Finding myself hardly in the mood Thursday morning for a six hour microbus trip I stayed in Copan another night, and I'm glad I did since my ticket to the ruins was also good for a secondary site further down the road, Las Sepulturas, which experts theorize may have been housing for the ancient Maya civilization's power elite.
Though smaller than the primary site, Las Sepulturas in its way is even more impressive. Almost completely shrouded in jungle growth along a couple dirt trails, these ruins capture the imagination in ways the more touristed main area doesn't. As I was busy snapping away with my camera, and filling my memory card in the process, it occurred to me that kids would love this place. In a setting out of an Indiana Jones flick, on ruins where one can easily climb to the top and be master of all one sees, children can fancy themselves warrior princes and princessess from another millenium.
The mosquitos, however, were vicious. Located on lower ground than the main site and close to the winding Copan River, swarms of them lie in wait for the instant you stop to take a photo. And these suckers can bite through denim! Experts remain puzzled about the reasons for the sudden decline of the Maya. Could the lowly mosquito have played a bit part?
Yesterday's bus ride was relatively easy and uneventful as I shared a micro with a British couple and a German woman. We had the whole van to ourselves, and apart from some Friday evening traffic snarls in Guatemala City, everything went smoothly and we were only half an hour late.
Antigua, yet another Central American capital, is a classic destination in these parts. Even though there are tons of tourists here and the prices are higher than elsewhere, I'm glad to be back for a return visit to swim in the town's lovely charms. Because this capital city had more staying power than other towns like Gracias, it's larger in area and has many more architectural marvels. If I can buy a new memory card I'll probably go hog wild with the camera here too.
The timing of my arrival here may be fortuitous as tomorrow, Sunday, is one of the market days of Chichicastenango, which is only a couple hours northwest of here. I'm looking into joining a $10 day tour so I can remain based in Antigua.
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