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Take a boat ride from Sayaxche down the Pasion River
to the ruins of Ceibal. The ride in a flat-bottomed launch is part of the
fun (takes about an hour). The wide green smooth-flowing Pasion River is
flanked by dense trees, covered with vines in fantastic shapes. Turtles
and crocodiles live in the river – you might see a small "croc"
slip off a log into the water. Flowering plants and birds abound –
cormorants, blue herons, parrots, vultures, eagles, kingfishers. Thatched houses dot the river banks and
local people fish from canoes. |
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From the river, you walk up a rocky trail to the ruins, about
20 minutes. Here the jungle is just magical – iridescent blue butterflies
in the air, termite houses on the ground, piercing sounds of birds and monkeys.
It's hard to imagine that this was once a busy city; our own voices seemed
to break the silence for the first time. |
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Only a small portion of Ceibal has been excavated and restored
– an astronomical observatory, a small ball court, and the Grand Plaza.
At the caretaker's house and road entrance to the ruins, check out the model
of what Ceibal looked like in the 9th century. As you walk through the jungle,
you'll see rocks poking up through forest plants and trees; these are ruins waiting to be restored. |
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In the Grand Plaza, the four-sided pyramid is low and compact,
and the stelae are stellar. Look for King Ah-Bolon-Abta Wat'ul-Chatel decked out in ceremonial
regalia, wearing a big elaborate feather headdresses and mosaic mask, or
a jade collar and belt, plus jaguar tail, or a heron wig with flames sprouting
out the back, jaguar mittens and socks, a shell beard and Sun God shield. |
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Ask your guide to take you on a longer trail to an unrestored residence – two bedrooms and a patio. The original stonework has lasted all these centuries. In the center of the patio is a young ceiba tree (sacred to the Maya). |
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A trip to Ceibal is a journey to a lost civilization, where there's no
avenue of souvenir shops, no cold drinks, no theme park adaptations, only
the rain forest and an amazing culture that left these ruins.
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Tip: If you're doing Ceibal as a day trip from Flores,
get an early start to beat the heat and other tourists. Also, be sure to bring mosquito repellent, and slather it on, the mosquitos can be thick. |
