May 15, 2004
Out of Tecolote

I am back in Flores for, what, the fifth time this spring. I went back to the Usumacinta, with the help of the Defensores, to rejoin Charles Golden and his team. I had missed Tecolote the first time - we dropped folks off there and continued to the site of Esmeralda, then hiked to Piedras Negras. So it was great to see the camp they have there, to see Charles and crew after their 3-day trek to Tecolote (exhausted but ready for more), and to use the last of my energy to hike straight up and over the ridge to the site.

Tecolote has the best preserved building of any I have seen that have not been restored by archaeologists. The team is just beginning to map the site and do test-pitting. They will be working another two weeks this season, as they begin to puzzle out the role the site played on the frontier between Piedras Negras and Yaxchilan.

My thanks to the Defensores de la Naturaleza, especially Javier Marquez and Rudi Del Cid, for all their help, and to the guides and guardians of the Sierra del Lacandon Park, who helped keep us oriented, alive, and well-fed.

Posted by Dave at May 15, 2004 06:37 PM