My first thought when I discovered the www.illustrationfriday.com theme Storm is that I would finally come up empty handed. Every Friday I play a fun little game of hide and seek trying to dig up a matching piece of art. Storm? Then I remembered this little umbrella piece. Actually, I think I sold the original for $1.00 at a thrift sale. But after a little searching I found a digital scan in an old file folder. I scanned it right through the glass of the frame it was in.
Well, with all that searching, umbrellas and storm talk I couldn't resist pairing today's art post with our visit to the ruins of Lubaantun in the Toledo district of Southern Belize. We weren't sure if we would even be able to see the ruins. The first day we sat in our car while the rain poured down, only to give up and drive away. But we were only in Punta Gorda for a few days. And we had to see the place where the controversial Crystal Skull was discovered. Have you seen the last Indiana Jones movie? You can visit here for the scoop. The infamous skull is believed to have originated here and is said to possess paranormal powers. Cool.
Lubaantun is an unusual ruins. The name means, "place of the falling stones." And it dates back to AD 730.
The umbrella only dates back a few years. Luckily we only discovered a drizzle on this day.
The ruins are set in an exotic and beautiful jungle setting.
It is always interesting to see a site that is not fully excavated and reconstructed.
I'm so glad the rain didn't stop us from visiting this unusual site. It is considered unusual because of the way the Maya laid the stone together without mortar. Plus there's the whole human sized Crystal Skull thing.
P.S. If you are interested in ruins be sure to click on my Belize labels for the other sites we've visited. And there will be more to come.
