Nim Li Punit

Howler monkeys! How fabulous to hear them at night right away. One of the girls had said that they sounded like dinosaurs. They do, but that's because the movie folks must have heard howler monkeys and made them the sound that dinosaurs make in the movies. Their call is eerie and haunting, the sound carries for miles, bands must compete with each other across the river, and I never tired of it, whether I went to sleep to the sound or woke up to it in the morning. 

Our first full day in Belize and we started with 8am yoga for 90 minutes. For a girl who's never done a class more than 75 minutes, well, it was a long class. And a hard one, but this was why I was there, right?

After breakfast, we loaded into the van and headed out for our first group excursion. Destination: Nim Li Punit, one of the Maya ruins. Actually, the Journeys group had visited here in February, but I'd missed it -- that was the morning I was ill. So I was excited! I don't often get the chance to do something I'd previously missed.

Along the way we saw lots of cattle egrets, a lovely eastern meadowlark, and a flying group of Montezuma oropendula. I already knew that there were some type of oropendula nearby, as the call I'd heard that morning reminded me of an oropendula from the Amazon, different, but still reminiscent of falling water. Maybe I'm wrong, but while several of the other girls talked about wanting to do some birding, no one else seemed able to name or recognize any birds. I'm not an expert by far, but I enjoy it. "Pop" was our guide for the day, and I often chatted with him about birds I'd seen around the lodge or on our excursions. When I left, he told me I should come back and guide birding with him. I was quite honored, and flattered. Imagine if I only had the time to do it regularly…. *sigh*

But I digress. Nim Li Punit (often translated as "Big Hat" from the Q'eqchi' Maya language) is in the foothills of the Maya Mountains and very well known for its stelae. "Discovered" in 1976, Hurricane Iris tried to destroy the site about ten years ago. It's beautiful and lush, and fascinating to think that most of the trees have grown since the hurricane. There is a nice visitor center which talks a lot about the area Maya and their customs. In this region of Belize, Toledo District, mostly Q'eqchi' and Mopán Maya people live. Pop is Mopán, but also speaks Q'eqchi'. The folks who worked at the site were mostly Q'eqchi'. Many of the other Maya who worked at the lodge were Q'eqchi'.

 Glyphs from one of the stelae now protected indoors. Too bad I can't read Maya glyphs.

 One of the panels that shows the carving of "Big Hat" Nim Li Punit. This carving is on the longest of the 26 stelae found at the site. Many are very weathered, and some have been defaced. This stelae is now in the visitor center.

 The site is well-known for its terracing and adjusted landscapes. The Maya clearly moved earth and rock to create platforms and plazas. It's quite remarkable and lovely.

 Some of the beautiful foliage. Belize gets quite a bit of rain, so tropical forest dominates the area. I think these are a type of kahun palm, which provide thatch for roofs and hearts of palm for eating.

 Stunning stonework. Of course, I'm a bit preoccupied with terraces and stone walls just now, owing to my Inka Road project….

 This is the jipijapa palm. I was so excited to learn of this! There is a town we've passed in Ecuador, and bus station in Quito we've disembarked at, but my friend didn't know anything about the unusual name. 

 And once you take the right part, and remove the outer layer, you are left with these very soft and pliable fronds, which are woven into baskets often used for bread. We all stood around eating heart of palm from the forest and playing with these palm fronds.

 So so green!

 Strangler fig. This tree won't be long for this world now, as the fig sucks away all its nutrients. Parasite.

 Yup, natural rubber! This was a new one for me.

 You take a rubber tree, and score these Xs into it, and drain the sap from the point.

 The sap is white and thick and very sticky. Once it dries, you get the material we're all familiar with. Very amazing.

We then circled around to the South group of the site, which is known for the Royal Tombs and the Plaza of the Stelae. It is believed that the local royal family was once buried in the tombs. The Plaza contained all 26 of the stelae found at the site, mostly encircling a large courtyard. The reason for the arrangement is unknown. 

 Some have been protected from the elements and left in situ. The glyphs tell a variety of stories, from history to family trees and all manner of political events.

 And in the center, fruit trees! This one, I was so excited to find out, is my favorite, the guanábana or soursop. Turns out, they grew at the lodge too. This one is about a foot long and isn't yet full grown or ripe.

 More stelae. The one on the right was already so badly weathered that it didn't receive any protection from the elements.

Between the South group and the East group is the ballcourt. The Maya were famous for their ancient game, which was played with a super hard and fairly large rubber ball which often broke bones. Contestants were not allowed to use their hands, but could use most other parts of their bodies--heads, shoulders, forearms, elbows, chests, hips, shins, etc. They often wore a large and heavy stone yoke around their middle to protect them.

Players used the stone in the center and the slope of the sides of the court to bounce and play the ball. The game was embedded with many complex ritual and religious beliefs. Sacrifice, often of the losers, was not uncommon at the game's conclusion.

 The stone centerpiece.

From here you can see the I-shape of the court. Some courts were very large, some were painted, some had murals….

Years ago, the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte did a fabulous exhibition on the Maya ballgame, one I was lucky to stumble upon in my one visit to Charlotte. The online site still exists and is great fun: Maya Ball Game.

Back then through the East group, which is postulated to have been an astronomical observatory because of the layout of the terraces. The Maya in this location were probably heavy traders, with jade and obsidian passing through from nearby areas, being exchanged for spondylus shell and other commodities. The site is recognized as one that represents prestige and importance.

After, we went to Pop's house to eat the lunch the lodge packed for us. We then headed off through the downpour to the afternoon's adventure -- zip lining and tubing at Big Falls!

As you know, I'm a wimp, so zip lining was not in my plans. Most of the girls went, and those of us who didn't saw the others take their last two runs. They had a blast, but I know what I don't like, and heights and flying are two of those things. I also had a wicked tension headache by this time. Welcome to the jungle! I'd forgotten.

And the rains had returned too. So tubing was put off for another day. We got back to the lodge with some time to relax before dinner, which I appreciated, since it would be nearly another full day before the headache released and I acclimated to the humid tropical environment.