic, almost dreamlike.

I grabbed these two photos off the web, just to give you an idea of how magnificent these birds are. Large, bold, loud.

L and J investigating un arbol de canela - a cinnamon tree in a reforestation plot.

The nose piercing is an ancient Mayan custom. You know, "when in Rome..."

This is Jeremiah's belly - we figured belly piercings were probably de moda in Mayan times as well.

Butterflies were everywhere in Chiapas, often very colorful, sometimes in dozens at a time.

 OK, so these next images are from our 2 hour walk in the forest.  Our guide was Cesar, a Guatamalan. Super interested, interesting, knowledgeable. He wore short-sleeves and no bug repellent, and jeans. The bugs didn't bug him anymore. He said they wouldn't both us either after 3-4 months living here. We also emerged from our walk soaked, mostly as a result of the heat and humidity. Cesar emerged from our walk without a mark of perspiration. He assured us that would change for us too, if we stayed for a while. I am not convinced.

This is a sign that listed a bunch of the animals that live in la selva.

Ant hills. Ants are absolutely everywhere, working all the time. Their paths cut visibly to the soil across lawns, forest floors, etc. Some, as Liesl will tell you with great annoyance, have quite a bite...Despite our efforts to reassure her of all the important roles in the world ants play, she remains their sworn enemy.

A large forest butterfly. This one had a 6 inch wingspan.

We are at the base of a Ceiba tree with Cesar. Huge trees, sacred to the Maya as a connector of the two worlds - earth and sky.

Fungus-amungus I.

II.

III.

We were accompanied on our walk by vigilant howler monkeys. They seemed rather annoyed by our presence. At times, they got quite agitated - shaking the branches, throwing down sticks and leaves. They even pee-ed and pooped in our vicinity, which Cesar confirmed was a form of intimidation and insult.

More monkeys.

This is very hard to see in the photo, but this is the jaguar print! Jaguars have been revered for centuries, but today are endangered due to habitat loss mostly...

Palm fruit.

Palm flowers that preceded it.

Liesl found this scorpion on the forest floor (while she was scanning for ants of course). Cesar grabbed it and allowed it wander on his arm.

Cesar showed us how to grab the scorpion safely by the tail. JB was the only practitioner. So the next time your house becomes infested with scorpions, you know who to call.

This is a test. Find the stickbug!

These types of termite nests were all over Mexico.