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Palma Sola
Just outside Acapulco, Mexico,
inside the Veladero National Park, the Palma Sola Archaeological
Site is being run by the Mexican National Anthropology and History
Institute. This magnificent site is not just incredible because of
the 18 stones that contain numerous carvings, but you will also get
one of the most beautiful views of Acapulco Bay. Sitting high above
the bay at over a thousand feet, you will see incredible designs of
anthromorphological and zoomorphological carvings that were put here
by the first settlers in the region, the Yopes. Not much is
available as far as information goes about this tribe or its
wonderful culture, other than what archaeologists have gleamed from
the digs and stones that relate some of their story and culture. It
has been dated to around 600 B.C. to 200 A. D., but other than that,
the story of the Yopes is still a mystery waiting to be discovered.
The petroglyphs are spread over a 10 acres area that are marked or
carved on large stones or boulders. Each stone or boulder depending
on the size has been named an "element", and each one has unusual
markings, that scientists believe hold some information about the
natives. Element 1 is the rock closest to the top, in one of the
main archaeological sites, that can be found under a big outcropping
that helps protect it from the weather and other adversities. The
anthropomorphic engravings, bearing some resemblance to men,
zoomorphic, or animal shapes or forms, and the phytomorphic, plant
shapes, are a study in themselves. They believed in an ancient
creation myth, that held 3 faces, one towards the sky, or whatever
was up there, one looks west and the other south. Towards the west,
or by the face that looks west, there are five smaller faces of
various sizes and shapes, and in the south, or the face that is
looking or facing that way, there is a schematic engraving that
shows two people, what look to be a man and a woman, with arms
raised and fingers open, or spread. There is a stream that passes
nearby, when the rainy season is there, but otherwise is dry.
Element 2 is separated into three parts, with a group of people
taking part in a ceremony, with a man or figure praying and dancing
for attention and help from the gods. Some of the figures have
different lines that might be for relationship to ancestors or each
other. It is one of those fantastic sites that has been opened to
the public, with facilities, since it has become so popular, and it
is unique in that no one really knows for sure what the engravings
mean, it can only be supposition since we don't have any people or
relics that could help differentiate what means what. It is all
based on conjecture, guessing based on what knowledge has been
gained from other native tribes like the Aztecs or Mayans. A great
place to visit while in Acapulco, and one that will probably haunt
your mind for ages.
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