Festivals of the Highland Rainforest Maya

MayaSites Travel Services Special Once-A-Year Tour

Festivals of the Highland Rainforest Maya
January 31-February 7, 2008

7 night tour of Mayan ruins at Palenque, Bonampak, Yaxchilan and Tonina

PLUS: "Pocho" Maya dances, San Cristobal de Las Casas and "Carnival" Festival at San Juan Chamula

Journey deep in the heart of the Maya, past present and future. Not a superficial visit, instead an immersion into the ancient and modern culture of the largest indigenous group in North America. Visitors are often left with the impression that the Maya went away. 4 million strong, they haven’t gone anywhere. Scholars have struggled for years to decipher the language of the ancient Maya and are discovering that many questions are answered by looking at the traditions and customs of the modern Maya.

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Jan. 31: The nearest airport to Palenque is in Villahermosa, which is 2.5 hours away. As most flights arrive too late in the day to go directly to Palenque you will spend your first night in Villahermosa. The hotel shuttle will be waiting when you arrive to take you to the Hilton Hotel Villahermosa.

Feb. 1: At 8 am we pick you up at your hotel in Villahermosa and transport you to Palenque. You'll then have the remainder of the day to visit one of the most spectacular of Mayan ruins, Palenque. Overnight at Maya Tulipanes in Palenque.

Feb. 2: At 6:30 am we travel to Bonampak, home of famous Mayan murals. Their ancient colors remain clear and vital, making them an excellent representation of Mayan art. Then we we travel by boat down the mighty Usamacinta River to the mysterious ancient Mayan site of Yaxchilan. This incredible boatride through the rainforest with its huge trees and abundant wildlife makes you feel like you´re in an Indiana Jones movie! The tremendous archeological site of Yaxchilan, situated on the riverbanks, rises in levels to temples with breathtaking views of the rainforest stretching far into Guatemala.

We'll hear stories of ancient Mayan Queens who exerted great power and about the modern Lankandon Indians (of whom there are only 450 people remaining) who still use Yaxchilan as a place of worship. This site is so unique it deserves plenty of time to fully explore. See howler monkeys and many exotic birds as you roam this well organized ancient Maya city. At the end of the day we go back to Palenque. Overnight at Maya Tulipanes.

Feb. 3: We begin the morning with a visit of the Palenque archeological museum. Then we travel to Tenosique to observe the "Pocho" dances. Each year, beginning the last Sunday of January through the Sunday before Lent, a group of Maya congregate in a small village near Palenque to hold their "Pochó" dances. The Pochó is considered to be a god that embodies evil. Three types of beings enact this dance: the "lame" or men, the "tigres" or jaguars, and the "pochoveras" or women. The lame are upper creatures of nature, in who the gods have placed negative and positive characteristics. The harmful god Pochó desires the destruction of the men and sends the tigres to eliminate them. The group of pochoveras acts as a link among the Pochó and the terrestrial beings, and later as mediator between lame and tigres. Overnight at Maya Tulipanes in Palenque.

Feb. 4: Today we journey to San Cristobal de las Casas. Along the way we'll make a stop at the spectacular Miso Ha waterfalls and also visit the Mayan ruins at Tonina with its somewhat macabre but very well preserved frescos. We overnight at the Casa Na Bolom in San Cristobal de la Casas.

Feb. 5: "Fat Tuesday": Visit the huge outdoor community market in San Cristobal de las Casas for shopping and a unique taste of modern Mayan culture. Not a market slanted toward tourism, this market is the heartbeat and centerplace for the entire Mayan economy of the highland rainforest. The many Mayan groups are represented with a full array of traditional goods that each group specializes in -- textiles, amber, carvings, incenses, candles, and a wide variety of foods. Mid-day we visit pre-Lent festival and jaguar dances in the neighboring village of San Juan Chamula, with its famous Mayan church where one can observe the modern religious practices of the Maya. It’s a moving experience ... one to be cherished. Another night at the Casa Na Bolom in San Cristobal de la Casas.

Feb. 6: Today you journey back to Villahermosa via one of the most beautiful roads through the rainforest. Several different ecosystems are represented along the way as you drive through jungle, pine forests and the ecologically rare cloud forest.

In the afternoon you visit La Venta Park in Villahermosa. There are 28 Olmec carvings at this beautiful outdoor museum with interesting zoo and lake. Each piece was set carefully for optimum viewing with benches placed for those wishing to meditate or ponder. The huge and amazingly well crafted Olmec heads, intricate altars, and intriguing stele and statues there makes one pause to reflect on the mystery of who these ancestors of the Maya people were. Overnight at the Hotel Cencali in Villahermosa.

Feb. 7: Transport to the Villahermosa airport for departure.

TOUR SPECIFICS:

This tour is limited to 12 participants. Cost per person double occupancy: $1,360 per person double occupancy. Single hotel supplement add $240.

This price includes:

7 nights hotel and tourist taxes
All transportation (in fully insured air-conditioned vehicle with driver) including pick up and drop off at Villahermosa airport
1 breakfast, 4 lunches and 1 dinner
Tourist transit at Bonampak
Boat trip to and from Yaxchilan
The assistance and services of professional licensed guides for the duration of the tour
All other entry and guide fees for activities listed on the itinerary

Getting to and from Palenque

For more information or reservations, call MayaSites Travel Services at our U.S. office toll free 877-620-8715 (or outside of the U.S. 505-255-2279) or e-mail us at mayasites@yahoo.com.