Pyramid wonders in Mexico and Guatemala:
Are there any unexplored treasures buried under the pyramids?
Wonders of the worlds, but would all the ritual secrets behind them ever be revealed?
Is it truth that if the Spanish conquerors did not intrude their site, they would extinction themselves due to human sacrifice?
Why did the Indians vanish from these sites?
Where can you experience ancient Indian cities as the first explorers in the past experienced them?
Tikal is a mysterious place that takes your breath and gives you extra heart punch. It is beautiful by day, and magical by both sunset and sunrise. And even more: you can experience the soft rustle of leaves blown by the wind, sharp sunlight and aromatic smells of the jungle mixed with presence of snakes and other wild animals. Tikal is also full of unexcavated mounds, underground passages, gives echoes of the past and boundless beauty of nature.
Remnants of Tikal reveal the culture of this great ancient city, with an estimated population of 100,000. Testaments of the Mayans life are found over a small area in the middle of the jungle in Guatemala. Ball-courts, wooden lintels, unique calendars, and glyphic writings, gave me a strong impression about how life was in a society that ended for over 1,000 years ago. One of the most important finds in Tikal is an enormous mask of the Maya rain god Chaac. The mask, which dates back to 50 BC, was excavated from the North Acropolis. Excavations there have also revealed several structures built one on top of another.
The pyramids in Tikal, Guatemala. Tikal is divided into archaeological complexes, including temples, palaces, residences, observatories, steam baths and sacrificial altars. Exploring these aspects of Mayan life gave me an even greater understanding of this once great civilization. To achieve better understanding, we had to climb the pyramids all the way to the top.
Pyramids are wonderful view points. Tikal lasted from the third century AD until the tenth. It is strange to think about that the fantastic architects and builders of these wonders suddenly disappeared. They where never heard from again. The mystery is still unsolved. What happened, and where did they go? No one knows exactly, but several theories have been launched. As soon the pyramids here were abandoned, the Mother Nature took over, and the wonders were overgrown by the wild jungle. After an incredible time on the top, I felt the extreme heat. The sun made me feel like a boiled egg, and it was time to find the steep way down where it was cooler.
Football in the past
I am sure that the Indians had many secret rituals in the past. One of them was the ball game played by kicking the ball. This ritual was in the Mayan society related to sacrificing. Also on this time football was popular, but they played with quite different rules than today. Instead of rewarding the winners with a big gold cup (trophy) and a bunch of money, they sacrificed them. Believe it or not; at this time it was an honour to be sacrificed.
After I have seen most of the pyramids in the area, I met some Indians who invited me to play football with them. Since I am very interested in football I accepted the invitation and join them for a while. Curios Indians flocked around to watch the match. After a while some of them started to shout; give Gringo the ball. For once I decided to let them win. They achieved their honour, but the most important: I kept my life.
Pyramids today
Today the pyramids are so crowded with people and well preserved that they lack atmosphere. To get a unique feeling of experience you have to find some more isolated pyramids. Even Palenque, farther south in the humid rainforest of the state of Chiapas, though one of the great Mayan sites, has somewhat lost the air of mystery it had for traveller in the 70`s and 80`s.
To experience pyramids as the first explorers did for many centuries experienced is not possible. The closest you get these wonders comparable to those of ancient Egypt, lost in the rainforest, you need to take off from Palenque down the valley of the Usumacinta River which divides Mexico from Guatemala, to Yaxchilán and Bonampak. You can fly if you have the money and the stomach, in a light five-seater, single-propeller plane that skims the tops of the hills and lands on a grass airstrip by the river. Or you can go by road and boat. It is much quicker since the road has been improved.
Touched by the magic power
Sometimes strong adventures give you a new view of the life. Pyramids create bizarre state of mind where you lose and find yourself. Do the pyramids have secret powers? The history shows that it has been communication between people from different continents, but it also shows that people on different places have developed civilisations independent of each other, for example growing of soil, seeding of crops, medical treatment (ex. use of plants as medicine), transport (boats) and as mentioned; pyramids. It shows also that people on different places have different qualities. All people on the earth are important and are useful in their contribution. Seen in this light; Darwin's controversial theory about that one race is better than other is definitely not valid.
Watching pyramids is like travelling back in the past. For a moment you can obtain a unique feeling of being part of something big, but it is not easy to find the right moment. Most places you will meet tourists. Sooner or later tourists find their way to the few last unexplored places. You have no reason to wait for an unique adventure. Just go ahead, make your day! See the apocalypses in the jungle.
Stein Morten Lund, 30 October 2001
Additional information
We will follow up this article with more travel tales and information about pyramids.
Read more about exciting destinations on our website.
Formal country name: Republic of Guatemala
Area: 109,000 sq km
Population: 11.7 million
People: 56% mestizo/ladino descent, 44% Mayan descent
Language: Spanish; Castilian
Religion: Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Mayan-Catholic fusion
Government: constitutional democratic republic
Guatemala is the Mayan heartland of Central America.
Read more about the Mayan culture on our website.
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