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A Day Trip to Piedras Negras

 from "Vallescondido," in February 2003. 

by Dwayne Shreve

For a long time, I had wanted to get to the Maya ruins at Piedras Negras, but other things always seemed to get in the way.  The reason for finally going to see these significant Maya ruins was to do it before the dams that Presidente Fox wanted to build could inundate that site and a  number of other cultural treasure of the Maya.  

My original plan was to meet up with a friend in Palenque, Mexico, to share expenses to see Piedras Negras. However, the fellow had a sudden medical problem with complications and could not go. Before anyone presumes that this was just an excuse, he and I had discussed doing the trip while hiking to El Mirador and Nakbé, so this was not one of those people who merely talk about doing things. 

I still had some sort of a viable plan, because I had been in contact with Dave Pentecost, one of the many who are trying to stop the dam. (His weblog gives regular updates as to progress and events in the effort). It was he who told me about Willy Fonseca, the owner of Vallescondido, the restaurant that serves all the tour buses on their way to Yaxchilán and Bonampák. It turns out that Willy also does an actual day trip to the ruins at Piedras Negras.  Unfortunately, Dave did not have the man's telephone number, but I knew where his restaurant is.   

Once I got down to Palenque, I went to see those ruins again, to hike a bit and to stay in nearby El Panchan, which was quite an experience. El Panchan is an almost  maze-like area of four hotels that is nestled in a jungle-like setting.  I also noticed that its popularity is such that a lot of people's first hours were spent looking for a place to stay when I was there. Maybe it won't be so in the off-season. It looked to me like it would be best to show up around or before check out time to find what is available, but a couple I met on the plane to Villahermosa managed to find something late at night. 

I bumped into two travelers, Lars and Solange, whom I had met on the plane to Villahermosa and had seen on the bus to Palenque.  They had met a few other people along the way and we all ended up drinking beer and sitting around a table at Don Mucho's. Our group was comprised of a Japanese, a German, a Canadian, two Mexicans, a Dane, a Belgian and me, the Estadounidense. English does seem to be the international language in these situations and so it was there.  It was wonderful meeting all these intelligent, inquisitive young people over many a beer.

The next day I headed out, planning to get to Vallescondido somewhat early to arrange a trip and head onward. Once back in Palenque, I went to the Combi station that goes the direction of the restaurant just off Calle Allende. What I should have done as soon as I found that the next combi was fully booked was to head down to the Lagos de Montebello station near the market and hop the next bus. 

However, I didn't remember that there was a bus station for those heading south and the city map I had did not mention it, so I waited a couple hours and got a later ride than necessary. I also paid more than needed, because the combi people charge a fare all the way to Frontera, no matter where you stop. On my later ride there, the bus charged only me to Vallescondido, which is  61 kilometers from Palenque, while Frontera is 174.

I arrived at Vallescondido and found out that Willy was gone to Mexico City and no one knew when he would be back. I learned this just in time to watch my combi disappear down the road. This seemed like a very good time to have lunch, a sip a beer and to ask for Willy's phone number.  The lunch was good, the beer was cold and they brought me the number. With a good meal and beverage, things looked good then and they did turn out well.  

With some difficulty, I headed south to spend the night at Chansayab, the Lacandón village and to practice my Yucatec Maya. The next morning, I headed to Frontera Corozal. Once I saw Yaxchilán, I returned to Palenque, where I found a phone and called Willy. It turned out that he was back at Palenque already and I hurried to meet him. Describing myself as wearing a hat that says "Mexico" on it, he said that he too was wearing a hat, but he is bald. Since I understood that I would meet him at or near the Restaurante Maya, I figured I could find it easily. I got to what I thought should the correct corner, but did not see anything remotely like the restaurant I was in when I first saw television reports of the first World Trade Center bombing.   

The restaurant turned out to be closed and it was being remodeled. Willy had mentioned the corner by the restaurant, but  I somehow thought to meet inside. He saw me looking confused and walked over. He and I sat in the zócalo and I arranged the trip with him. 

I found that the normal charge is for an minimum of 4 people and is $125 US each, but in my case, where there were no others, I ended up paying $280 US. This was reasonable, especially considering that the good people at Frontera Corozal had wanted $400 for a day trip and $700 for an overnighter, both involving 4 hours each way by boat. These too would have allowed for four people, but the idea of four hours each way on a boat kept me from a counter-offer.

Included in my cost was dinner and my use the night before of a cabaña with three double beds and a bathroom with an actual bath tub edged stone around the upper edges. Willy is planning to build more cabañas, so this could become a destination in its own right. 

The next morning, the truck was already loaded with a large boat and motor when I strolled over to the restaurant. Although Willy had offered me the use of the cabaña to allow for an earlier start, we did not get away until around 8:30 due to the hectic schedule for breakfast and I could easily have gotten there early enough for breakfast via combi-bus or one of the more useful buses near the market. 

Once underway, Willy and I rode in the cab and two helpers, Alberto and Isaac, rode in the back. The way led a few kilometers south on the highway and then through gravel roads, where almost everyone seemed to know Willy.  At one point, he stopped to buy some ice for the cooler. After nearly two hours, we pulled into a small village called Nueva Esperanza and then down to the put in point on the river. 

A lot of men gathered and some began to help carry the boat and some took the motor. Alberto and I carried the cooler with the beer. Later I understood that certain men turn out every time Willy takes a group and they all get paid for it. It probably does wonders for the local economy. He certainly seems to be both well known and well liked.

There was some sort of problem with attaching the motor and finally Willy joined the fray.  A mere couple of minutes later, the boat was ready for the ride.

It probably us only took around 20 minutes to get to Piedras Negras by boat and, despite the river being quite low,  the so-called rapids were little more than ripples.  I know that there some terrible ones well below the site, but we would not be seeing them. 

The beach at the site is a bit larger than those along the way, but other than a black rock atop a pile of other  rocks, there is nothing to show that there is a ruin there from the river. However, looking back at the rock from above, it is clear that it includes an engraved image.

During his actual tour of Piedras Negras, Willy brought along a sheaf of copies of drawings by Tatiana Proskouriakoff, a noted artist and archaeologist.  At each significant location, he pulled out the appropriate one to show her rendition of how the scene would have looked back in the Maya Late Classic Period.  This really helped me greatly to understand it better. 

Once we had seen most of the site, we rested a bit at Tatiana's grave. Her stone is built into a wall of the highest building at the ruins.  Alberto poured something of a vodka mix onto the stone and stuck a cigarette into an indentation above it, stating that she liked both cigarettes and vodka. He and I drank a toast to her, but I didn't partake of the vodka. We did also wipe off what appeared to be some dirt on the stone.

Actually, it was quite hard for me to rest there. Here I was, finally at Piedras Negras! How could I rest? I wandered around the high area, looking at things, here and there.  Yes, I did rest a bit. Then we headed back down to the boat and the provisions.

The trip included a sandwich, soft drinks and beer. After lunch, we got in the boat and went upriver to El Porvenir, where we finally signed in with Guatemalan officials and also saw the local site. No one asked for any passports and a local guardián showed us around the five or so mounds, which comprise the ruins there. Willy slipped him some sort of tip for this and we headed back downriver. 

I had had the option of either seeing more ruins, such as El Porvenir and La Mar or heading to Busil-Ha falls and swimming.  After El Porvenir, I was starting to think that swimming might have been the better approach, but then we went to the one at La Mar, which does have a standing building and then we saw a cenote. I can always swim, but how often can I see a ruin that is new to me?

Back at Nueva Esperanza, there was what passes for a flurry of activity there as the men got the boat and supplies back onto the truck. Once everything was back in place, Willy asked enough questions of the men to see how things were going for certain ones and paid all of those who had helped. Then we were off to see the other ruin and the cenote. 

Once back at Vallescondido, I said adios and "que te vaya bien" to Willy and headed to the road. He accompanied me and we chatted. However, it was later in the day than we might have ended the trip and the road did not have any buses or combis for a while. Eventually, Willy motioned for some fellow in a truck to pull over, whom he appeared to know. He asked the driver to drop me off at his destination, Chancala, which was much closer to Palenque and turned out to have more frequent transportation to Palenque. As it was, I got dropped off and almost immediately got a combi ride back into town.

This is a great trip for people who want to see something of ruins that do something for the local community and are away from the flow of tourists. If you prefer the crowds, it is not your cup of tea.