Date: December 21, 2012
Time: 11:50 am CST (Maya Standard Time)
Current Location: Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico
Weather: Rainy and humid with temperatures in the low-70's
Mission Objective: Document the last day of the Maya calendar at the ruins of Palenque
It's a short five-mile drive from the city of Palenque to the ruins. I had read online that they open at 8:00 am but due to the rain and the fact that I didn't get to sleep until 4:00 am I'm really not in that much of a hurry. We pass several really cool looking resorts all with a strong Maya theme. I had checked prices online for several of them and they advertise nice rooms in the US$100 - $200 range.
We come to the entrance gate to Palenque National Park. Entrance fee is 27 pesos (about US$2.50). I have never explored the national park but I imagine it is a vast protected area of virgin jungle and rivers. Definitely a must in the near future. Less than a mile later we park off the shoulder of the road about a hundred yards before the entrance to the ruins. The rain continues to fall.
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| Young entrepreneur selling ponchos protects himself from the weather |
Several young boys are offering candies and ponchos for sale. They protect themselves from the rain by holding the huge leaf of elephant ear over their heads. I remember that I actually have a poncho I always keep in my backpack along with other essential items in case things get bad.
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| Visitors in colorful ponchos appear as tiny ceramic figures before the majestic Temple of the Inscriptions |
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| Temple of the Skull |
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| Dani reviewing recently taken photos on his phone |
Dani buys a poncho from one of the kids for 30 pesos (US$2.50). It takes us about 40 minutes to get into the park due to the high number of visitors in line. The rain has decreased to a slight drizzle. Dani takes some pics of the impressive Temple of the Inscriptions with his phone. I am awe-struck by the sight of these ancient structures in the middle of the jungle.
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| View of the Palace from the shelter of a palapa near the Temple of the Inscriptions |
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| Visitors take shelter from the "doomsday" storm |
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| The Temple of the Inscriptions gets hammered by heavy rain |
As we are admiring these magnificent ancient temples the heavens conspire against us and hurl buckets of water down on us mortals once again. We see several people climb the steps between the Temple of the Skull and the Temple of the Inscriptions and take shelter under a
palapa. We do exactly the same and squeeze into the last available space.
After about twenty minutes of watching large puddles form on the lawn I discover some water on my lens. I suggest we go to the Palace across the lawn and look for a place with more room so I can get the lens tissue from inside my backpack.
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| Dani showing courage to the rain gods |
Our shoes already water-logged we trot through puddles across the muddy lawn and climb up the steps of the Palace. I'm pleased to find plenty of room to unload my ruck and tend to my lens. Soon after we arrive the rain stops. About twenty hippies are gathered here as well. One woman asks for the time. Dani tells her that it's 1:10 pm. "One more minute until our group hum!", she announces. (1:11 pm is supposedly the exact time of the end of the Maya calendar, however I found conflicting information about this online and from other people. One website suggested that the end was at 5:11 am. Some people at the ruins said that 5:11 pm is the official "doomsday" end. Any clarification regarding this would be appreciated.)
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| Rainbow gathering at the top of the Palace |
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| Pauly Shore type leading the group in music and song |
This group calls themselves the
Rainbow Family, which is a loosely affiliated group of individuals committed to principles of non-violence and egalitarianism. They have "Rainbow gatherings" all over the world but began in the U.S. in 1970. In Mexico, the locals simply refer to them as hippies, probably spelled
jipis. At exactly 1:11 pm they all join hands, sitting with legs crossed and eyes closed, and begin to hum. Gradually the hum grows with intensity. This continues for several minutes then a type closely resembling MTV's Pauly Shore of the early 90's leads the group in a succession of chants and songs as he plays a musical instrument I have never seen before.
The decibels increase and eventually a park security guard shows up and aggressively orders
Pauly Shore to stop. He reluctantly does quiet down, revealing his disdain for authority. After the security guard leaves they resume the singing at an even higher volume. The humming and singing last for about twenty minutes. Dani and I then escape through a porthole in the wall to explore more of the Palace.
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| The Palace |
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| The observation tower |
The rain has left her mark. A small pond has formed in the courtyard next to the most prominent feature of the Palace, the observation tower. This is a more complex structure with numerous corridors, rooms, and columns. If you imagine the city at the height of its splendor in the 7th century, you can piece together quite an impressive sight. After it's fall in the twelfth century, the creeping jungle swallowed it up until excavations were begun in 1949. They say that only about 10% of the city has been uncovered. The rest of the structures remain under the jungle.
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| Temple of the Foliated Cross tucked into the jungle |
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| Temple of the Sun |
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| "Rainbow" hum at the top of the Temple of the Sun |
Looking southeast from the Palace is perhaps my favorite view of Palenque. The Temples of the Cross group lies tucked into the jungle of tall lush tropical rainforest that seems eager to press forward and consume the stone buildings. Here you can walk up the steps of three step pyramids; the Temple of the Cross, the Temple of the Foliated Cross, and the Temple of the Sun.
From the base of the Temple of the Sun I can hear humming from above. I go to investigate and find a "Rainbow gathering" taking place. Hippies are standing and sitting in the crowded upper room of the pyramid. From the outside they look like prisoners of war in a cage because of the fencing and dark stone interior.
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| Temple of the Foliated Cross |
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| A small portion of the tablet in the Temple of the Foliated Cross |
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| View from the top of the Temple of the Foliated Cross |
The Temple of the Foliated Cross is a small structure but a distinguished one because of the huge tablet visible from the temple entrance depicting a scene from
Kan Balam II 's enthronement. From here the Temple of the Cross is plainly visible.
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| Hippies at top of the Temple of the Sun |
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| No marijuana smoking allowed |
Hippies are generally known to be marijuana smokers and I'm sure that security was on the watch for this. I saw several people with joints and on one occasion I happened to be near one guy who was smoking when a park security guard told him to put it out. He acknowledged the security guard but didn't put it out. The guard insisted that he extinguish the joint and finally the hippie tapped it out with his finger.
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| The ball court |
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| Various epiphytes growing on a tree |
Walking east we come to the
ball court, a field used to play a game with a rubber ball that served a religious purpose, as well as entertainment. These ball courts are a common site at many of the excavated Maya ruins. The ball court here at Palenque is far less impressive than others I've seen such as at Chichen Itza.
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| Traditional Maya ritual |
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| Maya religious performance |
For a short time, Dani and I lose each other. He went to the restroom and I couldn't find him afterwards. I decide to explore some more on my own and am drawn to the source of drumbeats in the distance. I follow the sounds north and find a small gathering at the base of the Temple of the Count. Dancers dressed in traditional Maya costumes perform a traditional ritual combining both elements of Maya culture and Catholicism. It appears that some of the performers aren't even Mexican. Despite this detail, I find the performance to be a pleasant change from the New Age humming and chants by Pauly Shore.
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| Top of the Temple of the Count |
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| Two spectators at the top of the stairs of the Temple of the Count |
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| A man practices yoga from the Temple of the Count |
An excellent vantage point is achievable from the top of the Temple of the Count. A fairly large ceiba tree stands directly behind the Maya dance. Several other spectators are perched here also taking in the picturesque views of the seemingly endless jungle. One man practices yoga. Others seem to just be relaxing their legs after a long day of climbing temples. The park is scheduled to close soon. Official close time is 4:30 pm.
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| Hippie going the wrong way |
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| The majestic Temple of the Inscriptions contains the tomb of Pakal |
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| "Doomsday" survivors |
Park security begin rounding up all the visitors like cattle and directing us to exit the park. Some people scramble to rejoin their group. I suspect that they may have a difficult time getting all the hippies out. I observed a few that disrespect authority and it wouldn't surprise me if some individuals attempt to elude security and spend the night in the park.
The rain was definitely a hindrance but it created a sense of mystery appropriate for the end of the world. In the past year I had heard of a lot of theories of things that would happen on this day. I believed none of it and my trip here confirms that belief because if I had believed that disasters would occur, I obviously would choose to be with my family and not off in the middle of the jungle of former Maya territory. I was simply curious to see how this supposedly hugely significant day would play out down here. My experience shows that if I hadn't heard of 12.21.12 before, then I wouldn't even have learned of it here. The Maya people clearly did not believe that this would be the end of the world. A lot of people here are quite superstitious but the greatest fallacy of superstitions was created in Hollywood and the minds of people with no solid beliefs. False prophesies have occurred time and time again through the centuries. 12.21.12 was not even a prophesy at all but became a distortion of the facts. My calendar ends on December 31, 2012. I will recycle the paper it's made of and get a new calendar form 2013. Will the world ever end? Yes it will, but nobody knows when. For now, "love thy neighbor as thyself" and seek the truth.
