After we left Bonampak it was another 45 minute ride to Frontera Corozal, on the Usumacinta River (largest in the Maya area) for a ride in launches up to Yaxchilan. The forest became taller as we moved from milpa to selva, and took on an emerald green colour. Often in the cultivated fields, where we could see Maize fields (milpas) and banana trees, there would be a lone ceiba tree left in the field perhaps to shade animals. The ceibas are the tallest trees in the rain forest and have long been considered the pillars of the world by the Maya. Along the way we also saw blue herons flying across the river.
As we reached Yaxchilan, Jennifer noticed the domical stone mound in the river known popularly as the Yaxchilan pier. She told me she could see the Yaxchilan mound but I though she meant an overgrown pyramid and searched the bank for what I thought she saw. It was a tense misunderstanding for a while.
At Yaxchilan, the staff wanted to cut our time to two hours, which would be unbelievable for a site that size, and this meant subtracting mealtime as well since food couldn't be taken into the site. So we compromised at 2 1/2 hours and the students wolfed down their lunch so we could get started, leaving us two hours in the site.
We went first into the so-called labyrinth, a late eighth century multi-room palatial residence on two levels, connected by interior stairways. It is the largest known residence at Yaxchilan and its full extent is unknown as there has been quite a bit of destruction. Still there was much to see, or would have been if we had had more flashlights: the rooms and corridors are pitch black. Next to this structure (19) is a sweat bath, the only one yet known for Yaxchilan.
We then went to the ball court where students were finally able to confirm what had been said in class, that it was too small for any kind of real game and thus likely used for ritual performance.
We then looked at stela sculptures in two adjoining plazas and climbed to the second tier to look at the row of temples associated with Yaxchilan's royal women. We looked at the lintels of structure 20 that show the birth of a ruler and of a woman who may have been his wife. We saw the miniature stela in structure 21 that shows a ruler's mother performing bloodletting through her tongue.
We then climbed to Structure 33, the best preserved and most imposing structure at Yaxchilan. It features a stalactite stela at the top of the stairway that climbs the hillside. Also, 13 reliefs on the top of the staircase, 11 of which show leaders of Yaxchilan playing the ball game in the guise of various deities, including the ruler, his father and his grandfather. The other two show the ruler's mother and grandmother. We also discussed the lintels that show the ruler with his wife, son, and a subordinate ally, and looked at the facade decorations, as well as the over life-sized statue now placed in the central alcove of the building. This sculpture used to sit outside the building where it was venerated by Lacandon people from the settlement of Lacanja. The head has broken off this sculpture, and one report says that the Lacandon believed that if ¨Hachakyum¨put his head back on it would end the world.
We then climbed to the tallest acropolis at Yaxchilan (though not the steepest) which supports a trio of structures. The central structure of this trio, 40, had a trio of stelae in front honouring a ruler´s inauguration. This stela, number 11, was the only stela found standing at Yaxchilan and thus the only stela with carving preserved on both sides. But the stela was removed from its position in order to be taken to the national museum in Mexico City for its opening in 1965. The stela never made it to Mexico City. It was returned to Yaxchilan in that year and left lying in the plaza, so that now only one side can be seen.
We then went to what is called the small acropolis, coming in the back way rather than climbing from the plaza, which is the steepest climb at the site. The small acropolis is in the arrangement of an enclosed plazuela with the entrance structure facing the dominant residence. There is also a lower court with more perishable structures. Next to the entrance structure is structure 44 which originally had 3 carved lintels and 6 carved steps, but the steps have been removed.
We returned to the launch site exactly on the dot of when we were expected, piled into the launches, and set off again down the river. I was in the first boat, which was treated to the sight of several crocodiles coming down the banks and jumping into the water. We also saw anhingas (snake bird) drying their wings, perched on trees growing from an island in the river. Another boat instead ended up watching an iguana hunt.
The rest of the day was uneventful, except that one of our drivers, Gabriel, took some students for dinner, music and dancing at Pan Chan. Apparently he declined to dance.
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