We were on a motorboat to the past—or so we hoped.

My husband， Paul， and I sat near the bow of the 1）skiff， soaking in the sun and the view as we zipped across Lake Atitlán， in Guatemala’s highlands. Several large volcanoes towered in the distance， seemingly standing guard over the villages scattered along the green shores.

Our destination was Santiago Atitlán， the largest town on the lake and a place to encounter the culture of the Tz’utujil—one of roughly 20 Mayan ethnic groups in Guatemala. As we approached the shore， we saw women in traditional purple-striped blouses， waist deep in the water， washing clothes. We walked from the 2）rickety pier into town， at first seeing little more than stalls where locals were aggressively hawking water bottles and maps. But a left turn took us into Santiago Atitlan’s main plaza， which was crowded on market day. Tz’utujil women， some with children， sat on the ground with their wares spread around them： piles of fruits and vegetables， spices， meats. The women wore 3）huipiles—striking blouses embroidered with birds and flowers. Some men wore traditional purple-and-white-striped pants， also 4）stitched with symbols.

Starting around 1500 B.C.， the Mayan people established one of the dominant civilizations in 5）Mesoamerica. At its height， the empire stretched from southern Mexico to parts of Honduras and El Salvador， with its center in present-day Guatemala. Skilled at agriculture， astronomy and mathematics， the Mayans built stepped stone temples， palaces， and cities that held tens of thousands of residents. But for reasons that are not understood， their civilization went into decline， even before Spanish 6）conquistadors arrived in the early 16th century； urban centers were abandoned to the jungle and many traditions vanished. But not all…

The Maya managed to preserve some of their culture， particularly in Guatemala’s western highlands， which extend from the colonial capital of Antigua， Guatemala to the Mexican border. Earlier this year， Paul and I tried to experience as much of that as possible over a one-week trip， exploring one of the most important ancient sites （now sprawling ruins）， as well as communities like Santiago Atitlán.

We started in Antigua， Guatemala， a 16thcentury town just 20 miles from Guatemala City， the modern capital. We spent hours walking the cobblestone streets and taking in the colorful and sometimes ornate colonial architecture. At Jades Imperio Maya， we browsed jewelry made from jade—a prized commodity and good-luck symbol for the ancient Maya， who used it for ornamentation and ceremonial masks. In a workshop at the back of the store， craftsmen shaped stone into objects such as the ring I bought.

For a literal taste of Mayan culture， we took a two-hour class at El Frijol Feliz， a cooking school near Antigua’s central plaza. The instructor spoke only Spanish， so we didn’t understand everything she said， but she taught us how to make pepian， a traditional stew， by boiling pieces of bonein chicken， then adding 7）chayote （a vegetable similar to 8）squash）， roasted chilies， onions， garlic， tomatoes， pumpkin and 9）sesame seeds. Rice with vegetables， refried black beans and rellenitos—plantain dumplings filled with black beans and chocolate—were also on the menu. Many of the ingredients we used， such as corn， beans and chilies， have been staples of the Mayan diet for generations.

Antigua was shaped by Spanish as well as Mayan influences； we found a much stronger indigenous identity around Lake Atitlán. We started by driving to Panajachel， a town on the north shore that many tourists use as a base. We took a boat to the village of Santa Cruz la Laguna， then set out on a guided six-mile hike through several Mayan villages. Walking a ridgeline trail that offered views of the volcanoes on the south side of the lake， we were in high spirits. The sun shimmered on the water. Our guide pointed out various plants： an avocado tree， dragon fruit， and bougainvillea.

Jaibalito and Tzununa， the first two towns we passed through， were sleepy hamlets in which life didn’t seem easy. Children played in the streets， women in traditional dress carried large baskets on their backs， chickens 10）milled about. Most buildings were simple wooden and stone structures. Between the towns， we glimpsed villas and a hotel or two. By the time we reached San Marcos la Laguna， which is known for its meditation and yoga centers， we were exhausted. The lake seemed much more 11）turbulent than it had that morning， but a boat was the only way to get back 12）other than walking. I steeled myself for a bumpy ride—which we got. “You came to Guatemala for adventure， right？” another passenger said.

After our day trip to Santiago Atitlan， we traveled north to Flores， a town on an island on Lake Peten Itza that is a gateway to Tikal， the remains of a city that dates back to sixth century B.C. Now a national park， Tikal encompasses roughly 85 square miles of rain forest， according to 13）Unesco， and includes the ruins of large temples and some 3，000 other buildings. Through our hotel in Flores， we booked a tour with an English-speaking guide， who led us around the site for four hours. Much of Tikal is covered in thick vegetation. When we came to a clearing and saw our first pyramid， I gasped. A steep climb to the top rewarded us with a beautiful view of the jungle.

Our guide， Manuel， described Tikal’s history along the way—its wars with rival communities like Caracol in Belize and Calakmul in Mexico， and its rulers with fanciful names like Ah Cacao. The Maya built an incredibly advanced civilization， but some of their customs were chilling； bloodletting and human sacrifice played an important role in their rituals， the guide told us. He avoided the main paths， instead taking us on 14）circuitous trails through the jungle so he could save some key areas， such as the ceremonial center known as the Gran Plaza， for last. He knew the best vantage points and showed us countless mounds that remained unexcavated. We spotted monkeys， bats， a huge ant colony and various exotic plants； Manuel had seen 15）jaguars on previous visits， but we had no such luck.

We eventually ascended Templo IV， a blocky structure that is the highest in Tikal. The jungle spread before us as far as we could see. In the distance， the tops of three other temples jutted into the sky—a 16）testament to the 17）tenacity of the past.

我們正乘坐著摩托艇駛向過去—至少我們懷抱著這樣的希望。

我們快速地駛過危地馬拉高地的阿蒂特蘭湖，我和丈夫保羅坐在小艇的船頭沐浴陽光，欣賞美景。遠(yuǎn)處屹立著幾座高聳的火山，儼然守衛(wèi)著散落在綠色海岸邊的村莊。

我們的目的地是圣地亞哥阿蒂特蘭鎮(zhèn)，那是阿蒂特蘭湖上最大的城鎮(zhèn)，同時(shí)也是邂逅楚圖希爾人（危地馬拉的大約20個瑪雅民族之一）文化的絕佳地點(diǎn)?？拷哆厱r(shí)，我們看到了身穿傳統(tǒng)紫色條紋上衣的婦女們，站在齊腰深的水里，正在洗衣服。我們沿著搖搖晃晃的碼頭踏進(jìn)城鎮(zhèn)，最先見到的僅僅是幾個小攤，本地人正在賣力地兜售水壺和地圖。但一個左轉(zhuǎn)彎我們就來到了圣地亞哥阿蒂特蘭主廣場，在這集市日里顯得十分擁擠。楚圖希爾婦女們，其中一些帶著孩子，坐在地上，身邊擺放著她們的商品：一堆堆蔬果、香料和肉。女人們穿著花洋裝，引人注目的上衣上繡著鳥類和鮮花。一些男人們穿著傳統(tǒng)的紫白色條紋褲子，也刺有一些標(biāo)志圖案。

大約從公元前1500年開始，瑪雅人在中美洲建立了世上輝煌的文明之一。在最鼎盛的時(shí)期，帝國以今日的危地馬拉為中心，從墨西哥南部延伸到洪都拉斯和薩爾瓦多?，斞湃松瞄L農(nóng)業(yè)、天文學(xué)和數(shù)學(xué)，建造了階梯式的石頭廟宇、宮殿以及容納了成千上萬居民的城市。但是出于不明原因，在16世紀(jì)初期，甚至在西班牙征服者來到之前，他們的文明就開始衰落。城市中心被荒廢成為叢林，許多的傳統(tǒng)習(xí)俗也隨之湮滅。但并不是一切都消失了……

瑪雅人設(shè)法保存了他們的一些文化，尤其是在危地馬拉西部高地，從危地馬拉安提瓜島的殖民省會延伸至墨西哥邊境上。今年的早些時(shí)候，保羅和我試圖盡可能多地體驗(yàn)為期一周的旅行，探索最重要的古跡之一（如今是龐大的廢墟），以及像圣地亞哥阿蒂特蘭這樣的群落。

我們從危地馬拉安提瓜島—離現(xiàn)代都會危地馬拉市僅20英里的一個16世紀(jì)的小鎮(zhèn)開始出發(fā)。我們花了好幾個小時(shí)逛鵝卵石街道和欣賞五顏六色的華麗殖民建筑。在有“玉石王國”之稱的瑪雅，我們?yōu)g覽了許多由玉石制成的珠寶—對于古瑪雅人來說是珍貴的商品和好運(yùn)的象征，他們用其作為裝飾或者是正式儀式上戴的面具。商店后面的一個車間里，工匠正把石頭打造成類似我買的戒指那樣的物品。

為了真正地“品嘗”一下瑪雅文化，我們在埃弗里熱菲利茲學(xué)校上了兩個小時(shí)的課，那是安提瓜島中心廣場附近的一個烹飪學(xué)校。老師只講西班牙語，所以她說的一切我們都聽不明白，但是她教我們怎么做“佩皮恩湯”—一種傳統(tǒng)燉湯，烹飪的方法是先熬煮帶骨雞肉塊，然后添加佛手瓜（一種類似于筍瓜的蔬菜）、烤辣椒、洋蔥、大蒜、西紅柿、南瓜和芝麻。拌有蔬菜的米飯、炸黑豆以及“rellenito”—包裹著黑豆和巧克力餡的大蕉餃子—也在菜單上。許多我們使用的配料，如玉米、豆類和辣椒，是瑪雅人世世代代飲食的主食。

安提瓜文明的形成深受西班牙以及瑪雅人的影響；但我們在阿蒂特蘭湖邊找到了一個更具原住民特色的地方。我們先是開車去帕納哈切爾—北岸的一個小鎮(zhèn)，許多游客把這里作為他們旅游的大本營。我們乘船到圣克魯斯拉拉古納村莊，然后在向?qū)У膸ьI(lǐng)下開始徒步行走六英里，穿過幾個瑪雅人的村莊。沿著山脊小道走，沿途的景觀是坐落在湖的南邊上的眾多火山，我們都興奮不已。陽光照耀在水面上，閃閃發(fā)光。導(dǎo)游向我們介紹了各種各樣的植物：鱷梨樹、火龍果和簕杜鵑。

伽巴利托和楚努納是我們最先經(jīng)過的兩個城鎮(zhèn)，在這兩個沉睡的村莊里，生活似乎并不容易。兒童在街頭玩耍，婦女們穿著傳統(tǒng)服飾，背上扛著大籃子，雞群在周圍亂竄。大部分的建筑物是簡單的木頭和石頭構(gòu)造。兩個城鎮(zhèn)之間，我們瞥見了幾座別墅和一兩間酒店。到達(dá)以冥想及瑜伽中心聞名的圣馬科斯拉拉古納之時(shí)，我們都已經(jīng)疲憊不堪。湖面看起來比早上的時(shí)候更波瀾興起，但是除了走路回去，坐船是唯一的選擇。我做好了經(jīng)歷一段顛簸旅程的準(zhǔn)備—回程確實(shí)是顛簸不已。“你來危地馬拉是為了探險(xiǎn)，對吧？”另一個游客說道。

在游完了圣地亞哥阿蒂特蘭鎮(zhèn)之后，我們朝北出發(fā)前往弗洛雷斯，這個小鎮(zhèn)位于佩滕伊察湖上的一個小島上，是去蒂迦爾遺址的必經(jīng)之路。蒂迦爾是一個城市遺跡，其歷史可以追溯到公元前六世紀(jì)，如今是一個國家公園。根據(jù)聯(lián)合國教科文組織世界遺產(chǎn)目錄，蒂迦爾包含大約85平方英里的熱帶雨林，而且還包括大型寺廟和約3000個其他建筑的遺址。通過我們在弗洛雷斯的酒店，我們報(bào)了一個導(dǎo)覽團(tuán)，由英語導(dǎo)游帶領(lǐng)我們參觀了四個小時(shí)的蒂迦爾遺址。大部分蒂迦爾遺址覆蓋著濃密的植被。來到一塊空地，看到第一個金字塔時(shí)，我深呼吸了一口氣。沿著峭壁爬上最頂端，回報(bào)我們的是令人驚艷的叢林景色。

我們的導(dǎo)游，曼紐爾，沿路向我們介紹蒂迦爾的歷史：與其競爭對手—諸如位于伯利茲城的卡拉科爾和位于墨西哥的卡拉克穆爾—的戰(zhàn)爭，以及擁有像啊可可這樣稀奇古怪名字的統(tǒng)治者。瑪雅人建造了一個令人難以置信的先進(jìn)文明，但他們的一些習(xí)俗卻令人不寒而栗；導(dǎo)游告訴我們，刺絡(luò)放血和活人獻(xiàn)祭在他們的儀式中扮演著極其重要的角色。他避開了主道，領(lǐng)我們走迂回的小路穿越叢林，這樣他可以把主要的景點(diǎn)—例如被稱為大廣場的儀式中心—留到最后介紹。他知道哪里有最好的視角，還向我們介紹了許多未開掘的土堆。我們看到了猴子、蝙蝠、巨大的蟻群和各種奇異的植物；曼紐爾在先前的參觀中還看到過美洲虎，但我們這次沒有這樣的運(yùn)氣。

最終我們登上了“四號神廟”—蒂迦爾遺址上最高的塊狀構(gòu)造建筑。叢林在我們的眼前鋪展蔓延開來，無邊無際。遠(yuǎn)處，其他三個寺廟的頂端直聳天際—證實(shí)著往昔的不朽！