Zipolite Express – Vol. 3 – issue 20, Nov. 12, 2011 Edzna
Zipolite Express – Vol. 3 – issue 20, Nov. 12, 2011
Edzna
Ok, if this word means nothing to you don’t be surprised; a day ago it meant nothing to us, now we know different. Edzna is another one of those wonderful archeological sites that very few people know about it. As we were driving to Campeche we saw signs for Edzna, looked it up in the books and thought it might be interesting, so we stayed an extra day in Campeche.
The drive to Edzna is on a two lane secondary road. It was in good condition so we could travel at a good speed, except for the ‘topes’ (speed bumps). Along the road there was wonderful plants, trees, and farms. For one stretch there was grass on both sides of the road that towered over the car. In another area we went through a tree tunnel as we were right into the jungle and the large trucks cut the way through the trees and shrubs. It is still the end of the rainy season so everything is so incredibly lush. We have never seen this country so green; we are more accustomed to the golds and browns of the dry season.
When you arrive at the site of Edzna there is nothing to see but the jungle. There is a palapa (building with thatched roof) to pay your admission and then you pass into yet another palapa where they have a small selection of carvings from the site. Next you take about two to three hundred meter walk though the jungle until you come to an opening and you have your breath taken away from you. This is definitely worth coming to see. To buildings have some similarity to other sites but also has some unique qualities of it’s own. Originally the city covered twenty-five square miles, at that time it would have been larger the London, England as the same period. There is one structure that rises over five stories into the sky. Most of the structures you were permitted to climb up but a few you just have to admire. I find myself in total awe of these structures considering how old they are, how large they are, and how they are equipped to make for a good life of the inhabitants.
This site was lost for over five hundred years and rediscovered in 1907 with nothing being done about it until 1927. When you look at the backside of some of the structures, where the jungle has taken the buildings back you can understand why it was hard to find. They have been using many of the Guatemalan refugees to work on the site and pull it out of the jungle. I thought it was fun to read one of the information boards that stated, “The Mayans were not helped by extraterrestrials it was all done with their own hard work”. So here are a few pictures, enjoy.
Guillermo norte
Mayan ruins of Edzna
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Mayan ruins of Edzna
