Day 594
Balamkú
Now the wise ones amongst my readers will know that the Campeche state of Mexico is not famous for its beautiful beaches, no, it is full World Heritage Sites of Mayan remains and they are the major attraction. The most famous being Calakmul, we were saving that for tomorrow, today after whizzing along for 50 miles we planned to spend the afternoon at Balamku, or ‘Temple of the Jaguar’.
On arrival we found we had the place to ourselves. On hearing that we had ridden here from England, the staff waived the entry fee, not only that, one of them joined us and acted as our guide. He was able to explain what all the different styles of architecture meant, what the carvings represented, who lived here, what went on etc. That raised plinth in a small room? That’s where the ruler sat, dispensing his orders, did we see that pyramid with the tiny steps? Or how the brickwork changed from curves to blunt edges? It was magical. Then it got better. With a cheeky grin he produced a set of keys and gestured us to follow him. Not only had we visited our first ever pyramid we were now going inside one! Inside was a series of images of a jaguar, these are part of a well-preserved stucco frieze, built between 200 BC and 600 AD. We stood, awestruck, taking in this art work whilst our guide explained the significance of each carving. There were gods, jaguars, amphibians, reptiles and rulers. Only fully discovered in the late 1990s we felt so honoured to be there. Under the cover of the jungle so much more waits to be excavated, just a small matter of funding is stopping us discovering what else is there. Next, Calakmul!
