Festivals of the Highland Rainforest Maya

March 2: The nearest airport to Palenque is in Villahermosa, which is 2.5 hours away. As most flights arrive too late in the day to go directly to Palenque you will spend your first night in Villahermosa. The hotel shuttle will be waiting when you arrive to take you to the Hilton Hotel Villahermosa, where you'll overnight.

March 3: The day begins with pick up at your hotel and a visit of La Venta Olmec Museum in Villahermosa. There are 28 Olmec carvings at this beautiful outdoor museum with interesting zoo and lake. Each piece was set carefully for optimum viewing with benches placed for those wishing to meditate or ponder. The huge and amazingly well crafted Olmec heads, intricate altars, and intriguing stele and statues there makes one pause to reflect on the mystery of who these ancestors of the Maya people were. Then we'll go to Palenque. You'll have time in the lafternoon and evening to explore this interesting modern Maya city. Overnight at Maya Tulipanes Hotel in Palenque.

March 4: Today we have a full day to visit one of the most spectacular of Mayan archaeological sites, Palenque. A UNESCO historical monument, Palenque is considered a world treasure. Ancient structures rise out of the lush rainforest on multiple terraces set against the mountains. Many wonderful examples of Maya art and history are carved into the building´s facades, some of them the most famous depictions from the ancient Maya world. Here you will find the unique building styles that caused early explorers to think that the builders of Palenque were influenced by Eastern or Asian architectural concepts.

Palenque is exciting because of the vast amounts of information that has been painstakingly brought to light by archeologists over the years. Currently, a group of archaeologists are conducting archaeo-astronomy research at the site and are discovering many hidden clues that connect ancient Maya astronomy to the architecture of the site. We'll also visit the Palenque archeological museum. This impressive collection of sculptured art, busts, jade jewelry, and other artifacts of the Maya give us a look into their ancient world. The amazingly well-preserved and intricately decorated clay incense burners alone are well worth the visit. Overnight at Maya Tulipanes Hotel in Palenque.

March 5: Today we journey to Yaxchilan and Bonampak. First we visit Bonampak, home of famous Mayan murals. Their ancient colors remain clear and vital, making them an excellent representation of Mayan art. Bonampak also has some very well preserved stele that detail important historical moments.

Then we travel down the Usamucinta River to the mysterious ancient site of Yaxchilan. This incredible boatride through the rainforest with its huge trees and abundant wildlife makes you feel like you´re in an Indiana Jones movie! The tremendous archeological site of Yaxchilan, situated on the riverbanks, rises in levels to temples with breathtaking views of the rainforest stretching far into Guatemala. You'll hear stories of ancient Mayan Queens who exerted great power and about the modern Lacandon Indians (of whom there are only 450 people remaining) who still use Yaxchilan as a place of worship. See howler monkeys and many exotic birds as you roam this well organized ancient Maya city. Overnight at Maya Tulipanes in Palenque.

March 6: Today we go to nearby Tenosique to observe the "Pocho" dances. Each year, beginning the last Sunday of January through the Sunday before Lent, a group of Maya congregate in a small village near Palenque to hold their "Pochó" dances.

The Pochó is considered to be a god that embodies evil. Three types of beings enact this dance: the "lame" or men, the "tigres" or jaguars, and the "pochoveras" or women. The lame are upper creatures of nature, in who the gods have placed negative and positive characteristics. The harmful god Pochó desires the destruction of the men and sends the tigres to eliminate them. The group of pochoveras acts as a link among the Pochó and the terrestrial beings, and later as mediator between lame and tigres. Overnight at Maya Tulipanes in Palenque.

March 7: Today we journey to San Cristobal de las Casas. Along the way we'll make a stop at the beautiful Misol Ha waterfalls and also visit the Mayan ruins Tonina. Toniná may have been built as early as 350 A.D. but one of its distinctions is having the last recorded date of the Maya long count. One of the features at the ruins at Toniná is its maze-like building of rooms. It is the number of rooms and the building's position with the night heavens that help the archeologists determine the building´s function. It also has a very well, preserved somewhat macabre fresco. Overnight at Casa Na Balam in San Cristobal de la Casas.

March 8: "Fat Tuesday": Visit the huge outdoor community market in San Cristobal de las Casas for shopping and a unique taste of modern Mayan culture. Not a market slanted toward tourism, this market is the heartbeat and centerplace for the entire Mayan economy of the highland rainforest. Many Mayan groups are represented with a full array of traditional goods that each group specializes in -- textiles, amber, carvings, incenses, candles, and a wide variety of foods. Mid-day we visit pre-Lent festival and jaguar dances in the neighboring village of San Juan Chamula, with its famous Mayan church where one can observe the modern religious practices of the Maya. It’s a moving experience ... one to be cherished. Then you'll visit the Tzotzil village of Zinacantán with its renowned embroidered textiles, where they also hold a colorful "Carnival" festival. Overnight at the Casa Na Bolom in San Cristobal de la Casas.