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Saturday, November 14, 2009

Palenque Ruins



In the early 80's my father decided to take my brothers and I to Mexico, in an attempt to give us an understanding of who were were, and where we came from. 

An understanding that I have come to embrace today.

It was a three month journey via an old gutted out milk truck. It was filled with a variety of people from our Tutor Rebecca, her son Gregorio, her daughter Pilar, to our tour guide and bestfriend of my father, Maestro, along with myself, my older brother Vince, and my younger brother Daniel. I was about 12 or 13. 

I was too young to appreciate this journey.  We drove all up and down South America from Mexico City to Guatemala. We were fortunate to visit the sacred Mayan Pyramids of Palenque. We walked up the pyramid of King Pacal, and then descended into it.

Back then, we did not have a guide to explain any of the glyphs we were viewing on the walls. There is a theory on a possibility of the Mayans being an advanced extraterestrial civilization that may have left the planet. The theory is reached because the the glyphs uncovered represent the Maya having capabilities to fly some type of rocket, which lends itself to their whole understanding of being one with the Universe, it's in all their writings., and is a theory which is embraced today by top scientist.

The site located now in what is known as the Chiapas State, near the town of Palenque. The city, dating from the classic period (ad 300–900) of the Maya civilization, was buried in a dense tropical forest. The ruins consist of basal platforms supporting pyramids of cut stone, surmounted by stone temples with mansard roofs. Most of the buildings are one story high. Walls have relief figures and hieroglyphic inscriptions, which relate events in royal history. The principal structure, known as the Palace of Inscription, 69.5 m (228 ft) long, stands on a truncated pyramid. An arched bridge and a subterranean waterway is still in place. I remember my father being extremely interested in the ancient plumbing. Today we understand the importance of this. We have always been taught, and portrayed in movies as a primative people, but in actuality the Maya civilization was so far advanced, that this supports the theory of the possibility of advanced knowledge from ET's.

The Maya worshipped several gods/kings, so therefore they broke off and had several tribes/cities. This is why the Spaniards could not conquer the Mayans, they were scattered about that it be very difficult to overtake them. The Aztecs worshipped 1 god, so therefore they all lived within one large city, making it easier to conquer.

Palenque is a ruin city that is part of the Maya civilization that dates back to 100 BC to its fall around 800 AD. It is located on the western edge of the Maya empire near the present-day city of Chiapas, Mexico. The ruins left behind are very well preserved and maintained by local people as well as anthropologists. This remains one of the most popular sites in the world, as people start to understand the importance of the Maya. The ruins can be found throughout a thick forest of mahogany, cedar and sapodilla trees, which in turn has kept the ruins hidden for many years until it was discovered by the Spaniards in the mid to late eighteenth century. In early morning hours the ruins are often covered in a blanket of fog. The fog, combined with the sun and trees produces one of the most aesthetically grand ruins ever visited.

The Ancient Maya people that lived in Palenque had a refined system of writing. They had an extensive written language which was both phonetic and ideographic. Maya words were written in hieroglyphs with each picture having its own meaning. Unlike other ancient central American civilizations, the Maya could write in words, sentences, and even stories. Arranging several pictures together in a logical form would create a story. The Maya covered their cities and buildings with hieroglyphs carved into stone. Most of the Maya could read some hieroglyphs, but the priests and nobles were the only people who actually had knowledge of the entire language. They would use quills made of turkey feathers to write in books made of soft bark taken from a type of fig tree.

Religion was the center of the Maya life. The Maya believed that there were two levels of the world, the first level was the physical world and the second was the spiritual world consisting of dead ancestors, gods, and other supernatural creatures. The Maya kings and spiritual leaders would tell the lower levels of the society what would please the Gods. The Gods were modeled after animals for sacrificial purposes and religious ceremonies. They had an understanding of astronomy, engineering, and mathematics.

Although the sight of Palenque originated at about 100 BC, it did not become a major population with importance in the Maya culture until 600 AD. At this time their greatest ruler, Pacal, assumed power. Pacal took power in 603 AD and ruled for 68 years. During his rule, he emphasized the construction grand buildings to reflect his power. One of his great structures was the Palace. The Palace was made with mansard-type roofs and the walls were covered with priceless stucco carvings of rulers, gods, and ceremonies that have taken place. On the inside of the palace were a plethora of rooms with interior courts that overlooked a four-story square tower that may have served as both lookout and observatory for the people of that time. Underneath the palace and through a long, corbel-vaulted tunnel, a stream ran through carrying a constant supply of running water. Flowing water through a monumental structure like that was a feat of engineering genius. Some say the Palace may not have been lived in because of the cold dampness of the rooms and no sign of people living there.

Another structure Pacal had built would end up being his eternal resting place, the Pyramid of Inscriptions. In this Pyramid he was buried at the age of 80 year old upon the end of his 68-year reign. The importance of this burial site is that it is the most extraordinary feature of Palenque with a tomb that held the sarcophagus of Pacal, an unusually tall ruler. Within this sarcophagus was the richest offering of jade ever seen in a Maya tomb. Placed over his face, a mask fitted with jade mosaic and a suit of priceless jade adorned his body. Each piece of hand- carved jade was threaded together with gold wire.

The Maya were an incredible civilization and nobody knows exactly why the empire fell. Some people believe it was from disease, famine, or civil war. Some believe they left the planet in rockets. Someday we may know more of the secrets of the Maya people with the new discovery of the La Danta Pyramid at Mirador, Guatemala where the Popol Vuh has been oncovered. There is something very much important with the South American people, they all knew that we were one with the Universe, and one with all and living In Lak'ech.

I called my father the other night and we both discussed watching the History channel and viewing the segment on Ancient Civilizations, where did talked about these very Pyramids of Palenque, and how difficult it is today to view these ruins, as we did years prior.  I am very fortunate, and priviledged to be able to have visited this site, once in my lifetime.

Not only did I get a chance to visit this most spectacular site, but I was able to see where I came from, , and then I was able to come to an understanding of who I am today, something not many people are fortunate to declare.

It reminds me of a post by [source - Wave 11:11 blog].

Throughout our childhoods we are taught so many things, and yet we are never taught who we really are we are not told anything about our real self. Without this knowledge how can you understand anything about your true self? We are taught how to function outwardly, but not told who we are inwardly, and no one explains it to us.




I will always be grateful to my father for allowing me the opportunity to learn and understand where I came from. Through this experience I am able to understand that I am connected to all, and all is connected to me, and that we are one with the Universe.

I will be forever grateful for the experiences in life which led up to the trip to Mexico. Had it not been for my mother leaving my father we would have never gone on this exploration.


I was there, I touched the weathered stone walls with my hands, I climbed the steep narrow stairs to the top, I descended to the tomb itself.

Through this experience I have come to understand who I am, where I came from. For this, I thank you Dad.

In Lak'ech!

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La Danta Pyramid, Mirador, Guatemala

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