Thursday, November 3:

Fly to Cancun. Fly one-way from home to Cancun, Mexico (CUN: airport code--flight not included in tour fee). All day airport/hotel shuttle services for participants arriving at various times. Overnight Westin Resort & Spa in Cancun.
See a brochure our luxurious hotel:
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1092

Friday, November 4:

Ek Balam to Chichen Itza. 7:30 am group breakfast and "Meet & Greet." 9 am to colonial Valladolid for lunch and sightseeing. Afternoon visit Ek Balam ruins (very well preserved statuary that includes winged figures and people posed in states of meditation). Then to Chichen Itza. Evening light & sound show at Chichen Itza. Overnight Hacienda Chichen. (B)
See the website of our gorgeous hotel: www.haciendachichen.com

Ek Balam - "Bright Star Jaguar"

The startling and amazingly well-preserved sculptures uncovered at Ek Balam are exciting to both newcomers and repeat visitors of Mayan sites. Dating from 100 BC to its height at 700-1,200 BC, it is unlike any other Mayan site. Ek Balam has a feel all its own.

The main temple here is impressive, both in size and architecture. Its massive size of over 500 feet long and 200 feet wide easily makes it one of the largest structures ever excavated in the Yucatan. It is so big that one wonders how this could have been built without the aid of iron or the wheel. The intricate detail of the artistry and symbolism incorporated into the frescoes and sculptures decorating this temple are an artistic marvel.

Ek Balam's most striking temple is one with a huge "monster mouth." To the Maya this represents a portal to the "other world." The enormous mouth of the Witz Monster (entry to the underworld), complete with teeth, is awe-inspiring. Evidence has been found at Ek Balam that blood letting rituals were practiced here. This was self-inflicted by the priest and nobles. Some suggest that one of the human figures depicted above the mouth is in the posture of a defeated enemy about to be sacrificed, so it may also be a site of human sacrifice but to what extent they are not sure yet.

The sculpted works of the Maya ruins at Ek Balam are unusual and extremely well preserved. Some figures are winged, some in the meditative "lotus" position, one sits headless above the center of the monster mouth. All are beautiful and exquisitely crafted.

Ek Balam also has a very beautiful arch connecting to a sacbe (ancient road). In ancient times, these sacbes connected the Maya kingdoms . The arch is found where these sacbes intersect the entrance to the city. Ek Balam has many sacbes that connect to other Maya cities such as its neighbor, Chichen Itza.

At the summit of the ruins one can see for miles, on a clear day even as far as Coba, 30 miles away. Raised sacbes stretch out in each direction, testimonies to the high civilization achieved by the ancient Maya. With sculptures and representations unique among all Mayan sites and its majestic palace and grounds, Ek Balam seems literally untouched by time. In terms of art and architecture, this is a site that is sure to change our fundamental concepts of the ancient Maya.

Saturday, November 5:

Chichen Itza: Sunrise ceremony TÃA'JCHE' - Mayan Sacred Ceremony of the New Fire at Hacienda Chichen Sacred Mayan Ceremonial Site (hotel's private area that is part of the archaeological site) by the Mayan J-Men of the Mayan Senior Wiseman and under the guidance of Don Valerio Canche and Senior J-Men Ildefonso Ake Cocom. A lovely Mayan fire ceremony rooted in Mayan Cosmovision principals of a Living Universe and humankind placement in the cosmic living energy.

After breakfast, all morning guided visit of Chichen Itza. Mid-day lunch and swim at Cenote Ik Kil. Afternoon visit Old Chichen, an area of the archaeological site not open to the general public. Overnight Hacienda Chichen. (B,L)

Chichen Itza - "The well of the Itzas"

Location: Yucatan, Mexico
75 miles east of Merida, 115 miles west of Cancun, 160 miles northwest of Playa del Carmen

Chichen Itza, the most famous of all Mayan archeological sites, is a vast Maya ruin dating from 600 to 900 AD. This breathtaking and powerful site is a must for the first time visitor seeking the ancient road of the Maya. There are six square kilometers of archeological zone. At its height it was undoubtedly a bustling metropolis, with its population taking part in a prosperous and artistic society.

Chichen Itza is a pivotal sight when studying the Maya Late Classic period. Its rise coincided with the steady decline of the other great Mayan cities. Plagued by inter-dynastic blood feuds fought to determine kingships, the powerful kingdoms of the Middle Classic period were faltering.

Wedged between two great kingdoms, that of Coba and Uxmal, the site boasted no great structures or temples until the arrival of a group of Mayans called the "Itza" who forever changed the political thinking of the entire region. The Itza are believed to have been sea faring merchants who traded extensively from a base on the western coast of the Yucatan, bringing rare goods such as obsidian from Mexico.

Not only good merchants, the Itza were a warrior people, and through their excursions into the Yucatan they challenged the military might of the cities and alliances of Coba and Uxmal. Bringing Mexican military and political concepts they had learned as a result of their trade relations, they were eventually victorious, and built their capital city around a large cenote,or natural well, calling it "the well of the Itza." Scholars have spent many years trying to discover where the Itzas came from and what their relationship was to the Toltecs, who obviously influenced the building style at this site.

The different architectural styles (classified as "new" Chichen and "old" Chichen) led scholars to assume that the older section exhibited the building styles prevalent to the Puuc Maya while the newer section was attributed to a foreign invader such as the Toltec. In particular, the glorification of the Toltec god Quetzalcoatl in his Mayan form as Kukulcan, the Feathered Serpent, led many to believe that the Toltecs had taken over this formerly Mayan city. Now, however, scholars are beginning to dispute the idea of a foreign invasion and takeover. Contemporary thought is that Chichen Itza must have been a cosmopolitan endeavor that was inhabited by a diverse group of peoples from the Puuc to the Toltecs.

In a period when dynastic blood feuds were bringing down many Classic Mayan kingdoms, Chichen introduced new systems of rulership. Chichen Itza is unique in the ancient Mayan world because it lacks the fundamental relationship of its people to a king. Both portions of the city lack documentation of kingship that is characteristic of cities using the system of dynastic rule. Hieroglyphic texts tell of a matriarchal lineage that produced five sons who shared rule. This concept of co-rule among brothers was unorthodox at the time. According to Linda Schele and David Friedel in A Forest of Kings: The Untold Story of the Ancient Maya, "They turned away from the dynastic blood feuds of the past and moved toward effective alliance and consolidation. . . . The reassert ion of the idea of brotherhood marked the dismantling of that first principle undergirding kingship: dynasty."

This dynamo of a city developed into a military machine that defeated and absorbed the surrounding provincial cities whose government was still based on kingship, offering the loser an opportunity to join their alliance. If the loser refused they became the sacrificial offering to the gods of the "New Deal."

The two zones ("New Chichen Itza" and "Old Chichen Itza") at this site show the different building styles used over its three hundred year history.

The Maya were adepts in the understanding of how the earth and the planets worked together in the yearly cycle. This knowledge is encoded in the great pyramid and the city itself. The observatory, or Caracol, located in the Old City is unique as the only truly round building found at any Mayan site. Its function as an observatory for astronomical study is obvious. El Castillo, or the grand pyramid, has a staircase on all four sides, each with 91 steps that totalled with the last step on top equal the 365 days in a solar year.

Twice a year, on the Equinoxes, light and shadow create an effect that make it appear as if the Feathered Serpent is descending down the stairway of the grand pyramid. Each spring, thousands of people from all over the globe come to witness this event. After a millennium of existence, this pyramid still functions as a highly reliable way to pinpoint the changes of the seasons.

The Maya ruins at Chichen Itza are also well-known for their chacmools, or receptacles for offerings to the rain god Chac. To the Maya of the inland jungle, rain was the most precious of nature's gifts. If rain was not forthcoming the crops suffered and indeed so did the whole society. The rain god Chac was an important deity for these Maya who had very little water without rain. It was the chacmool who received the human hearts as offerings for his beneficent rainfall.

Chichen Itza has numerous monuments for a visitor to explore. Some of the not to be missed destinations of this great ancient city are: El Castillo, commonly referred to as the great pyramid; the Main Ball Court, which is the largest discovered from the ancient Mayan world; the Sacred Well or Cenote, where archeologists have discovered a number of well-adorned skeletons of sacrificial victims; the Temple of the Skulls, with its numerous skulls adorning its facade; the Temple Of The Warriors, with its 1,000 columns dedicated to the warriors of Chichen Itza; and the Caracol or Observatory.

With its authentic and conscientious restoration and some of the most powerful and moving frescoes in the ancient Mayan world, it is a most impressive site. From its Old City to its newer structures that attest to its tremendous political influence in the Late Classic Era of the Maya, you will want to plan to spend at least 3 hours visiting Chichen Itza.

Sunday, November 6:

Uxmal to Labna: Morning visit Uxmal. Afternoon visit Labna ruins. Evening light & sound show at Uxmal. Overnight Villas Arqueologicas Uxmal. (B)
See our quiet, convenient hotel: www.villasarqueologicas.com.mx/en/uxmal/hotel.html

Uxmal - "Thrice Built"

Uxmal is by far the most dramatic of all the hill and flatland archeological sites in the Yucatan. It dates from 600-1000 A.D. and is known for the stunning beauty of its architecture. Here we see thousands upon thousands of cut stones detailing every edifice in what is known as the Puuc style of architecture. As you enter Uxmal time seems to slow, giving this Mayan site a dreamy, magical feel. No other place has such a multitude of ornate and complex artistry.

Uxmal's most famous structure, the Temple of the Magician, is an awesome feat of building prowess. This temple was rebuilt three times; this is where Uxmal got its name, which means "thrice built." Towering above the surrounding jungle and crowned with intricately carved stonework, it is a treasure of the ancient world. This massive pyramid is also known as the Temple of the Dwarf. In Mayan myth and legend it is said that Uxmal was built in one night by a dwarf with the help of his adopted mother who was known to be a witch. Who was this little guy? What did he and his sorceress mother do to shape the destiny of Uxmal? The ruins at Uxmal also have an equally stunning pyramid known as Temple of the Macaw. Together these two pyramids anchor the site and give it a grace blessed by the gods in strength.

It would appear that Uxmal is a city of miracles. Unlike many other Maya sites, no stone quarry has been found at Uxmal. Where the Maya quarried the stone and how they conveyed it to this site without the wheel or beast of burden is unknown. How such a large city could grow up in an area without springs, rivers or cenotes to provide water is also somewhat miraculous. The residents of Uxmal relied upon cistern water collection systems that were totally dependent upon rain. One can easily understand the importance of their reverence to the Mayan rain god Chac. In the beautiful carvings representing plumed serpents, macaws and turtles as well as repeated masks of the ever important rain god Chac, we see the artistry of the Puuc Maya at its very best.

It is a good idea to take plenty of time to fully explore this ancient Maya city. When exploring the ruins at Uxmal it is important to remember that the city was erected with its buildings at precise angles from and in relation to each other. Astronomical, geometrical and metaphysical calculations were carefully considered when the layout of the site was designed.

In the evening Uxmal has an entertaining light show in which relates some of the fascinating stories surrounding its history. Whether your favorite building is the Nunnery, one of the two pyramids, the Governor's Palace or any one of the other many buildings you'll have to agree that there is nothing like being here. Feel the wind on your face and smell the many scents of the jungle around you as you take in the awesome spectacle of Uxmal.

Labna is located 18 miles from Uxmal and, like its neighbor Kabah, is built in the Classic Puuc style. Labna dates between 600-900 A.D. A small and intimate site, it is filled with exquisite and intricate details. The Puuc Maya style of building is astounding for its incredible artistry. Without the use of iron, the builders seem to have accomplished the impossible.

Upon entering this site, the first building on the left (El Palacio) has a large rendition of the rain god Chac over the front door. As in other cities in the Puuc region, which has very few rivers or streams, a great reverence to Chac is shown in the numerous representations of this deity.

On one corner of the building a serpent opens his mouth revealing the head of a human. Notice the intricate geometric forms and patterns carved into the trim work. Each design has a specific meaning in the cosmology of the Maya.

The corbelled arch at Labna is famous for being one of the most intricately decorated yet discovered in the world of the ancient Maya. Chac masks are seen on both of the arch's upper corners. Carvings of stylized Mayan huts appear above the doorways.

Like other arches at Mayan sites, it was an entrance to the city with several sacbes (ancient roads) leading up to it. Sacbes are intellectually and metaphysically challenging. The Maya created these limestone capped brilliantly white highways connecting the many cities of the Yucatan, yet no wheel was ever used to create them and no wheel ever traversed them.

Down the sacbe and under the arch you come to El Mirador, an unusual structure perched on top of mound with a well-preserved roofcomb and remnants of a sculpture of a human figure on its corner. Without iron to chisel and sculpt these vast cities of rock, and no wheel or beast of burden to move them, our preconceived notions of the capabilities of stone age people can't help but be challenged.

Monday, November 7:

Edzna to Palenque: 8 am to Palenque with a stop at Edzna ruins on the way. Overnight Chan Kah Ruinas Palenque. (B)
See our beautiful hotel in the jungle: www.chan-kah.com.mx/eng

Edzna - "House of the Grimace in Maya."

Edzna lies in the state of Campeche and doesn't receive very many visitors for such a fabulous site. It's easy to get to, but there isn't much else in the area to see, so combine a trip to Edzna with a visit to the capital city of Campeche, about 52km away. Edzna was occupied very early, from around 600 BC, but didn't develop into a major city until 200 AD. The buildings that are still in existence are a little older than that. The word Edzna comes for the 'House of the Itza' suggesting that the city was influenced by the family Itza long before they founded Chichen Itza.

The Great Plaza of Edzna is spectacular, consisting of beautifully preserved buildings. This is a view of the Platform of the Knives, named because some flint ritual knives were discovered buried beneath it.

The Great Acropolis with the building of the Five Stories This building is unique to Edzna. It was built in five different stages and began as an early classic pyramid. Inscriptions at the bottom have a date from 652.

Near to the small Acropolis is an interesting structure known as the Temple of the stone masks. It has two giant stucco faces representing the go Kinich Ahau in two modes -- on the right hand side he is an old man and on the left, a young man.

While Edzna is not a large site, its main plaza is outstanding and not to be missed. The site can be seen in under an hour if you don't get too carried away taking pictures. It truly is a beautlful site.

"Southernmost of the Puuc sites is Etzna (or Edzna), best known for its five-storied structure which combines features of pyramids and palaces. Aerial reconnaissance has disclosed that Etzna is surrounded by a complex system of canals and reservoirs, and that a square, fortress-like structure is encompassed by a moat. Such a water-control system could have had multiple functions, such as communication, fishing, and provision of drinking water, and Ray Matheny suggests that the canals might have been connected with a raised-field system. While most of what one sees at Etzna is Late Classic in date, it is noteworthy that at least some of the canals go back to the Late Preclassic." --Michael D. Coe, The Maya: 1987

Tuesday, November 8:

Palenque: All day guided visit of Palenque and Palenque museum. Overnight Chan Kah Ruinas Palenque. (B)

Palenque

Location: Chiapas, Mexico.

Palenque is situated in the highland rainforest near the Mexican/Guatemalan border. With a lush canopy of trees rising 200 feet above your head you are immediately struck by the awesome power of the forest's ability to enchant you, as it must have enchanted the original builders of Palenque. This site dates from the Classic period, peaking at 600 to 700 A.D. It was a place of ceremony and wielded much political power in some surprising ways. The site itself rests on grassy grounds that are beautifully kept, as they must have been when the ancient city of Palenque flourished.

Palenque is exciting because of the vast amounts of information that has been painstakingly brought to light by archeologists over the years. Here you will find the unique building styles that caused early explorers to think that the builders of Palenque were influenced by Eastern or Asian architectural concepts.

Palenque is known for having begun what has been termed the "Cult of Personality" for its glorification of specific rulers that is unique in the ancient Mayan world. It has been asserted by many people that study the history of Palenque that many of the friezes and much of the writing indicates the rulers were involved in a propaganda campaign. This may have been due to the fact that Pacal, a famous king of Palenque, had a somewhat tenuous right to the throne. The story of his coming to kingship shows that he would never have ascended the throne without the help of two famous women in the royal family who played a unique role in Mayan history.

Pacal's mother, Lady Zac-Kuk, was one of only two women in Mayan history ever to rule in her own right. The other was her grandmother Lady Kanal-Ikal. For many generations the royal lineage had been based on patrilineal connections which passed kingship only to sons, but Lady Kanal-Ikal changed precedence when she asserted her right to rule as the daughter of a king.

Her granddaughter, Lady Zac-Kuk, became even more unorthodox by asserting her right to rule based on having had a grandmother who had been queen. Both women are listed in the genealogies recorded at Palenque as "kings." A great visionary who delivered prophecies while in a trance state, Lady Zac-Kuk asserted that even though her husband was not of the royal lineage, her son was through his relationship to her. She wielded enough power to convince the ruling council to name her son king, but he spent a lifetime reinforcing his claim of legitimacy so the right of his sons would never be challenged.

The Oval Palace Tablet which was found in the Governor's Palace shows Pacal taking the jaguar throne. As his mother hands him the crown the destiny of the Maya of this rainforest region is forever changed. Thus Pacal ascended the throne under his mother's authority and began his reign by commissioning friezes and works that appear to be rewriting history, and even changing Mayan mythology in order to usher in his unorthodox ascension to the throne.

Pacal must have had savvy and wisdom as well as military prowess, for his reign as a king is one of the longest in world history. The Tomb of Pacal (the first sarcophagus discovered in the Mayan world), located deep withn the Temple of Inscriptions, contains one of the most intricate, massive and famous pieces of art left for us by the ancient Maya.

There are many major temples and pyramids to explore. Numerous wonderful examples of Maya art and history are carved into the buildings facades, some of them the most famous of all depictions from the ancient Mayan world. In some places you will see the color coats of ancient times in their rich arrays of blues and reds.

Palenque raises many questions as to the origin of the symbology there. With symbols and friezes such as these, the concept of influences from the Far East seems plausible.

Palenque also has an impressive museum. The collection of sculptured art, busts, jade jewelry, and other relics of the Maya give us a look into their ancient world. The amazingly well-preserved and intricately decorated clay incense burners alone are well worth the visit.

The Maya ruins of Palenque extend far beyond the boundaries of the area visited by most tourists. Take time at one of the many waterfalls to cool down and share stories with other fellow travelers about the events of the day. It is hard not to think of Palenque as paradise.

Wednesday, November 9:

Tonina to Palenque: Visit Tonina ruins and Misol Ha waterfalls. Overnight Chan Kah Ruinas Palenque. (B)

Tonina - "House of Rocks"

Located in Chiapas Mexico and near Palenque, Tonina may have been built as early as 350 A.D. but one of its distinctions is having the last recorded date of the Maya long count.

The building technique here is interesting for the use of small rocks verses the larger type stones of the other nearby sites.

One of the features at the ruins at Tonina is its maze-like building of rooms. It is the number of rooms and the building's position with the night heavens that help the archeologists determine the buildings function.

Tonina was a separate dynastic center and has the prized distinction of defeating Palenque in war as well as the capture and ten year humiliation of Pakal's son King Kan-Xul, the younger brother of Chan-Bahlum. A frieze shows the captured king Kan-Xul with a rope around his arm sitting in the pose of the captured.

This is a great site for taking your time to study the details of the different friezes and the stories they tell. A sarcophagus is carved out of one large stone on the third tier of this site. The missing carved lid probably told the story of the entombed.

The breathtaking views from the upper terraces are prime photo opportunities in the sunny mid-winter days. We can thank the ancient Maya builders for their incredible knowledge of building techniques. They have left us vast kingdoms to ponder.

Thursday, November 10 (Full Moon):
Entry into the Stargate 11:11:11 at Midnight

Yaxchilan to Tikal: Morning guided visit of Yaxchilan with its well preserved stelae depicting ancient Maya queens engaged in ceremony. Afternoon travel to Tikal, Guatemala by boat and land. Midnight Ceremony as we enter the Stargate 11:11:11. Overnight Tikal Inn. (B,L,D)
See our hotel, right on the grounds of the Tikal site: www.tikalinn.com

Yaxchilan

The ancient Mayan city of Yaxchilan was a city of "seers" and powerful queens. Here one can almost feel the high magic and ceremony in the air.

he Yaxchilan archeological site can be reached by an hour long boat ride down the mighty Usamacinta river through one of the last great North American rainforests. It is an experience to be remembered. Riding in a long boat with its large outboard motor you can see Guatemala on one shore and Mexico on the other.

If you keep on the lookout you will see many of the rainforest inhabitants, from wild monkeys to toucans and eagles. The water itself contains crocodiles and many kinds of fresh water fish.

You'll see large buildings of cut stone peeking through the jungle as you pull to shore. Stepping off the boat and under the rainforest canopy has a cooling effect as you begin your tour of Yaxchilan. Built during the Maya golden age, 200-900 A.D., the site has 86 known buildings. To enter the site you go through a building known as the labyrinth. The exact use of this building in ancient times is unknown, yet its connection to the underworld for the Maya is undoubtedly important.

The ceremonial center starts with its huge main plaza and well preserved stele and door lintel carvings. Looking up the hill you'll see incredibly intact roofcombs of the second tier of buildings. You can climb to level after level of buildings, each an architectural wonder, each with some remarkable detail worth noting. Occasionally one can find evidence of recent worship by the Lakandons, a dwindling group of Maya that still practice the ancient ways of worship.

The Mayan ruins at Yaxchilan are known for the extensive history detailed in its well preserved carvings. The majority of lintel and stele carvings commemorate the important historical events occurring during the reign of King Jaguar Shield, his famous wives Lady Xoc and Lady Eveningstar, and his son Bird Jaguar who ruled here in the 8th century.

Yaxchilan is unique in its multitude of depictions of important female personages. Lady Xoc, in particular, is depicted engaged in numerous rituals. To quote Linda Schele and David Friedel in A Forest of Kings, "The depiction of a woman as the principal actor in ritual is unprecedented at Yaxchilan and almost unknown in Maya monumental art at any site."

Many images depict women engaged in the ritual of bloodletting. If this was a city of seers, as many believe it was, then the bloodletting ceremony was undoubtedly the ritual magic used to start the seer on their journey. Again to quote Schele and Friedel, "The aim of these great cathartic rituals was the vision quest, the opening of a portal into the Otherworld through which gods and the ancestors could be enticed so that the beings of this world could commune with them." Here a Maya queen holds a bowl filled with strips of paper used to collect blood. The strips will later be burned as an offering to the gods.

Yaxchilan also possesses some interesting images that shed light on another important Mayan ritual, the sacred ballgame. The shocking discovery of this group of friezes show in clear detail that the "ball" in this game was a bound captive human. It appears that Bird-Jaguar (in his ball game outfit) must not let the ball hit the ground. Behind the king are two dwarves, causing one to ask, who were these enigmatic little people referred to so much in Maya mythology? Perhaps they are related to the ancient Olmec belief that four dwarves held up the cardinal points of the sky.

Almost every building has a doorway that tells a story. When visiting here, be sure to look up at the carved lintels that top the doorways to see some of the best preserved carvings from the ancient Maya world.

Once you reach the top of the Yaxchilan site you will find yourself overlooking the lush highland rain forest. This is a favorite spot for many people. Stop here to rest and ponder the mysterious ways of the ancient Maya.

Friday, November 11:

Tikal: All day visit of Tikal and Tikal Museum. Overnight Tikal Inn. (B,L,D)

Rainforest Ruins of Tikal

Breathtaking Maya ruins, lush jungle and spectacular views of the Guatemalan highland rainforest
-- Tikal and nearby Uaxactun, Yaxha and Topoxte

One of the most famous and beautiful of Maya sites, Tikal's massive and steep pyramids (one is over 200 feet high) loom above the lush jungle of the Peten where one can observe spider and howler monkeys and numerous bird species such as toucans, parrots and macaws in the towering ceiba trees.

With a history beginning at 600 BC when farmers settled in the high ground above the swamps of Lake Peten, at its peak Tikal was home to an estimated 100,000 people and the site has over 3,000 structures within a six square mile area. Well preserved glyphic texts tell of a dynamic written historical record spanning over 1,800 years, including a very old long-count inscription date of 292 AD. For your maximum enjoyment of Tikal, climb the highest pyramid, Temple 4, and get a birds-eye view of the site above the jungle canopy.

An important part of the history of how Tikal became one of the great empires of the ancient Maya world was its conflicts with nearby Uaxactun. Tikal and Uaxactun are so close to each other (just 12 miles apart) that they engaged in a long period of struggle for domination of the region. To quote Schele & Freidel in A Forest of Kings: "Their competition ... was resolved violently in AD 378 by means of an innovative type of warfare we call Tlaloc-Venus war, or sometimes simply "star wars." This new method of warfare was borrowed from the central Mexico civilizations and had a great impact on the wars between the kingdoms of the Peten region. Again, to quote Schele & Freidel: "With the advent of this new kind of warfare, a new concept was incorporated into the Maya culture: the idea of empire." Unlike former wars that were ritualized combats for personal glory and to capture captives to sacrifice to the gods, this new warfare had much higher stakes -- if you lost the war you lost your kingdom.

Also near Tikal are the Maya ruins of Yaxha ("Green Water"). On the banks of a beautiful lagoon, in ancient times Yaxha was the third largest Maya city in the Peten (after El Mirador & Tikal) and has an unusual layout for the region. Its twin pyramid complexes, 9 acropolis', plazas and more than 500 structures are connected by sacbes (ancient elevated roads) in a manner similar to Maya sites in the Yucatan. The views of the jungle from the 30 meter high Structure 216 are breathtaking. From the lagoon you can also take a boat trip to the nearby island ruins at Topoxte ("Ramon Tree"). Topoxte also has unusual architectural features, including columns that are much like those found at Chichen Itza.

Saturday, November 12:

Uaxactun to Antigua: Morning visit Uaxactun, Guatemala (small but important site because of its relationship with Tikal and because it has temples aligned to astronomical events). Afternoon to Flores to visit the small archaeological site on the island and free time to shop, sightsee, eat an early dinner. 7:55 pm flight from Flores to Guatemala City arriving 9:00 pm. Transfer to Antigua. Overnight Posada de don Rodrigo in Antigua, Guatemala. (B)
See our charming hotel: www.posadadedonrodrigo.com/antigua

Uaxactun

Uaxactun is located north of Tikal, and although it is substantially smaller than Tikal, its span of occupation seems to have been about the same, with origins in the Middle Preclassic and abandonment by the Early Postclassic. Research conducted at Uaxactun from 1926 to 1937 established the basic cultural chronology for the central lowlands and was used as the starting point for almost all other chronological sequences in the region. It was founded on Uaxactun's available calendrical inscriptions, pottery sequence, and architectural development. As a case in point, the chronology of pottery forms and types at Tikal, owing to their similarities to those at Uaxactun, is founded on the work done by the original Carnegie research.

Uaxactun is notable for an archaeological complex known as an "E Group" which was first identified here and served as a kind of astronomical observatory for marking the equinox and solstice paths of the sun. Such a complex takes its name from Uaxactun Structure E-VII-sub, an early classic structure dating from approximately 200 AD. E-Groups were quite common in the area during the early classic: other examples are found at Calakmul, Tikal, and elsewhere.

Sunday, November 13:

Antigua to Chichicastenango: Visit market and Church of Santo Tomas in Chichicastenango, Guatemala. Fire ceremony with famous Maya xaman-priest Don Ignacio at Pascual Abaj hilltop. Group farewell dinner. Overnight Posada de don Rodrigo in Antigua, Guatemala. (B,L,D)

Chichicastenango, lovingly called Chichi by visitors and Guatemalans alike, has become one of the most famous and most visited destinations in Guatemala. Chichicastenango's market is a colorful affair where buyers and vendors from the entire Quiche region and beyond meet to trade. Chichi has been one of the largest trading centers in the Mayan world since pre-Hispanic times. Vendors and buyers from the entire Quiche region and beyond come together in Chichi, making the market one of the largest outdoor markets in Latin America. The market comes to life twice a week, on Thursday and Sunday, with Sunday being the busier of the two market days. The market occupies the central plaza and the side streets within several blocks around it.

Chichicastenango is well known for its famous market days on Thursdays and Sundays where vendors sell handicrafts, food, flowers, pottery, wooden boxes, condiments, medicinal plants, candles, pom and copal (traditional incense), cal (lime stones for preparing tortillas), grindstones, pigs and chickens, machetes, and other tools. In the central part of the market plaza are small eateries (comedores).

Among the items sold are textiles, particularly the women's blouses. The manufacture of masks, used by dancers in traditional dances, such as the Dance of the Conquest, have also made this city well-known for woodcarving.

Vendors begin to set up their stalls the night before market day and the activity continues until the early morning hours. The market is busiest in the morning and begins to wind down around noon; by early afternoon, the market is mostly over and Chichi begins to quiet down as buyers and vendors leave town.

Next to the market is the 400-year old church of Santo Tomas. It is built atop a Pre-Columbian temple platform, and the steps originally leading to a temple of the pre-Hispanic Maya civilization remain venerated. K'iche' Maya priests still use the church for their rituals, burning incense and candles. In special cases, they burn a chicken for the gods. Each of the 18 stairs that lead up to the church stands for one month of the Maya calendar year. Another key element of Chichicastenango is the Cofradia of Pascual Abaj, which is an ancient carved stone venerated nearby and the Maya priests perform several rituals there. Writing on the stone records the doings of a king named Tohil (Fate).

Monday, November 14:

Antigua to Guatemala City: Transfers throughout the day to Guatemala City airport to connect with flights home. Fly one-way from Guatemala City to home (airport code: GUA--flight not included in tour fee). (B)

CLICK HERE for Fees and to Register Now