 |
Yaxchilán can be reached by an hour long boat ride down the mighty Usamacinta river through one of the last great North American rainforests. It is an experience to be remembered. Riding in a long boat with its large outboard motor you can see Guatemala on one shore and Mexico on the other.
If you keep on the lookout you will see many of the rainforest inhabitants, from wild monkeys to toucans and eagles. The water itself contains crocodiles and many kinds of fresh water fish. |
| You´ll see large buildings of cut stone peeking through the jungle as you pull to shore. Stepping off the boat and under the rainforest canopy has a cooling effect as you begin your tour of Yaxchilán. Built during the Maya golden age, 200-900 A.D., the site has 86 known buildings. To enter the site you go through a building known as the labyrinth. The exact use of this building in ancient times is unknown, yet its connection to the underworld for the Maya is undoubtedly important.
The ceremonial center starts with its huge main plaza and well preserved stele and door lintel carvings. Looking up the hill you´ll see incredibly intact roofcombs of the second tier of buildings. You can climb to level after level of buildings, each an architectural wonder, each with some remarkable detail worth noting. Occasionally one can find evidence of recent worship by the Lakandons, a dwindling group of Maya that still practice the ancient ways of worship. |
 |
 |
Yaxchilán is known for the extensive history detailed in its well preserved carvings. The majority of lintel and stele carvings commemorate the important historical events occurring during the reign of King Jaguar Shield, his famous wives Lady Xoc and Lady Eveningstar, and his son Bird Jaguar who ruled here in the 8th century. |
 |
Many images depict women engaged in the ritual of bloodletting. If this was a city of seers, as many believe it was, then the bloodletting ceremony was undoubtedly the ritual magic used to start the seer on their journey.
Again to quote Schele and Friedel, ¨The aim of these great cathartic rituals was the vision quest, the opening of a portal into the Otherworld through which gods and the ancestors could be enticed so that the beings of this world could commune with them.¨ Here a Mayan queen holds a bowel filled with strips of paper used to collect blood. The strips will later be burned as an offering to the gods. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Almost every building has a doorway that tells a story.
When visiting here, be sure to look up at the carved lintels that top the doorways to see some of the best preserved carvings from the ancient Mayan world. |
 |
 |
Once you reach the top of Yaxchilán you will find yourself overlooking the rain forest.
This is a favorite spot for many people. Stop here to rest and ponder the mysterious ways of the ancient Maya. |
 |
 |
A Forest of Kings: The Untold Story of the Ancient Maya by Linda Schele, David Freidel |
Custom Tours / Family Vacation Packages / Educational Tours / Reading List
Airline Tickets, Car Rentals and Airline/Hotel Packages / Last minute Specials! / Contact Us / Home