The Lacandon people, descendants of the ancient Maya, are developing ecotourism in one of the world’s wildest jungles.
By Marcus Woolf
Elias Chan Bor Yuk, a member of the Lacandon Maya, at the Bonampak archeological site.
It’s one thing to wander a Mexico jungle looking for Mayan ruins, but it’s quite another to do this while wearing a life jacket and helmet, and carrying a paddle—all while scrambling to stay on the heels of Elias Chan Bor Yuk, a fast-moving member of the Lacandon, descendants of the Maya.
And yet there I was. After a rough-and-tumble rafting trip on the Lacanja River in Chiapas, (near the border with Guatemala), we hopped on a jungle trail for a four-mile hike back to our camp. After walking a narrow, muddy path for a while, Elias took a detour up a small but steep hill.
At the top stood a blocky stone structure that was crumbling and overgrown with ferns and jungle vines. The small promontory was walled in by thick forest, and you couldn’t have seen the stone pinnacle unless you climbed to it. Elias informed my fellow travelers and me that this was the top of a Mayan structure—maybe a temple—and the hill beneath our feet was really the stone sides of the structure now almost completely disguised by dirt and vegetation.
To stand on a hidden ruin with an actual descendant of the Mayans who lived here thousands of years ago—well, let’s just say I no longer cared so much that I was hot and sweaty and hiking with rafting gear.
Our post-rafting jungle trek to the top of a Mayan structure
Like their ancestors, the Lacondon Maya remained a mysterious people for a long time. They lived deep in the jungle and had little contact with the outside world until the early 20th Century when people came into their area to farm and harvest timber. Interaction with other cultures gradually increased, and in 1951 archaeologist Frans Blom and his wife Gertrude "Trudi" Duby Blom established the scientific and cultural center Casa Na Bolom in San Cristóbal de las Casas to help the Lacandon deal with changes brought about by the increased exposure.
In 1971, the Mexican government gave the Lacondon the rights to more than 614,000 hectares of land, which they still control. They occupy one of the largest rainforests left in the world, and it’s massive enough to support rare species like the jaguar and howler monkeys, whose eerie, rough-throated roar will make you imagine that a forest demon is coming for you.
Bonampak archaeological site
There are only about 1,000 members of the Lacondon community, and they are concentrated in two villages, Metzabok and Naja, each home to somewhere between 250 and 300 people. Travelers are welcome to visit, as eco-tourism has become an important part of the Lacondon economy. “You’ll see that they show great hospitality,” said María Luisa Armendáriz Guerra of Casa Na Bolom, noting that the Lacondon people have become more sophisticated in catering to adventure travelers. “They understand the concept of protecting the environment, and they will teach you about their rituals and give you the tools to enjoy adventures,” she said.
The Lacondon “camps” serving travelers include rustic huts and concrete structures with thatch roofs. You’ll probably find a bathroom and shower, but be prepared to share your space with ants and lizards. The village restaurants are pavilion-type buildings covered in thatch and set in the jungle, so you can enjoy a dinner of tortillas, black beans, chicken and beef, with a cacophony of bird and monkey calls all around.
A real treat for me was having Elias guide us through Bonampak, a Maya archaeological site. He led us to the top of the Temple of the Murals and explained the content of the interior frescos painted around 800 A.D. He pointed out that hundreds of other ancient structures lie scattered throughout the rainforest, and many have not been excavated because they remain hidden beneath soil and vegetation.
While the Lacondon Maya are no longer so isolated, there’s still plenty to explore and discover in their remote pocket of the world. And I’m glad I was able to follow Elias to the top of that small hill and stand in a place that seems untouched by modern man.
Travel Resources
The companies Ecoexperiencias and Explora Ecoturismo y Aventura lead adventure travel tours in Chiapas.
To learn more about the Lacondon culture, visit the Na Bolom website
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