2009 Mesoamerica Tour

REPORT ON 2009 BMAF CONVENTION TOUR
 
DAY 1:  We visited Kaminaljuyu where Garth Norman lectured.  Almost all the park is accessible again to tourists.  We drove to Lake Amatitlan, just a short distance from Guatemala Cith which Garth proposes to be the Land of Shilom.  Next stop was the ruins of El Baul with interesting stelae.  Garth commented on the site.

DAY 2:  We crossed the Mexican border and visited Izapa.  Most of the site is still covered by vegetation.  The existing dirt road goes up and over some known ruins.  Stela 5 (Tree of Life) is very faded from decades of exposure to weather and pollution.

DAY 3:  We visited the site of Takalik Abaj, an active archaeological dig with a lot of activity going on.  In the evening, lectures were presented by Garth Norman (his proposed map), Grace Vlam (art parallels between old and new worlds),and Joe Andersen (opposing Garth's map).

DAY 4:  Much of the day spent at the IRTRA amusment park.

DAY 5:  Visited Antigua and the mercado, Fuego y Agua, and passed between two volcanoes on the trip back to Guatemala City.

A few picture highlights:

 

Izapa Stela 5 showing highlighted features Heavy jowled stone head Kamanaljuyu museum
Colorful artisans market at Antigua, Guatemala Grace Vlam giving presentation at Retalhuleu 
Head carved from basalt in
El Baul museum
  Xocomil water park at Retalhuleu  Garth Norman discussing unexcavated mound Interior view of temple at Kaminaljuyu
Guatemala City Temple   Obsidian blades & projectile points Mayan woman performing sacred ritual using 4 cardinal directions