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Rick Kinnaird

El Baúl

July 5, 2020 by Rick Kinnaird 3 Comments

Due to popular demand (one person sort of asked) I present to you the site of El Baúl. Home of the famous “Rocket Man” stela. Well, that’s what I call it.

Rocket Man

What is going on here? As far as I know, no one knows. This stela is unique. It is part of an array of sculptures found at this site. The site was destroyed in 1997 to make way for sugar cane fields. They kept plowing up stuff and decided to preserve the bits and pieces in an open air covered walkway arrangement.

To get there you have to enter through this guarded gate. I don’t know how you’d know it is there. Fortunately, I had a guide.

The Guarded Entrance
Part of the old sugar cane processing plant
One of the Walkways

The walk way leads to a set of walkways, arranged in a square. There are individual sculpted heads and pieces of ornamentation. There is also one walkway that has large stones with faces or figures carved on the stones.

Entering the Square
Back Corner
This could rival Brancusi’s “Kiss”
Thorny Stick on The Sculpture

We were curious about the thorny sticks atop the sculptures. Obviously, they had some religious significance. Images of Christ and his crown of thorns, perhaps? When we asked the guard said, “Oh no, that’s to keep the birds off.”

So much for religion.

Before I left I had to sign the book

Paperwork is important. Here Ivania, my guide, and one of the staff are looking for the next entry. Notice the thorny stick on top of the sculpture to keep the birds off.

Found it

I get to sign just below Jerry Miller. He was here in September of 2013. The date on my photograph is March of 2017. Maybe, they just had an extra line at the bottom and there might be a few more pages beyond this. However, you can see that the book is not very much used and the pages go back at least five years. Not many people come here.

In the nearby town of La Democracia are these wonderful stone heads and figures. There were some at El Baul too, (See Below).

Buddha like Head
Happy Fellow

These heads actually come from a nearby site called Monte Alto. What’s interesting is they are displayed in the town square where people find shade under their protective coverings. Mothers sit nursing their babies and small children climb on them, using them for a jungle gym.

Sculpted Rock – El Baul

This is a sculpted rock from El Baul. Pretty scary fellow. Once again I have to ask myself, “What is going on here?”

Playing in The Sculptures
Town Square – La Democracia

After visiting the town square we went to the local market for lunch.

But that’s another adventure.

How about – One more head?

Filed Under: Travel

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. dean jordan says

    July 5, 2020 at 1:00 pm

    More like this. Love it.

    Reply
    • Rob Kinnaird says

      July 5, 2020 at 1:18 pm

      Agree with Deano… “More like this. Love it.”

      Reply
  2. IVANIA SIBRIAN says

    July 6, 2020 at 3:40 am

    We miss you in Guatemala Rick, come back soon.

    Reply

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Rick Kinnaird
I’m Rick Kinnaird, a writer of fictional adventure and travel. That means I write stories about things that never happened in places I’ve never been. This way facts don’t get in the way.

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