Another view of the temple at Topoxte. All day, a herd of wild goats roamed the island, and just as I set up to take this picture, they climbed onto the lower ledge for an afternoon siesta. Best models I've worked with yet - consumate professionals.
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Temple of the Jaguar. |
| Canopy view of Tikal. | |
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Temple of the Jaguar. |
| Twin Pyramid Plaza. | |
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This picture, and the next three, are from Yaxja and Topoxte, two Mayan centers in the jungles of Guatemala. Yaxja is on the southern banks of Lake Yaxja while Topoxte is on a small island in the northern reaches of the lake, accessible only by boat. This is the temple at Topoxte. |
Another view of the temple at Topoxte. All day, a herd of wild goats roamed the island, and just as I set up to take this picture, they climbed onto the lower ledge for an afternoon siesta. Best models I've worked with yet - consumate professionals. | |
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A full view of the temple at Topoxte. Goats still in pose. Topoxte, of the Mayan Classic period, flourished for two centuries after its peer Classic centers had been abandoned. |
| Yaxja is not a very popular site in Guatemala with the gringo set, but I went there on the way to meet Brian and loved it. It's loaded with wildlife. I spent an entire morning tracking several troops of spider monkeys and howler monkeys through the jungle. I saw more tropical birds here than anywhere, including an array of toucans and parrots, not to mention the ones I can't identify. The campground is superb, and there was only one other visitor in the site the day I left. The lake is pristine. The temples are large and surrounded by jungle. I tried to bribe a guard to sleep on this one, but he refused. Not to be denied, I snuck onto a slighty shorter temple on the other side of the center, and slept there above the canopy, through the wind and condensation that soaked everything and the unbelievably loud roars of several troops of howlers just below my stone bed...all night. I barely slept, but then why would I want to? It was awesome. | |
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Lake Yaxja and Topoxte Island at sunset. |