(^42) Paraiso – Villahermosa - 81km
Already boiling on departing Paraiso, the heat made it exhausting
cycling, and it felt like I couldn’t keep those wheels turning. Scarcely
20 kilometres further was Comalcalco, a Chontal Maya archaeological
site, not too far off the route. Arriving, mosquitos descended upon us
like bats out of hell. I covered myself in mosquito repellent and went
exploring.
Comalcalco was remarkable, as it differed from the other Mayan sites
in that the structures were built using kiln-fired bricks. More
impressive was the bricks were identical to those used by the
Romans, and excavation of the area revealed Roman-like figurines.
When an oyster shell base mortar (used to bind the brick) was
removed, it revealed markings on the bricks’ backs. These markings
are understood to be the brickmakers’ fingerprints and are virtually
identical to markings found on Roman bricks. It boggles the mind. Is
it possible maybe, just maybe, the Romans got here 1,000 years
earlier than Columbus?
Back on the bikes, and onto Villahermosa, the road went past
Cunduacan. In this large university town, we stopped for a cold drink,
and I couldn’t believe fire ants had attacked me again.
Reaching Villahermosa was in peak hour traffic, not something I
needed in the oppressing heat. Luckily, a convenient abode across the
market was spotted and we could offload and stuff our faces with
tacos.
leana
(Leana)
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