Toniná

Tonina is a pre-Columbian site of Mayan ruins located about 8 miles east of the small town of Ocosingo. If you’ve never seen any Mayan ruins up close, Tonina will take your breath away. It is without a doubt the most impressive of all the Central American ruins with groups of temples and a pyramid that soars over 260 feet above the plaza. Tonina’s pyramid is and was the tallest ever built in the Mayan civilization.

The second thing you will notice is the proliferation of monuments and life-sized carvings, over 150 of them scattered about the site. They depict everything from captured slaves to special occasions like the dedication of a ball court. As you begin to explore the ruins you will see beautiful friezes that describe scenes of war, celebration and everyday life. The most recently discovered is the Frieze of the Dream Lords (also called the Frieze of the Four Suns, or Four Eras) discovered in 1992 at the east end of the fifth terrace. It contains a supernatural-type scene in four parts, separated by a scaffold covered with feathers with severed heads hanging from it. All this is carved in detail and was once painted red, blue and yellow.

Tonina means “House of Stone” in the Tzeltal language of the Mayan civilization. The site is unique in that the builders used small rocks instead of the larger stones you’ll see in other ruins. From the air it appears to be a maze-like collection of rooms. Archeologists can tell how the buildings were used by counting the number of rooms and how the buildings are positioned in relation to the night sky.

You will notice that most of the monuments, statues and artwork depict battle scenes, captives and death. This is because the Palenque and Tonina were bitter rivals and had frequent battles. They were separated by a mountain range and a limestone ridge that was easily defended. The imagery of this site speaks of the ruthless treatment of Tonina’s enemies; a 52×13 foot stucco figure rising from the fourth terrace to the fifth represents a malevolent death god with the head of a Palenque lord dangling from one hand. Also on the fourth terrace is a frieze picturing the Tonina’s most distinguished royal captives and victims; the style of the art is Palenque, leading archeologists to believe that captured Palenque slaves were forced to do the work.

You may well be the only person at this site, as most tourists flock to more well known and publicized sites. If you are so fortunate or are among a small group of people, you will be able to soak in the atmosphere, history and beauty of this site as you can at no other.

Nearby Ocosingo is a small town with nearly everything within walking distance. There are a couple of small, pleasant hotels and a variety of restaurants. If you prefer to rough it, there is a campground next to the entrance of the ruins where you can camp, have a cold shower and park your car for 100 pesos; should you need it there is also a small cantina near the campgrounds.

Archeology