Lacandon Biosphere Reserve

We left Bonampak around noon and drove a few miles to the town of Lacanha and on to the Lacandon Biosphere Reserve where we were scheduled to take a nature walk. A necessary rest stop was made and permission was given for the use of the facilities, a porcelain toilet in an outhouse. Picture (upper left) is of the back side of that establishment featuring the outdoor kitchen. We drove a little farther searching several places to find an eatery that met Ricardo's standards. This was another thatched roof, open air dining area furnished with tree sections (stumps) for seating. The picture in the upper right corner of the collage features Ricardo and two of our traveling companions who are talking with the lady proprietor. Below, Steve, Darlene and Lorna are contemplating the lunch (lower left) and Steve is sampling an ear of roasted corn. Settling the bill for the meal is shown in the last picture and is significant as we all were generously contributing to the tip for the young man who was our waiter. He is standing behind the lady of the house and was an excellent server who rushed our meals from the kitchen in the neighboring shelter to the tables with acumen of a master waiter. The meal was grilled pollo (chicken) with vegetables and very good.

After lunch we traveled on to the Biosphere where our Lacandon Guide took us on a long walk in the jungle, The trail was pretty much devoid of any hills but there were plenty of stream crossings and a great variety of very interesting vegetation. Too many species to describe even if we could remember them. Our Lacandon Guide could not speak English and Richardo was translating for us. From all appearances Richardo was being creative in supplying missing details.

The Collage below is a sample of the terrain we traveled showing several water falls, tall trees as well as low plants such as philodendrons and fungi. The tall tree (lower right) contained a viewing platform in the upper branches accessible by a climbing rope. Pictured in the sign at its base were instructions for using the climbing equipment. None of us tried the rope or cared to, it was a long way up to the platform and the rope did not appear to have been used in a long time!

The trail was about three kilometers long ending at a riverside camp site in use by overnight tourist. We took a short rest and hiked back out to the bus. Day light was on the wane as we boarded the bus and proceeded to return our Lacandon guide to his house. Upon arriving the group was offered a look inside his the home to observe Lacandon living conditions. This offer was made with the understanding that a substantial gratuity in pesos was required and dollars were not acceptable. As it turned out it was not the guides home at all, but belonged to a relative. Most of the group took part, but as neither of us had enough pesos on hand we declined to participate! So much for privacy and dignity but certainly commercialism is alive and well in the reserve.

The Lacando Indians have lived in isolation in this area for a long time and are considered to be descendants of the Maya. They were very seldom seen when we first visited the area some 20 years ago. Occasionally they could be seen, in their traditional dress, (a long white sheath of bleached cotton) in the market selling hand made items. They were very shy, perhaps because they spoke only their own language, very little Spanish and less English. It appeared that over the years that they received the short end of many dealings with people out side their home land. While foreigners admired them, in those early years, as the "Noble Savage living off the land" exploitations occurred all too frequently in their encounters with outsiders of all descriptions. These encounters were at the root of the 1994 uprising that became quite serious. This rebellion lasted for several years and when we visited the area in 1996 we had to pass through military check points to get to the Usumacinta River. It is our understanding that the Mexican government has attempted to mediate the situation by training the Lacandon in the hospitality industry to capitalize on the tourist trade. The numbers of the Lacandon still living in isolation are dwindling to fewer than 300 who are still living in isolation. Any Lacandon that can not speak Spanish can not get a job and must live off the land in the old ways. This creates a real paradox trying to live in the trditional manner and interface with the modern world.




It was getting dark fast by this time and we drove on to the village of Lacanja Chansayab and checked in to the Hotel "Escudo Jaguar" for the night. We went immediately to the dinning room for supper after which we found our room with the help of a flash light. The rooms were duplex concrete huts with thatched roofs, wooden louvered screened windows and no locks on the doors. We propped a chair against the door and crawled into mosquito netted beds.

Below are pictures of the buildings and grounds which we took the next morning. Pictures inside our room were taken the night before including the spider by Bibi's shoes. Building lower right is the dining room, taken after breakfast as we made our way to the boats.