Exploring lost Maya cities in
Guatemala:
Piedras Negras--and beyond
(Dates? When
you want it!)
Maya Mask and Stele at Piedras Negras
Piedras Negras (Black Rocks), Guatemala is one of
the most remote of all ancient Maya cities and consequently one of the least-visited and
best-preserved.
In addition, PN is a beautiful site, located as it
is in pristine jungle, and not far from one of the largest cenotes (sinkholes) in Central
America. Our campsite on the Usumacinta River (the northwest border between Guatemala and
Mexico) is also striking in its natural beauty.
Archaeologically, PN is of singular importance, as
it is home to the stelae (carved stone columns) that first enabled archaeologists to
decode Maya hieroglyphs and understand their historical nature.
Interestingly, one of the pioneers of contemporary
research on the Maya, Tatiana Prouskourikoff, is buried in the main Acropolis of
"J Group" in Piedras Negras, with a plaque marking the spot and honoring this
insightful and forward-thinking scientist.
In addition to the chance to visit this
little-known Maya "Jewel City", there are many other great Maya sites to explore
and discover on these itineraries; to name just a few:
Yaxchilan: home of ornately carved roof lintels and
panels, this riverside site is amongst the most artistic in the Maya world.
Bonampak: home to a one-of-a kind full-color mural
depicting astronomical, musical and warfare themes in three separate rooms.
Palenque: in addition to having the first Maya tomb and
sarcophagus found within a temple, Palenque is also one of the few places where the entire
dynastic lineage of its kings is visible on crisply carved panels.
In addition to these sites, you can choose to visit the "New
York" of the Maya world, incomparable Tikal, either before or after whichever Piedras
Negras itinerary you prefer, to create a truly comprehensive look at the amazing Maya
civilization.
Dear Les,
Linda, Stan, Miriam and I want to thank you for the
superb trip
you put together and led for us. The arrangements were incredibly
smooth. Whatever and whoever we needed for the next stage was always there
when they were supposed to be. The loyalty and friendship that these
people have for you was very evident. The hotel and tent accommodations
were excellent. We enjoyed Escudo Jaguar and the
banks of the Usumacinta. We also liked the food with its Tabascan flavors,
and especially thank you for the balcony evening
in Palenque.
We were comfortable when we supposed to be and the
river adventure added a lot for us. We admired the pilot of our boat, who
was clearly skilled in handling the river.
Altogether, we were delighted with the trip and amazed
at your ability to set up and coordinate everything so perfectly.
Best regards, and our most sincere appreciation,
Al, Miriam, Linda and Stan
from Los Angeles (talking about our "Piedras Negras--and beyond" itinerary)
To request more
information about this great trip, please send us an email
(Click
here to learn more about sites we will be visiting)
We are extremely proud to offer a great itinerary focusing on Piedras
Negras in 2004 (dates to be determined):
Piedras Negras
(with Tikal or departure through Mexico City/Merida options available). On
this itinerary we travel straight to Piedras Negras via motorized launch in order to have
more time at PN and also visit Yaxchilan, Palenque and Bonampak.
Get ready for a great trip of exploration!
Exploring lost Maya cities in
Guatemala:
Piedras Negras--and beyond
Detailed
Itinerary
(Optional Tikal visit available)
Day 1 ARRIVE GUATEMALA CITY
Pick-up at Airport and transfer to Hotel. Dinner and overnight at Hotel Santa Clara.
(D)
Day 2 GUATEMALA CITY / FLORES / BETHEL RIO USUMACINTA
This morning we transfer to the airport to board a 6:00 a.m. flight
to Flores, Petén. Breakfast on board plane. We then transfer
overland in our bus for the 4 hour ride to the ecological camp at the
Bethel community, Posada Maya.
The Posada Maya
This is a cooperative that is working on sustainable development projects,
sponsored by Conservation International. We will clear through Guatemalan
immigration formalities. Dinner and camp at the ecological lodge. (BLD)
Note: Once we have left the Bethel area no telephones are available
for communication to the USA. Communitario telephone is available at Bethel.
Day 3 BETHEL / PIEDRAS NEGRAS
After breakfast and orientation board special motor boats for a full
day on the river. (water level permitting we will detour to see the
etched out carvings at Planchón de Las Figuras. These etchings are
large figures of various sizes depicting pyramids, human, animals and game boards on a
large flat rock shore that is underwater at higher river levels.)
Our intrepid guide at a PN tomb
Camp and dinner at the entrance to the site of Piedras Negras. Short
hike into the jungle for exploration of this extensive site hidden under the canopy of the
dense rainforest. We will then be treated to a presentation by our tour
guide preparing us for the next day of exploration and discovery revealing a glimpse into
the life of the ancient Maya. (BLD)
Camping on the shores of the Usumacinta
Day 4 PIEDRAS NEGRAS - CAMP
Today we will spend all day exploring the site. The tour leaders
will show us the vast information that Piedras Negras has to offer.
Lunch within the site under the cooler forest canopy.
The PN emblem glyph at the entrance
Return to camp close to the beach at entrance to the ruins and enjoy a
refreshing swim in the waters of the Usumacinta. Camp and exchange ideas over a
scrumptious dinner prepared specifically for our group and team members. (BLD)
Day 5 PIEDRAS NEGRAS / YAXCHILAN
Early breakfast for upstream travel to the town of Frontera Corozal.
(We have special boats with Petenero motors who travel the upstream route regularly)
Lunch en route. Arrive at the site of Yaxchilan
all afternoon for exploring the extensive ruins and the many
finely-carved stelae of this well preserved and important site.
While dinner is prepared, take time to relax and enjoy a refreshing
swim. Dinner and overnight at riverside camp site. (BLD)
Day 6 YAXCHILAN / BONAMPAK / PALENQUE
After breakfast, board cayuco for arrival to Frontera Corozal. Pass
through Mexican immigration and entering formally into Mexico.
($15.00 tourist visa) Board bus for 2 hour ride to the site of
Bonampak. Enjoy the finely painted murals depicting the gruesome
torturing and bloodletting rituals performed by the Maya. Arrive in
Palenque at approximately 6:30 pm. Overnight in Palenque
Day 7 PALENQUE
All day to discover the spectacular ruins of Palenque. All morning
to explore the great palaces and temples and tomb of this famed site.
Lunch and afternoon for visiting the modern museum. (BLD)
Day 8 PALENQUE / FLORES / GUATEMALA
Breakfast. Overland transfer to Frontera Corozal where we board our
motorboat for short trip to Bethel. Transfer to our bus for arrival
to Flores by 4:00 pm. Board later afternoon flight to Guatemala City.
(BLD)
Day 9 DEPART
Transfer to airport for departing flights. (B)
(INTERNATIONAL OPTION)
Day 8 PALENQUE / VILLA HERMOSA / MEXICO CITY or MERIDA / DEPART
5:00 am departure for Villahermosa airport for connecting flights to the U.S.A.
Piedras Negras Standard Trip price includes:
All domestic air land and river transportation,
all hotel accommodations (based on DBL. occupancy),
all meals as described in itinerary,
all river and community camping equipment, including
tents and deluxe ridge rest sleeping pads (for those who prefer even
more comfort we suggest you bring an air mattress such as a
Thermarest camp pad),
all park and archeological site entrance fees,
the services of U.S. trained professional river guides and other support
personnel.
Trip price does not include:
Alcoholic and soda beverages,
personal clothing and equipment,
all personal expenses,
extras in hotels,
tips to guides, drivers and hotel personnel.
Each person should bring a light sleeping bag or blanket. (Available
for rent.) You sleep in two-person tents, for which a demonstration
of the short and easy set-up will be given to each member of the
excursion. Our food is plentiful and excellent tasting, many clients
have described it as "Wilderness gourmet".
Piedras Negras Standard trip prices (per person):
Total number of travelers in group:
3-4: $1,875 (prices also available for smaller
groups; please enquire)
5-7: $1,525
8-9: $1,275
10: $1,225
11-12: $1,125
single supplement $184
Leaving from Mexico instead of Guatemala
additional $175.00
includes
airfare Villahermosa a Mexico DF
transportation Palenque a Villahermosa
Breakfast
Does not include
Immigration fees ($15.00 in Mexico $2-5.00 in Guatemala)
personal expenses
tips
Tikal option
(available
before or after PN itinerary)
Includes all meals, Tikal guided tour, Tikal Museum entrance, overnight lodging in
the park, all transfers and flights to/from Guatemala City
Total number of travelers in group
3-4: $205
5-7: $200
8-9: $190
10: $185
11-12: $180
single supplement $27
Additional information about archaeological sites to be visited
PIEDRAS NEGRAS
What we know of Piedras Negras is more tantalizing than satisfying.
Many of the ceramics from the early excavations were lost or their
provenience (find-spots) garbled. Of forty or more test pits made in
the 1930s, only a handful possess any surviving records.
Many of the ceramics from the early excavations consisted of
clearance, sometimes unsupervised by archaeologist, of walls and platforms edges around
buildings... virtual nothing is known about the more modest settlement at the site.
We do not know how the population supported itself, much less how the landscape
around the site was used.
The origins of the site, represented by early temples and
hieroglyphic
texts are as murky as our understandings of how and why Piedras
Negras developed through time. The discovery of substantial burning
and violent destruction of monuments in the Palace at Piedras Negras
raises important questions about the nature of the Maya collapse.
Unfortunately, the information collected by the University
Museum in
the 1930's does not allow us to understand clearly what happened at
the time. After one year of renewed excavations, the results from the 1997 test digs
raises more questions as to the social structure of the
inhabitants of Piedras Negras. 1998 season brought studies of the
West Group Plaza and the surrounding outlying area. The 1999 season
located a mixed cemetery where evidence of a Sahal (noble vassal)
burial was found. This lends credence to the change in political
structure during the late classic period.
The rediscovery of the largest known cenote of Mesoamerica at
Piedras Negras, although now dry, leads credence to why Yokib, a large opening, was chosen
for the emblem glyph of this large city-state. Reconstruction of various buildings
continues.
YAXCHILAN
This formidable defensive sight is located in the "island" formed by
the Usumacinta river bending in a horseshoe configuration. It was
rediscovered by following the Lacandon Indians who made pilgrimages
to its ritual center. Yaxchilan stelae date from 450-800 ad. and
show a great variety of format and subject matter.
According to Carolyn E. Tate, "The Maya... conceived the
imagery of each monument in relation to meanings woven by symbols.. it was clear that
cultural ideals and community identity were being forged through art. The city
[Yaxchilan] itself was the work of art, not one which was
passively admired, but one whose creation attracted ideal order into
the lives of its inhabitants"
PALENQUE
Located at the edge of the mountainous region of the Lacandon Forest
and the dry lowland of the Yucatan Peninsula, Palenque formed an
ideal location for trade. The site is noted for the unusual
hierarchy of two women rulers.
The second longest inscription in the Maya World is located at
Palenque within the first temple discovered to be built specifically to house the deceased
ruler, Pacal. All of this elaborate ritual justified his right to rule as he was a
descendent from a women ruler in the normal patriarchal system.
The current Palenque project has unearthed an elaborate tomb
with a
painted mural in Temple XX. The carved and painted throne, bearing
an extensive hieroglyphic text, was found in Temple XIX. Both of
these structures are located in the Cross Group complex.
The ruler depicted on the throne was King Akhal Mo'Nab III (also
known as Chaacal II), who ruled from AD 721-731. Temple XIX also
yielded an 11 foot carved panel with a sculptured image of Akhal
Mo'Nab III, shown with a second royal personage who kneels behind him and holds his hand.
BONAMPAK
The murals of Bonampak are vibrant with the colors used by the Maya
in their art. There are three rooms which graphically show scenes of
celebration, battle, and sacrifice. The scenes of pomp, warfare
and intimacy helped Mayanists shape an image of the true life the Maya
elite led. Now it is possible to drive to the site on our way to
Palenque after visiting Piedras Negras or Yaxchilan.
PLANCHÓN DE LAS FIGURAS
A long obscure Maya site, Planchón de las Figuras is only visible
during the low water months of March through early June. It is a
large rock beach where nearly 70 eroded carvings depicting animals,
humans, mysterious spiral and large temples pyramids, similar to
those of Tikal. These carvings etched out of the stone have survived
the centuries even though they are covered by the waters of the
Lacantun river for nearly 9 months out of the year. Perhaps they are
the graffiti of Maya traders who traveled this route between Altar
de Sacrificios and Yaxchilan.
ALTAR DE LOS SACRIFICIOS
At the time of its excavation this site revealed extraordinary
burials with various ceramic plates covering the heads of the
deceased in what seems a form of ritual protection. All have been
removed or reburied. The site has been abandoned and actually
farmed. The stelae and altars we see are of a unique sandstone
unlike the limestone of other sites. The last excavation left
various open test digs which enables us to examine the typical
"fill" style of the Maya as many broken chards and obsidian flakes
protrude from the now rain eroded walls.
TIKAL (available before or after PN trip):
The massive ruins of TIKAL are concentrated at the center of the
TIKAL NATIONAL PARK. (222 square miles). The park is full of trails
that lead to all the major archaeological groups like the Great
Plaza, Temple 1 (Temple of the great Jaguar), Temple 2,3 and 4, The
Lost World, and Inscriptions Temple.
The richness of the forest in the area of TIKAL ranges from
huge trees with heights of up to 150 feet to a great variety of low and high ferns.
Regarding bird watching, some two hundred and eighty-five species of birds have been
recorded in TIKAL. Please ask us about bird watching trips to Tikal, the Petexbatun
area and Rio Azul, by top guides working on site at these Natural and archaeological
reserves.
To request more
information about this great trip, please send us an email
Copper
Canyon Adventures
