My trip around the Yucatán was packed with both highlights and offbeat Mayan sites. Whilst staying in Palenque, I did not only want to see the famous ruins, but also visit more obscure places and natural wonders in the Chiapas province. Mayan sites Yaxchilán and Bonampak were high on my list. Hitting a Zapatista roadblock was not, but that’s what happened at the end of our day!
Only one road leads to Yaxchilán and Bonampak Mayan sites from Palenque: highway 307 along the Guatemala border. The road is not quite known as THE most dangerous road in Mexico. That title is reserved for the infamous windy highway 199 from Palanque to San Cristobál de las Casas. However, it comes honourably second for two reasons. Firstly, the Zapatista movement in Chiapas still holds strong. Roadblocks, sometimes coupled with violence, are not unheard of especially on the more remote stretches. Second, highway 307 follows the Guatemala border almost exactly. The border area is notorious for illegal immigration into Mexico and poachers headed for the Lacandón forest in Guatemala. Consequently, reports of muggings are not unusual.
This was part of the reason my husband and decided to sign up for a guided tour to the Mayan sites of Yaxchilán and Bonampak. Other than that, we were simply tired from the 5 hours’ drive up from Campeche the day before. I was also somewhat worried that we might not find people to share a boat to Yaxchilán and that we’d pay excessively.
Indeed, a boat is the only way to complete the journey to the enigmatic site of Yaxchilán, hidden in the Lacandón jungle. Nearby Bonampak, famous for its colourful ancient murals, is more easily accessible. The drive to these Mayan sites takes about three hours one-way from Palenque.
Chiapas and the Zapatista movement
Yaxchilán and Bonampak Mayan sites are in the Chiapas province, which is core Zapatista territory. This was for us one of the reasons to join a guided tour rather than travelling in our own car. The Zapatista movement was strongest during the ‘90s and we didn’t come across any recent reports about uprisings and roadblocks whilst planning the trip. Yet our experience shows that the Zapatistas are still very much there fighting for their cause.
Who are the Zapatistas? Their full name is the Zapatista Army of National Liberation, owing to their inspirational leader, revolutionary Emiliano Zapata. The far-left movement is essentially at war with the Mexican states and controls a significant part of the territory in Chiapas. Most of the supporters are indigenous Mayas and whilst their socialist ideology, promoting participatory politics, inclusion of indigenous minority groups and women’s rights is positive, their method are typically not. The 1990s and 2000s have seen series of uprisings, deaths and destruction. Whilst the situation stabilised in the recent decade and Zapatistas slowly entered mainstream politics, autonomous Zapatista communities, rejecting Mexican law, are thriving and protests coupled with local uprisings still persist.
Day trip to Chiapas’ Mayan sites
Yaxchilán & Bonampak tour outline
The trip to the Mayan sites of Yaxchilán and Bonampak is a long, full day, but worthwhile. We organised a tour via our hotel, which meant we got a better deal compared to booking online with a tour company (we paid around $50 each with meals, transport and entry fees included). This was also the most affordable option since hiring a boat to Yaxchilán with just 2 people would cost more. The day started at 0700 and we returned to the hotel by 1800.
Lots of companies offer a similar tour of Yaxchilán and Bonampak from Palenque. Ours was ok, but not particularly great. We’d signed up for a tour with bilingual guide (English and Spanish), but his English was poor. Also, since my husband and I were the only foreign visitors on the tour, he didn’t make a lot of effort. Thankfully I speak basic Spanish and could understand the essentials and translate for my husband. This didn’t stop the guide from fishing for tips though.
Make sure to take your passport for this tour! The boat trip to Yaxchilán departs from the same jetty as the ferry to Guatemala and strictly speaking you are crossing the border by entering the river. Since illegal immigration and cross-border poaching are issues in the area, controls are tight.
Yaxchilán Mayan site
The minibus picked us up at the hotel and called at a couple more hotels heading for Frontera Corozal. The drive took a good four hours including breakfast. The last half hour was on a shaky track leading to the river and border checkpoint. Needless to say, I was glad when we arrived at the jetty and I could stretch my legs. Our driver collected the passports and arranged the border formalities. We then headed for the wooden longboat waiting for us.
Since summer was approaching, the water level in the Usumacinta river was low and the one-hour boat ride to Yaxchilán was relaxed. Our skipper pointed out a rickety longboat packed with people and bags, saying “these are Guatemalan migrants” which was pretty confronting. He also pointed out some strings of smoke deeper in the jungle saying these signalled poachers setting up camp and possible processing the meat from their catch.
Upon arrival at Yaxchilán, we walked up from the jetty to the archaeological site. A second boat with a tour group had just docked, but there were no other people on the site. Despite it being merely a ten minutes’ walk to the ruins, I was shattered. Although I typically don’t mind heat, the Mexican sun somehow got to me on this day. Thankfully, the jungle was thick enough to provide shade.
Yaxchilán was a powerful Mayan city in constant rivalry with nearby Palenque and Piedras Negras. Although few of the ancient structures have been uncovered, the stone carvings, paint and sheer size of the city are reminiscent of its glory. I must admit I pretty much zoned out of the guides’ explanations, so I mostly spent the time wandering around the site and nearby jungle trails. I also chatted to the guard at the tiny visitor centre. He explained that guards stay at Yaxchilán for two weeks. They are dropped off and picked up by helicopter due to the site’s remoteness.
Bonampak Mayan site
The same boat took us back to Frontera Corozal. Before getting on the minibus, most participants on the tour including myself indulged in a fresh coconut bought off the seller waiting at the jetty. It’s definitely a clever move waiting for the boats with shattered tourists to return. We drove a short distance to lunch, which lasted too long to my liking. We skipped the jelly pudding dessert and went for a walk instead. Then we drove another half hour to Bonampak. From the car park, we walked a good ten minutes to the site, along a track lined with stalls manned by Lacandón people selling crafts. I bought some pairs of earrings for myself and a friend, because it’s nice to support the local community when visiting places.
Bonampak is not like any other Mayan site. Essentially, there is just one temple which is not special compared to other sites I visited. However, upon climbing the temple visitors gain access to three rooms which contain the best-preserved Mayan murals. These murals are truly unique and each room is different. The scenes represent celebrations of the ruler, battles and ceremonies of victory.
A final interesting fact is the “Mayan road” departing from the temple. Essentially, this is a clear stretch of grass in the thick jungle, leading north-east to the Usumacinta river. We’ve seen several examples of these old roads across the Yucatán, cut clear by the Mayan people to connect cities and dependencies.
The Lacandón communities (Bonampak village)
The final stop of the day was Bonampak village, one of the Lacandón villages in the areas. These are traditional communities of the Lacandón people where visitors can get acquainted with the traditional lifestyle and even spend a night in a homestay. It is thought that until the discovery of Bonampak in the 1940s, the Lacandón people had no contact with the world and lived off the grid in their communities. We dropped off a couple of people here who were going to stay the night in a homestay and picked up some other who had just finished this experience. I was slightly gutted that I had not done better research about this option, since the tranquility of the jungle village was very inviting.
Hitting a Zapatista roadblock
By the time we started the drive back to Palenque, it was well past 1500. I heard the driver and guide say we were running late. They seemed nervous. An hour into the drive, it became clear why. The minibus slowed down and I noticed a roadblock. It was visibly not an official police checkpoint. The sides of the road were lined with men (women and children nowhere to be seen) carrying firearms. The kind I’d only seen in movies. I started to feel light in my head. Nobody spoke a word.
As we moved up in the queue, approaching the roadblock, I strangely enough felt calm. I pushed away thoughts about whether or not my husband and I, the only obvious foreigners, would be more or less of a target. I softly instructed him to pretend we could only speak poor English, if at all we needed to talk, to avoid coming across as Americans (who are generally disliked in Mexico).
When our turn came, our guide opened the window just enough to chat. The conversation was brief and simple enough for me to follow. The man in charge at the roadblock asked a few questions as to where we came from and where we were headed. He stated this would cost 200 pesos, which equals about nine euros. The driver counted 200 pesos and handed them over. Our guide and the Zapatista guy said polite goodbyes and we drove on slowly until the end of the village. At this point, the driver hit the gas and we drove in silence until a roadside café for a break. Our guide simply announced “this is safe” and told us we would continue in 15 minutes. The rest of the drive back to Palenque was uneventful.
Extending your trip around the Yucatán?
Are looking for further inspiration to plan your trip around the Yucatán? Check out my post covering a detailed two week’s itinerary. From Palenque, we hopped across the border to Guatemala to visit Tikal and Lake Petén Itzá. From here, we travelled onwards to Belize for a 10 days’ road trip.
