Sunset in Yaxhá

Many people recommend visiting Tikal after Yaxhá to avoid disappointment. The main reason for this suggestion is that Yaxhá is much smaller and less excavated. Ricky disregarded this advice but was not disappointed. Although there are less structures at Yaxhá, it is estimated that there are more than 7000 ruins, the majority of which still lay covered underneath the jungle. The area had been occupied by the Mayans from as early as 1000 BCE but reached its height during the Early Classic period, 250 CE to 600 CE.

Ricky decided to go it alone and joined a sunset tour of Yaxhá. Normally, we avoid tours because, while tour guides need to be certified, generally most tours involve wasted time travelling around picking up other people and many guides present biased, questionable information. This tour would be no exception. It was the people on the tour that made the adventure more interesting, particularly the German Ambassador for Venezuela, who shared with us some of the heartbreaking events that are occurring in the country; he talked about the high inflation and the political issues that do not seem to be improving – not while the current President continues to remain in power. It really is such a great tragedy and has caused such devastation to so many of its countrymen and women who have had to flee.

While the guide provided some interesting information and stories, the “historical facts” seem to be clouded by his wish to portray the Mayans, his ancestors, in a very positive light and demonstrate the continuity of the ancient culture through to modern times. In many of the museums and tours of Mesoamerica and South America, there seems to be a feeling that they need to make comparisons with contemporary European cultures and place emphasis on Mayan astrology, mathematics and calendars. The guide avoided discussions about the Mayan practice of human sacrifice or denied the possibility, particularly related to the games played in the Mayan Ball Courts. While the site can be visited within an hour or so, our tour spent a great deal of time watching the sunset on top of one of the pyramids before making the two-hour journey back to Flores, much of it on a bumpy, dirt track.

Next stop: FloresRead more