Wednesday, January 14, 2009

A Belizean River Journey

We've spent the last two days in a small town in Belize called Orange Walk. This town is the most random mesh of ethnicities, languages and cultures I have ever seen. Creoles, Chinese, Lebanese, Indian and Japanese immigrants, Anabaptist Mennonites and people of Mayan descent all inhabit this run-down but friendly place. Tim McGraw blares from a stereo in the park while young, Negro men stroll around dressed like they have been shopping in L.A. People smile at us and many ask how we are enjoying Belize.
Today we joined the Jungle River Boat Tour Company for a tour of the New River, its inhabitants and a stop at the famed archeaological site, Lamanai. The river takes us through lush jungle which encroaches over the banks. We stop often to view one of the many bird species that have made this river their playground. 27 species of fish are said to be found here and we see monkeys wildly performing for us in the treetops, along with a crocodile relaxing in the mud. We even witness 9 small fruit bats asleep inside a hollowed out tree limb. Our tour guide, Wilfriedo, tells us they are a natural wonder. These tiny bats are the only creatures capable of pollinating the cactus from which tequila is made.
We pass a conservative Mennonite community called Shipyard and Wilfriedo explains these people live without electricity and motorized vehicles. They are skilled farmers, carpenters and mechanics. The Mennonites, with their history of migration, first came to Belize in 1958. 30 camps now exist, each with its' own school which teaches two subjects: math and Low German. There is absolutely no work or business done on Sundays for these people and Wilfriedo explains them to be internally Socialist and externally, efficiently Capitalist.
Then we round a bend in the river and a strong odour of moldy cabbage hits the nostrils. The air even feels steamy, like something is boiling. Wilfriedo explains the smell is coming from the Belize Sugar Industries and a factory now comes into view. Black smoke is being pumped out of a huge, silver barn. Two great bins stand close to the river, while two huge and rusted barges appear to be holding up the shore. We learn these barges are used to transport Belize's greatest export, the country's "white-gold", to the ocean, along this 3000 year old Mayan trading route.
The river got its name from the English, who, along with the Spanish, came to colonize Belize and export tropical woods starting in the 1600s. The river links the highlands of Guatemala and El Salvador to the Caribbean and Yucatan and was the most important route providing trade for thousands of ancient Mayan civilizations. Once the Europeans began using the river, the Mayans called it "The River of Strange Peoples." Wilfriedo asks us if the Mayan name hints at a historic destiny for the river, because so many foreigners still travel on this river, in search of the wonders of Lamanai.
As we reach Lamanai, a temple jutting above the jungle canopy becomes visible from the boat. Wilfriedo explains that he will now begin to "interpret the language of the stone" for us. Wilfriedo holds degrees both in archealogy and journalism and has worked for the Human Rights Comission in Costa Rica and El Salvador. In the early 1980s when political unrest caused great upheavals and social chaos in these countries, he worked to broker a peace treaty (which happened in 1983). He later explains to me how dangerous his work was at that time; he saw a man gunned down in front of his own family and Wilfriedo had a machine gun pointed at his head. This is a brave and compassionate man and one that is more than capable of explaining to us the mysteries Lamanai holds.
Of the 718 known buildings in the Lamanai city complex, only 5 are open to the public. Funding was partly provided by the Canadian government to help the excavation and archealogical research project in the 1980s. Some of the most precious finds from Lamanai are now on display at the Royal Ontario Museum. Wilfriedo explained that it would take 800 years of continuous work, along with $60 billion to completely excavate all of Lamanai.
The first temple we visit, The Temple of the Jaguar, is in the Royal Complex and has stone carvings to represent the cat's face. The jaguar is a sacred animal to the Maya and represents fertility. A large courtyard lies in front of the temple, where the jungle is fighting to take over the buildings once again. I become aware of an awful howling noise and Wilfriedo informs us that knowing the difference between the roar of the jaguar and the black howler monkey can mean the difference between life and death in the jungle. He assures us however, that the howl we are hearing is indeed a monkey.
We go next to the High Temple, one of the tallest known structures in Meso-America. It towers 112 feet above the ground and I clamber up steep steps to reach the top. It is easy to envision what a Mayan ruler must have felt. The jungle spreads out as far as the eye can see and it is an incredible sight; the likes of which I have never seen. Far below the top of the temple, I can see monkeys swinging from tree to tree. Michelle and I marvel at the sheer vastness of the jungle and of the strength of this 3000 year old temple.
As we approach The Temple of the Mask, a large and beautifully carved face of stone becomes visible on its side. Wilfriedo explains that whoever carved the royally comissioned portrait had to be greatly talented, as there is no room for error on the 10 foot tall stone. The portrait was found almost by accident, as it was completely covered by a staircase. Maya did not tear down buildings they didn't want, they merely built on top of them so the end product resembles the layers of an onion. The political statement of the royal portrait we are seeing became irrelevant when a new ruler acceded to the throne and it was effectively covered.
Despite an unsustainable recession in 900 AD and continuing to 1200 AD, the Mayans did not abandon Lamanai. In fact, this city prospered while most others fell to ruin. Its fearable location along the important trading route likely helped this city to survive and prosper, while others failed.

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