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Quote of the month...

"Standing tall is a very admirable thing. There are very few stories in history of heroes who slouched to the rescue. Likewise, most individuals don't look up to people who are drooped over."
from Leven Thumps and the Wrath of Ezra by Obert Skye

my family

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Foto Story Friday #28 -- Guatemala Quirigua Ruins


Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek


As promised  we continue on to the ruins.....
I took so many pictures here it was extremely hard to choose which ones to share.
When we got off the bus at Quirigua, we were directed toward the restrooms and on the way were given worry dolls and shown the line.  In the bathroom we had to share the space with these lovely 8-legged creatures!
And then we saw this sign:
After our potty break, we headed down the path.  The trees amazed me, how they just twist around each other.
We were greeted with a field of pillars.  
They were completely covered in hiroglyphs Each one told the story of how the king, Sky Burner, defeated 18 Rabbit of Copan.  Then went on to tell the history of the past year or two.  
There were 3 right in a row.  I was very impressed with all the detail each side presented.  
He lost his nose.... gives this face an Egyptian feel. When this site was discovered most of the pillars had fallen over.  They were all righted and a protective cover built over each one.   
I have no idea what this square says, but it is interesting.
This is Sky Burner's tombstone.  The marker of his death, but not where he was buried.  He has not been found, but they have a few ideas.
This beautiful tree is the Mayan Tree of Life.  
The mound you see behind the trees, is a candidate for Sky Burner's burial house.
This site was different from Lamanai, in that there are no visible temples here.  There is a palace though. 
Close up on the carvings of one of the many alters on the site.
Our tour group sitting on the steps of the palace.  
The sign at the top of the steps.
Looking down
At the top there are buildings
And steps down into the courtyard {for lack of a better word.}
Of course, I had to get across the area and look at the back side.  You see where the trees are?  If you got near, you would see the edge of a ravine where the river once flowed. 
Looking across the palace courtyard.
I wanted to get an angle to show the size of the area, but I'm not sure it was possible.
The site is still active.
The same place as the above photo, from across the yard.
And right across the way is this active area.  The guys were sitting in the shade having lunch.
Another angle on the courtyard.
The building at the top of the stairs, had these windows, and I just liked how these two pictures turned out. 

Another alter.
Some were big and others small, each decorated all over!
Another pillar.
See how many Pillars Sky Burner had built?  A friend asked the guys mowing the grass how long it took them to get it all cut and he said when they had gas about 2 days and without gas 2 weeks with machetes!
This was my favorite pillar, I loved that it was at an angle.
As I was nearly running to catch the bus, I looked up and saw the sun shining through the trees. Although I didn't capture the rays, I like how a shot up shows the dense vegetation.  I will continue with Guatemala next week.

18 comments:

larkswing said...

I love these pictures of your trip! They are really phun! :)

koopermom said...

What an awesome experience!...But those spiders freak me out.

Alex @ I'm the Mom said...

Awesome pictures! Um, very weird sign in the bathroom though and creepy spiders.

Honey Mommy said...

SO many lovely photos!

I love the Mayan Tree of Life... did NOT enjoy the spiders though!

Are You Serious! said...

♥ Great pictures! :)

Lindsay said...

wow - those pics are great = amazing what different parts of the world are like...I appreciate the USA!

Chris said...

I am VERY jealous! I have always wanted to go to Guatemala.

Danyele Easterhaus said...

wow...super ruins! i love it!

Lorina said...

Wow.. great pictures. I need a vactation.

Jaime said...

Sounds like an amazing trip!

CC said...

This looks so incredible! I would love to take this trip. Someday....

Liz {Learning To Juggle} said...

So beautiful!! I went to Guatemala about 15 years ago - what a beautiful place (well in the right areas anyway!!)

Elle said...

wow what a fantastic trip.
So full of history and natural beauty.

imbeingheldhostage said...

WOW. What a great experience and wonderful photo story!

I'm on facebook, come be my friend :-)

Merry Christmas to you and your family!!!

Shellie said...

I loved this tour, those ruins are amazing!!!

Jenners said...

Hello--Stopping by to say thanks for visiting my blog. I'm happy to see more of your cruise pics. We might have to look for a cruise to Guatamala. These photos are great. I know my son would love the ruins (all those steps). And the jungle shots are amazing!

Tristi Pinkston said...

Holy cow, awesome pictures! What an amazing trip.

I'm not sure how I'd feel about throwing my toilet paper away, though ...

Krystyn @ Really, Are You Serious? said...

Ummm..except for the spiders and the toilet paper, that looks beautiful