The two sides of Palenque

Last month's visit to Palenque was educational in two ways: witnessing how Central American migrants ride on the top of freight trains, and seeing the majesty of the Mayan ruins sitting atop the Chiapas jungle. The hoards of eager tourists paying money to see ancient ruins contrasted starkly with Central American migrants mounting the top of the train to make their way through Mexico toward economic opportunity - only a few kilometers away.

On Friday, we visited a migrant shelter near the town of Palenque, which has seen an increasing number of migrants as the more southern route through Tapachula has become more dangerous. In this picture, you can see migrants climbing aboard the freight cars.





The next day, we woke early to the sounds of howler monkeys. After returning to our little cabaña in the jungle lodge, we saw river otter float by from our back porch - who knew there were otters in Chiapas! We then spent the next five hours or so exploring the archaeological ruins of Palenque, a major urban center of the Mayas.