Rio Azul
A tomb discovered in 1962 then left abandoned until 1981
when IDEAH (Guatemala National Institute of Archaeology) along
with Dr. Adams was able to send in a team of archaeologists
and guards to study and protect this unusual site.
This is the place we traveled through dense rain forest into
the heart of the Maya Biosphere reserve. The 4-wheel drive
has huge, wide tires and high clearance to dance along the
rough road to make it there in 6 hours from Tikal, Petén
in Guatemala, of course during the dry season.
The main plaza of Rio Azul houses more than 10 tombs. I am
reminded of a necropolis more than an acropolis, or living
area. Was Valley of the Kings in Egypt and inspiration to
the Classic Maya People?
The stelea found here has thick stucco glyphs with the red
paint still affixed to the surface and hard stone used as
a forming material. A beautiful Head variant glyph has a round
flower in its mouth. Could that be representative of the jade
figurines found inside the mouths of the skulls within the
tombs? What a find!
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