"Underappreciated Mayan Ruins on the Rio... " a Ruinas de Yaxchilan Travel Page by atufft

From Tikal and Flores, take the bus to Bethel, and then from there hire a launcha to go down river. However, Yaxchilan is on the Mexican side of the Guatemala-Mexican border, so you'll need to inquire on the border about paying fees and getting the passport stamped. From Palenque, take a "combi", a local van transport from the central station in town to Frontera Corazal. A taxi may be required for the last stretch off the main Chiapas highway, but at the Y in the road, taxis are generally waiting and can be shared by custom. At Frontera Corazal, there is a kiosky that issues tickets for the launcha for the ride down river. Either way, the trip along the river is an adventure into Mexico's last rainforest. Howler Monkeys, river caimen, and birdlife of all sorts inhabit the region. Unfortunately, you'll also see some slash and burn farming by Lancandon Mayan and other Mexicans. In our situation, we used the trip as a mid-way stop activity during a transfer from Palenque to the Guatemala pueblo of Flores, which is just an hour from Tikal. Thus, after a short flight to Villahermosa, we were able to see these ruins, plus El Ceibal, near Sayaxche-- some of the Mayan world's most important sites across just a few days.

Yaxchilan is shrouded in rainforest, and has plenty of wildlife on the ground and in the trees around it. We saw a group of howler monkeys, which my wife captured on video, and which I captured using my portable iRiver audio recorder. The Ruinas de Yaxchilan are the remains of a Mayan city that controlled trade along the Usumacinta River between Palenque and Tikal, and thus was at one time a very powerful city state. Unlike other better known Mayan ruins, Yaxchilan is also less touristy. There are no food concessions or other resources however, so prepare accordingly. There is a fee to get into Yaxchilan, but nearby the ticket kiosk, there is an area for camping, as I recall. If camping, a mosquito net will be necessary.

Yaxchilan means "green stones" in Mayan, and according to Wikipedia, the original Mayan name for the city was Pa' Chan, a name probably repeat numberous times on the many building lintels and stella that remain in Yaxchilan today. Indeed, Yaxchilan has the greatest number of stella of any Mexican Mayan ruin, and more intact to the orginal location than any I had seen at either Tikal or Palenque. The peak of Yaxchilan's power came between 680 and 760 AD, when Shield Jaguar II and his son Bird Jaguar IV ruled. Yaxchilan alternately warred with Palenque (654 AD), held long alliances with Piedras Negras and Tikal, and dominated smaller Mayan cities, such as Bonampak.