The two Mayan sites of Bonampak and Yaxchilan are relatively close to each other (as a parrot flies at least), both being hidden in the jungle close to another part of the Guatemalan border. The journey to both was fascinating and made for one of the best tours in this part of the world.
There was a fairly high military presence, partly because of its proximitywith the border (the two countries are only separated by the Usumacinta River here), and partly because the whole of Chiapas was a politically sensitive area at this time. Bonampak was impressive enough and although it lacks the scale and the atmosphere of Yaxchilan, it's Templo de Pinturas (temple of paintings) is worth the trip on its own.
The site of Yaxchilan can still only be reached by river, and so I enjoyed a lengthy ride up the fascinating Usumacinta River with Mexico on my left and Guatemala on my right. As the boat pulls into shore, to the call of
Howler monkeys, Yaxchilan reveals itself. The Site's heyday was around the year 800 when it was ruled by Bird Jaguar. So I arrived too late again, and like most Mayan cities it declined. By 900 it was abandoned. The photos below depict some of the things that I saw.
