Maya trip

Maya trip, July 2003

Here's a selection of photos from Sammy's digital camera...click on each to see a larger-sized image. We left mid-July from Oaxaca city with our friend Martha Rees in her truck, heading north on the good roads up and into Veracruz state, where we headed east more or less along the coast, stopping at significant archaeological sites along the way. First stop was La Venta, an early site on the coastal plain in Tabasco, and then southeast into the mountains of Chiapas to visit the amazing Palenque. A river trip up the Usumacinta (the border between Mexico and Guatemala) is required to get to Yaxchilán, and Calakmul is 60 km south down a dead-end road through a jungle filled with birds and animals. From there, we drove to the coast, and set up shop beachside at Akumal, and embarked on day-trips to smaller and larger sites--when we weren't snorkeling and enjoying some hammock-time.

Hotel Fortín de las Flores, Sammy and Martha	Hotel Fortín de las Flores, poolside planning	map of Mesoamerica, Parque La Venta museum
Orizaba in Fortín's early morning light	La Venta head in front of visitor's center	La Venta, John atop big mound
La Venta, Sammy and Ballplayer	false bird-of-paradise?, Parque La Venta	modern Maya house
Palenque, Palacio, backlit	Palenque, Palacio tower and interior structure	Palenque, Palacio sculptural detail, middle
Palenque, La Regadera, Sammy and Martha	Yaxchilán, Edificio 19, El Labarinto, front/plaza side	Yaxchilán, Edificio 33, celebrates enthronement of Bird Jaguar IV, rear
Yaxchilán, Edificio 39, 40, 41, SE core CCA, far upslope from river Complex built at beginning of Bird Jaguar IV's reign.	Yaxchilán lancha trip (return), Patrick and David (GB), Río Usumacinta	Calakmul, 1-room side building of 3-building plaza complex (no #)
Calakmul, excavations underway	Calakmul, Stela 43, on Structure II low down	Calakmul, Structure II, view across site
Chichén Itzá, El Caracol, panorama	Chichén Itzá, El Castillo	Chichén Itzá, South Temple, Ballcourt
Chichén Itzá, John and SW corner frieze, ballcourt	John at Cobá	waterspouts, Akumal
condo, Akumal	Sammy preparing to snorkel, Akumal	Akumal, view from our condo