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Adam's Belize Journal- Fall 2005
Saturday, December 3, 2005 - Caracol
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Today we visited Caracol, which is a Mayan
ruins site. It is located in a mountain range and fairly deep in the
rain forest which made for a very long drive on dirt roads. This day was
very worth any trip to get there though. We were lucky enough to
experience this location with a very small group of people. It was just
Al, myself, Andy (who owns the lodge we are staying at), Maya (a woman
staying at the lodge with us), Gonzo (our guide), and a husband and wife
visiting from Belgium. Even better- we were the only group of people
visiting Caracol for the day- so we really had the place to ourselves.
When we arrived at the entrance to Caracol, Gonzo gave us a bit of
background on the site- we realized quickly that we couldn't have asked
for a better guide since Gonzo spent several years volunteering his
services to help excavate the site, find, and preserve relics. We headed
out on the rainforest trails leading to the pyramids and structures of
the site. Along the way we passed two ceiba trees with beautiful,
flowing roots. |
| After hiking on the one trail
for a while our guide said we would take a different path. He said that
normally we would go straight but that we would take this side trail
because it was the actual causeway that would have been used by the
ancient Maya to enter Caracol. He said he wanted us to enter and
experience the sight as it would have been originally.
There were several land spirits that I felt on the way in. This area
seemed much more "divided" than other areas we've visited so
far. As we progressed from one area to the next it felt almost like a
changing of the guard- there were different land spirits in each
different area. All of them were gracious and welcomed our presence. You
couldn't help but feel that you were a welcomed guest in this area. I
think the anticipation kept building for all of us as to what the ruins
would look like in real life. Every corner we turned I kept waiting to
see my first sight of them.
Finally we rounded a last corner
and viewed the first pyramid. It really was incredible to see- in fact,
now that I think of it, it was the first pyramid I have even seen with
my own eyes. The trees parted and this huge, white stone, structure
could be seen rising up on the far side of a lush green field of grass.
Just as I was taking in this first sight I noticed something
fluttering in the air high above in the tree tops. I watched it and
though "what the heck is that". It was small, it looked like a
leaf falling, but I was captivated by it for some reason. I held out the
palm of my hand and it just fluttered down and landed in the center of
my palm. As I looked at it I realized it was a single, red and black,
butterfly wing. I saw the wing as a gift or a synchronicity from Spirit
and held on to it until later.
We spent the afternoon exploring the sight. We climbed the pyramid-
which was more challenging than I initially thought. The view from the
top of the pyramid was amazing, you really did feel "closer to the
heavens". It was at the top of the pyramid that I knew to release
the butterfly wing I was gifted with- I stretched out my hand and blew
the wing into the wind to be carried off back into the rain forest
below. |
Two Ceiba Trees Along the Trail
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The Causeway Trail to Caracol
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Our first view of the pyramid as we emerged from the forest
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A butterfly wing I was gifted with
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Al in front of a sculpture depicting "The House of Bats"
which was a place of trials in the Mayan underworld
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A pyramid structure that has not been excavated. All the structures
in Caracol once looked like this |
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A view of the entire pyramid- taken in black and white
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| On our way down the pyramid we were able to witness a show
of killer bees that swarmed in a cloud overhead before flying off to the
forest. When your guide says "DON'T MOVE!" and you here
tremendous buzzing- you really listen.
The entire day was really incredible. You really knew that every step
that you took was on sacred ground. That you were walking on land that
was lived on and worshipped by a culture that existed for much longer
than our own. Think of this- the Mayan culture began to flourish in
1000BC- Caracol has a recorded history lasting until 859AD. That's over
1800 years. Contrast that to the idea that Columbus stumbled on America
only a little more than 500 years ago. The people that lived in the
Caracol area had a very long and intimate relationship with their land.
All in all it really was a spectacular day giving time for adventure,
reflection, connecting to a vibrant land, and simply witnessing an
ancient part of our own human race. |
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