Yokib' (Piedras Negras)

This is the take out point on the Rio Usumacinta where we stopped for lunch described in the last blog entry. We had arrived at the site that was our primary reason for taking this trip. From here we start our exploration of the ruins of "Yokib' " the ancient Maya name for the site that is now known as Piedras Negras. Yokib', meaning entrance, is a possible reference to either the cataracts further down stream or a 100 meter wide cenote near by considered by the Maya to be a portal to the under world.

Access to this site is accomplish only by boat and at this point in time Willie is the sole provider of the means to get here. This alone makes it a unique experience but it is important to the two of us because this is where the roots of Maya Hieroglyphics were discovered by Tatainia Proskouiakoff. By studying the dates in the inscriptions she pointed out that events occurred with in a logical sequence of human life cycles. In other words the inscriptions were recording historical events which was contrary to the accepted archaeological theory of the time. Tatainia Proskouriakoff who was Russian born and educated in the United States as an architect was employed by the University of Pennsylvania's Museum and made her discoveries while working in the archives. While at the site in the 1930s, she made detailed drawings of what the complex should look like by studying the piles of rubble that represented the remains of structures.

Yokib', the largest city state along the Ususmacinta, has been reclaimed by the Chiapian Jungle and this is what it looked like as we started our trek into the ruins.

The site map below was taken from one of the books we use as a reference and is used here to show the extensive ruins that we will attempt to observe. As near as we can tell we entered the complex where the gully emerges by the "South Group", proceeding up to the "East Group", climbing through the "West Group", ending up near the top of Temple J-4, exiting the site from J-4 straight to point of origin.

Pictured below is a burial chamber the first ruins we encountered.

More on the next blog.