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Stela: royal billboards of the jungle
So it is a thousand years ago, and you are trekking to El Ceibal on
the Rio Passion in the Peten to visit a girl met down at the river
last week. All of a sudden you are eyeball to eyeball with painted
stone relief monument which celebrates the local headman. The
inscriptions document the story of this character, who is both
political and religious. In this case, judging from his facial
features, he is of Mexican heritage.
It was nearly noon when this piece was photographed. It was selected because the light showed the surface the best, however, the conditions were hardly ideal. Because the commies were still active in the area when it was taken (traveler's rule #3: in civil war conditions don't carry what you can't afford to loose), a handheld Nikon was the camera of the day, not the photographer's Hasselblad mounted on a tripod. The results are striking different under with the use of the superior system, especially at night with artificial lighting. However, the photo editing program helps bring out the detail. |