Post 3 - The Pyramid

Post 3 -The Pyramid

This is Post 3 of the blog.  To start at the beginning, go to Post 1. 

We listen as our guide explains that the ancients leveled the top of this mountain and built this huge structure even though they did not have metal tools and they had not invented the wheel so every rock was carried by hand.  We cannot imagine the tremendous human effort involved in creating this structure. 

Those ancient Mayans were amazing people, this was an impressive achievement.

Our guide tells us that we are looking at the sunrise side of the pyramid, symbolizing birth and life.  The band of symbols half way up the structure tells the importance of the king, who was considered a god.  His people believed he connected them to the unseen spirits that protected them from their enemies and provided the annual rains they needed to grow their crops.

View From The Top

Our guide then leads us to a trail that takes us to the top.   From there, we look out across a vast rainforest and above the surrounding ridges.  He tells us that we are seeing Guatemala in the distance. 

Let me introduce you to Virginia, my wife.  She is on a platform at the top of the pyramid.     

            

This is where ancient priests stood when they conducted their religious ceremonies to satisfy the unseen spirits that the people depended upon to defend and sustain them.  A huge crowd of commoners would have gathered in the plaza below to witness the ceremonies, and to worship their god and king.

Notice that the city behind Virginia is quite large and well planned, indicating the size of the population and the complexity of the society that thrived here for many hundreds of years.

Also notice the lush rainforest that surrounds us, and that it has been cleared from the center of city, which extends to the palace in the distance.  These ruins are now part of a national park set aside for archeological study, and an attraction for the million tourists that visit Belize every year to view the remains of the amazing achievements left behind by the ancient people who mysteriously abandoned this city a thousand years ago, giving it up for the jungle to strangle and to swallow.

Our guide then leads us down the trail on the sunset side of the pyramid, the side of darkness and death, and to undisturbed mounds that cover what had been homes and shops of a thriving city a thousand years ago.  As we stand in what probably was a street, he explains the activities of the ancient people who lived here, and he also tells us a folklore tale that had been passed down from generation to generation in his nearby village, perhaps for hundreds of years.

 

That’s my daughter with the white shoes, and my son-in-law with the blue shirt.

Someone asked the guide if he had ever come here as a young boy, since he grew up so close to these ruins.  I remember his exact words.

“No, never.  The old folks told us evil spirits live here.”

To read about the ‘evil spirits’ tale, scroll down or go to Post 4.