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Hotel, Posada: La Canada $25 night USD
Bus: ADO Station in town
Camping: Maya Bell RV and Camping Park
Phone: 011-52- 916-345-0798
Bus: ADO Station in town
Camping: Maya Bell RV and Camping Park
Phone: 011-52- 916-345-0798
Bonampak Ruin site, is an abandoned stone city built by the Mayans between the 5th and 10th centuries
AD near the Usamacinta River and the border with Guatemala in Mexico's southern most State of Chiapas.
Bonampak was once an important Mayan political center allied with nearby Yaxchilan. The Mayan
inhabitants abandoned the city around 1000 AD.
From the city of Palenque, collectivos and tour buses make the two and a half hour trip to Bonampak and
Yaxchilan. Tours also leave Palenque and follow a different road for the cascades of Agua Azule and for
San Cristobal de las Casas.
To visit Bonampak Ruin Site: For Independent Travelers: Catch the White collective taxis (no frills
vans) for 60 pesos that make runs to the Frontera about every hour starting at 5 am. They pick up and drop
off passengers and cargo all along the way.
Stop at the crossroads for Bonampak where another cab stand will have trips for the additional 14 miles on
a dirt road to the site. Could be $70 pesos round trip. Look for the man with the red VW.
To continue beyond Bonampak and enter the Frontera, have 15 Pesos additional.
Have lots of small change; no one will have change to break anything over a twenty peso bill. Inquire first
before taking a taxi or collectivo; prices vary greatly. Have lots of water.
This road runs parallel to the Usamacinta River, a frontier along the Guatemalan border that until 1990 did
not have a road. The local people have been in an uneasy truce with the government for several years after
a revolution centered in San Cristobal de las Casas that simmered down about eight years go. These
isolated people are not used to strangers and can seem unfriendly. If you are not comfortable travelling
independently, ( Know some Spanish, know the money, can tolerate high temperatures and high humidity,
know how to find north if you are stranded) go as part of a group tour out of Palenque.
Two outfits run the collectivos to the Frontera: Chambalu and Chamoan. A terminal is located near the
Cabeza Maya sculpture, just down the hill and to the right side of the road you can find their terminal. Inquire
at the tourist center on Avenue Juarez at the Plaza of Artisans. Transportes Chamoan has an office
nearby on Ave Miguel Hidalgo.
Most of the collectivos round the Cabeza Maya, a handy place to catch a ride to the ruins. They also stop at
the gas station just after the monument Madre Chol on the road to Agua Azule.
Tour agencies located in the town of Palenque also run trips that are guided.
Immigration authorities are active on the road, best to have a passport and copy of your Mexican visa.
Campgrounds, hotels, and posadas are plentiful in Palenque along the road to Palenque ruins. The village
of 85,000 has plentiful bus service with an ADO terminal on the main street and several others nearby.
Campgrounds, inns, posadas, and plush hotels are available on the entrance road to the archaeological
site.
AD near the Usamacinta River and the border with Guatemala in Mexico's southern most State of Chiapas.
Bonampak was once an important Mayan political center allied with nearby Yaxchilan. The Mayan
inhabitants abandoned the city around 1000 AD.
From the city of Palenque, collectivos and tour buses make the two and a half hour trip to Bonampak and
Yaxchilan. Tours also leave Palenque and follow a different road for the cascades of Agua Azule and for
San Cristobal de las Casas.
To visit Bonampak Ruin Site: For Independent Travelers: Catch the White collective taxis (no frills
vans) for 60 pesos that make runs to the Frontera about every hour starting at 5 am. They pick up and drop
off passengers and cargo all along the way.
Stop at the crossroads for Bonampak where another cab stand will have trips for the additional 14 miles on
a dirt road to the site. Could be $70 pesos round trip. Look for the man with the red VW.
To continue beyond Bonampak and enter the Frontera, have 15 Pesos additional.
Have lots of small change; no one will have change to break anything over a twenty peso bill. Inquire first
before taking a taxi or collectivo; prices vary greatly. Have lots of water.
This road runs parallel to the Usamacinta River, a frontier along the Guatemalan border that until 1990 did
not have a road. The local people have been in an uneasy truce with the government for several years after
a revolution centered in San Cristobal de las Casas that simmered down about eight years go. These
isolated people are not used to strangers and can seem unfriendly. If you are not comfortable travelling
independently, ( Know some Spanish, know the money, can tolerate high temperatures and high humidity,
know how to find north if you are stranded) go as part of a group tour out of Palenque.
Two outfits run the collectivos to the Frontera: Chambalu and Chamoan. A terminal is located near the
Cabeza Maya sculpture, just down the hill and to the right side of the road you can find their terminal. Inquire
at the tourist center on Avenue Juarez at the Plaza of Artisans. Transportes Chamoan has an office
nearby on Ave Miguel Hidalgo.
Most of the collectivos round the Cabeza Maya, a handy place to catch a ride to the ruins. They also stop at
the gas station just after the monument Madre Chol on the road to Agua Azule.
Tour agencies located in the town of Palenque also run trips that are guided.
Immigration authorities are active on the road, best to have a passport and copy of your Mexican visa.
Campgrounds, hotels, and posadas are plentiful in Palenque along the road to Palenque ruins. The village
of 85,000 has plentiful bus service with an ADO terminal on the main street and several others nearby.
Campgrounds, inns, posadas, and plush hotels are available on the entrance road to the archaeological
site.
| Bonampak Murals, Mayan Ruin Site Chiapas, Mexico |
Bonampak Murals: some researchers believe that the murals
commemorate a battle and the subjugation of a neighboring city.
commemorate a battle and the subjugation of a neighboring city.
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Bonampak, an ancient Mayan city, was at its height from 600AD to 1000 AD.
Noted for its mural wall paintings in vivid colors that depict events before and after a battle and also
noted for having the largest Stele in Mexico, Bonampak can be reached in about three hours via collective
taxi or tour van out of the town of Palenque.
Noted for its mural wall paintings in vivid colors that depict events before and after a battle and also
noted for having the largest Stele in Mexico, Bonampak can be reached in about three hours via collective
taxi or tour van out of the town of Palenque.
At one time the buildings were
coated in stucco and painted as the
remnants of red paint show
coated in stucco and painted as the
remnants of red paint show
Each small building at the top of the Acropolis houses
a sandstone column
a sandstone column
From Bonampaks main plaza a stairway leads to the
acropolis where three chambers shelter the murals.
acropolis where three chambers shelter the murals.
Bonampak's murals are in rooms that have stucco carving on the underside of the
lintels at the entrance. These carvings are well preserved because of their sheltered
place. They depict the slaughter of prisoners.
lintels at the entrance. These carvings are well preserved because of their sheltered
place. They depict the slaughter of prisoners.
Bonampak was settled around 200 AD and slowly
developed until reaching its peak in 600 AD and
then flourishing in many building stages until 900 to
1000 AD.
Bonampak was allied with nearby Yaxchilan
through a marriage of its king to the sister of the
king of Yaxchilan somewhere between 760 and
790 AD.
The Bonampak murals contain a date of 792, the
latest date found at the site.
The murals were started sometime in the mid 700s
and according to some researchers
commemorate a battle and subsequent victory and
subjugation of an unidentified neighboring town.
Chaan Muan II the leader depicted as victorious in
the Bonampak murals, ruled from 772 AD to 792
AD during what appears to be Bonampak's zenith
and its most prolific building stage.
developed until reaching its peak in 600 AD and
then flourishing in many building stages until 900 to
1000 AD.
Bonampak was allied with nearby Yaxchilan
through a marriage of its king to the sister of the
king of Yaxchilan somewhere between 760 and
790 AD.
The Bonampak murals contain a date of 792, the
latest date found at the site.
The murals were started sometime in the mid 700s
and according to some researchers
commemorate a battle and subsequent victory and
subjugation of an unidentified neighboring town.
Chaan Muan II the leader depicted as victorious in
the Bonampak murals, ruled from 772 AD to 792
AD during what appears to be Bonampak's zenith
and its most prolific building stage.
The Bonampak Murals: The Murals occupy 1,600 square feet of wall and ceiling
space in three rooms that face the large plaza of Bonampak's main site. According to
some researchers, the murals record the preparation for a battle, the battle and the
subsequent sacrificing of prisoners and the celebration after the battle.
The leader Chaan Muan II is depicted with his wife, mother, and son. The date 792 AD is
found on the mural, the latest date so far found at Bonampak, which reached its peak
between 600 AD and 900 AD.
The Bonampak murals show at least 270 people dressed in different ritual costumes and
is rendered in colors made from mineral and vegetable dyes that were applied over
limestone stucco. The scene demonstrates an alliance with nearby Yaxchilan through a
marriage of Chaan Muan II to the sister of the king of Yaxchilan and the presentation of
the son of Chaan Muan II as possible heir.
The Bonampak murals also depict the battle and the subsequent torture of prisoners by
the removal of their fingernails and they show ritual bloodletting by women piercing their
tongues.
The murals were started sometime in the mid 700s and record the subjugation of an
unidentified neighboring town by Chaan Muan II who ruled from 772 AD to 792 AD
during what appears to be Bonampak's zenith, its most prolific building stage and
perhaps its last..
space in three rooms that face the large plaza of Bonampak's main site. According to
some researchers, the murals record the preparation for a battle, the battle and the
subsequent sacrificing of prisoners and the celebration after the battle.
The leader Chaan Muan II is depicted with his wife, mother, and son. The date 792 AD is
found on the mural, the latest date so far found at Bonampak, which reached its peak
between 600 AD and 900 AD.
The Bonampak murals show at least 270 people dressed in different ritual costumes and
is rendered in colors made from mineral and vegetable dyes that were applied over
limestone stucco. The scene demonstrates an alliance with nearby Yaxchilan through a
marriage of Chaan Muan II to the sister of the king of Yaxchilan and the presentation of
the son of Chaan Muan II as possible heir.
The Bonampak murals also depict the battle and the subsequent torture of prisoners by
the removal of their fingernails and they show ritual bloodletting by women piercing their
tongues.
The murals were started sometime in the mid 700s and record the subjugation of an
unidentified neighboring town by Chaan Muan II who ruled from 772 AD to 792 AD
during what appears to be Bonampak's zenith, its most prolific building stage and
perhaps its last..
View of the Plaza from the Acropolis
The Acropolis is built on a natural hill that slopes up from the main plaza. A colony
of weaver birds fills a tree in the plaza
of weaver birds fills a tree in the plaza
Bonampak is noted for its murals
and for the many stele that
commemorate its rulers. One
monument is the largest stone of its kind
found in Mexico.
Most notable perhaps is Stele 2 which
shows the Emperor of Bonampak,
Chaan Muan II who ruled from 772 to
792 AD.
He is accompanied by his wife, the sister
of the ruler of nearby Yaxchilan, and by
his mother. They are depicted in a blood
letting ritual, his mother standing in front
of him holds a devil fish spine to perform
the piercing. His wife standing behind
holds the vessel that will receive the
blood for later ritual burning.
and for the many stele that
commemorate its rulers. One
monument is the largest stone of its kind
found in Mexico.
Most notable perhaps is Stele 2 which
shows the Emperor of Bonampak,
Chaan Muan II who ruled from 772 to
792 AD.
He is accompanied by his wife, the sister
of the ruler of nearby Yaxchilan, and by
his mother. They are depicted in a blood
letting ritual, his mother standing in front
of him holds a devil fish spine to perform
the piercing. His wife standing behind
holds the vessel that will receive the
blood for later ritual burning.
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Soft Seat Travel
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