Quirigua and Rio Dulce, Guatemala
If it is Wednesday, it must be Guatemala! Yes, our journey through the Reefs and Rivers of the Mayan World, stopped in Guatemala today, our entrance heralded by a local band of musicians. We disembarked in Puerto San Tomas, and boarded buses headed inland to one of the best-kept secrets of the Mayan world, Quirigua.
We drove through verdant rolling countryside, most of us very pleasantly surprised to find that Guatemala is a scenically stunning country, and all too quickly the one and a half hour journey was over. We had several hours to wander around the main plaza, clamber over some of the partially restored temples, enjoy the birds calling and flying all around us, but most significantly we had time to marvel at the intricate, massive stelae. Yes, Quirigua may not be a widely known Maya site, but among those in the know, it is famed for these stelae. Nowhere else on earth have such massive stelae ever been found. Quirigua although small in size, was briefly, oh so briefly, one of the most important Maya cities, and during this brief moment in the spotlight, many large stelae were carved, some well over 25 feet tall!
Today these stelae bear silent witness to the passing of an advanced, literate society, that somehow disappeared, and is today still so poorly understood. The carvings on the front, back and sides of each stelae telling so much, and yet we still understand so little. We have modern-day interpretations, but they are no more than that!
In the afternoon we repositioned the ship to the mouth of the Rio Dulce, and were able to enjoy a memorable cruise through the dramatic, forest-fringed gorge. So much to see, our time so short, and Guatemala seems to beckon us with so much more, but the day is over and we head for Honduras.
If it is Wednesday, it must be Guatemala! Yes, our journey through the Reefs and Rivers of the Mayan World, stopped in Guatemala today, our entrance heralded by a local band of musicians. We disembarked in Puerto San Tomas, and boarded buses headed inland to one of the best-kept secrets of the Mayan world, Quirigua.
We drove through verdant rolling countryside, most of us very pleasantly surprised to find that Guatemala is a scenically stunning country, and all too quickly the one and a half hour journey was over. We had several hours to wander around the main plaza, clamber over some of the partially restored temples, enjoy the birds calling and flying all around us, but most significantly we had time to marvel at the intricate, massive stelae. Yes, Quirigua may not be a widely known Maya site, but among those in the know, it is famed for these stelae. Nowhere else on earth have such massive stelae ever been found. Quirigua although small in size, was briefly, oh so briefly, one of the most important Maya cities, and during this brief moment in the spotlight, many large stelae were carved, some well over 25 feet tall!
Today these stelae bear silent witness to the passing of an advanced, literate society, that somehow disappeared, and is today still so poorly understood. The carvings on the front, back and sides of each stelae telling so much, and yet we still understand so little. We have modern-day interpretations, but they are no more than that!
In the afternoon we repositioned the ship to the mouth of the Rio Dulce, and were able to enjoy a memorable cruise through the dramatic, forest-fringed gorge. So much to see, our time so short, and Guatemala seems to beckon us with so much more, but the day is over and we head for Honduras.
