MEXICO-CHAPTER
4
PERSONAL TIPS: Chiapas is the best
place I’ ve seen in Mexico. It’ s so various and interesting from a natural,
human, cultural, social and historic point of view that it’ s like a country
itself. Visit It!
SAN CRISTOBAL
DE LAS CASAS
Scc is a characteristically indigenous
Chiapaneca town nestled in the heart of the state's jungle highlands, at
a 7.200-foot elevation. Currently the only way to reach Scc is by car from
Tuxtla Gutierrez, but an airport will be opened soon. The main sight in
this beautiful town is the town’ s unconventional 17th century Cathedral,
standing adjacent to the main plaza. It is a festive mixture of spanish
baroque and naïf indigenous art, a compromise between Spanish colonial
aestethic and the native one. By contrast, the 17th Century Church and
convent of Santo Domingo, near the municipal market (visit it!), is a gorgeous
example of European baroque architecture.
It is the Cathedral, however, that best symbolizes San Cristóbal,
where unlike many other parts of the country, the indigenous presence is
overwhelming. As a market town, Scc draws Indians from surrounding areas
who come to sell their hand-woven goods and earthenware, the most prominent
groups being the Chamulas. On most days, the ground around Santo Domingo
are turned into an outdoor market where Chamula women display stacks of
fine loomed fabrics, from richly embroidered cotton tablecloths and pillowcases
to thick woolen sweaters. The town of San Juan Chamula is just eight miles
north of Scc, and the main attraction is its church where the Chamula practice
an intriguing blend of Christianity and paganism.
PERSONAL TIPS: San Cristobal is
simply the best town in Mexico, DON'T MISS IT! The best thing to do is
just walk around, but also having handicraft shopping and visiting the
market are unforgettable experiences. Don’ t miss San Juan Chamula, with
its church.
SUMIDERO
CANYON:
The national Sumidero Park is wedged
between two different geographic regions of Chiapas state, at one end of
the central hollow and where the Central Altiplano begins. The park’ s
21788 hectares fall within the boroughs of Tuxtla Gutierrez and Chiapa
de Corzo. The Sumidero Canyon, 36 million years old, is the product of
a tectonic fault that causes cracking in the Earth's crust in its weaker
areas. The earthquakes, vibrations and tremors that provoked this fault,
left behind the uneven layers in the terrestrial crust that are a singular
feature of the canyon.
At the bottom of this approximately
20 Km long geological cleft, the river Grijalva squeezes its way between
walls of sheer rock that rormerly soared to a height of 1000 m, although
after the water level was raised, that height diminished by 350 m. The
river tour (suggested) is very interesting for Flora and Fauna, too, with
the most interesting animal species being pelicans, monkeys, toucans, bats,
squirrels, mountain lions, deers and ... crocodiles.
PALENQUE:
Surrounded by emerald jungle, Palenque's
setting is superb and its Mayan architecture and decoration are exquisite.
Evidence from pottery fragments indicates that the site was first occupied
more than 1500 years ago, flourishing from 600 to 800 AD when many plazas
and buildings were constructed, including the elaborate Temple of Inscriptions
pyramid crypt. The best time to visit this sweltering, breezeless complex
is in the early morning when a humid haze rises and wraps the ancient temples
in a mysterious mist. Only 34 of almost 500 extant buildings have been
excavated, and all were built without metal tools, pack animals or the
wheel. The new town, where most hotels and restaurants are clustered,
is about 7km from the archaeological zone and shuttle buses trundle the
route every 15 minutes. Palenque is easily accessible by bus, depending
on the state of military play in Chiapas. There is a bus and ferry connection
from Guatemala's Tikal via the border town of La Palma, linking two of
Central America's most impressive Mayan sites. Military activity on both
sides of the border can make this a hairy trip.
Palenque is at about 114 kilometers
of Villahermosa, Tabasco; to 211 km. from San Cristóbal de las Casas,
or one could arrive in small airplanes of helix from Tuxtla Gutiérrez.
The ruins of Palenque are at about 8 kms. from the town of Palenque , one
can arrive to them in taxi or collective services.
The places to visit in the ruins
of Palenque they are:
-The Crypt Mortuary of the Temple
of the inscriptions.
-The Palace: this building was
built during the years of 615 to 764 a.C. This compound for four patios
and five buildings, highlighting the construction of the tower in
their superior part in peculiar form.
-The game of ball: it is a court
where the mayas practiced the sport of the game of the ball. The game consisted
of passing a ball of solid rubber through a small hoop placed to about
3 meters high. For this two teams faced and the rules allowed to move the
only the ball with the elbows, the knees and the hips.
Temple of Inscriptions is perhaps
the most interesting pyramid at Palenque. Besides being the tallest, it
also housed the crypt of Pa Kal, a powerful Mayan priest, discovered in
1952. The crypt had been untouched for a millennium. Archeologists took
out many fine objects which have been carted away to other museums for
display and study. The most famous piece, Pa Kal's jade mosaic death mask,
has been stolen from the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.
But visitors to Palenque can still admire the structure with its especially
fine stucco reliefs. And the non superstitious and the Indiana Jones wanna-bes
can explore subterranean passages, and get a sense of the hidden power
and mystery of Palenque. The Temple of the Sun dates from 642. It
has one of the best preserved roof combs of any Mayan sites. Roof combs
were richly decorated false fronts that added to the grandeur of Mayan
buildings. Airy and comparatively delicate, they generally haven't survived
the years of abandonment and jungle growth as well as the stouter pyramids.
In their time, the roof combs were colorfully painted, and still serve
as an inspiration for much contemporary Mexican art and architecture.
The Temple of the Jaguar is perhaps
the most intriguing example of similarities to Asiatic art. The temple
displays a Foliate
Ever the beautiful eccentric, unlike
most Mayan cities that depended on cenotes, Palenque is actually near a
dependable water source, the Otulum River, and a number of smaller rivulets
cross the site. The Mayans constructed an aqueduct to carry water from
the river to the city.
Visiting hours.
The schedules of visit of the ruins
are of 8 to 17 hrs.
The schedule of visit to the Tomb
is of 10 to 16 hrs.
The visits to the museum of 10
to 17 hrs.
Entrance price.
Depending on the type of change,
the entrance could cost between 1 and 2 dollars.
PERSONAL TIPS: Palenque is unique.
You mustn’ t miss this place, as here you’ ll find something that can’
t be found elsewhere in Mexico. Its beautiful ruins (The Palace WOW) are
very original and, moreover, surrounded by the beautiful tropical forest.
I highly recommend you to have a walk in the jungle researching one of
those hundreds of hidden monuments.
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