FALLEN STONES: Lubaantún Maya Site & Butterfly Farm

1 day I took a local bus from PG heading to the village of San Miguel. I sat next to a sweet old man whose daughter lives in the US; he asked me to write down her name and, if I could talk to her, ask her to phone and tell him when she'll be returning.

I hopped off the bus at the access road for the Lubaantun "Fallen Stones" Maya site and hiked about 3/4 of a mile to get there.

The caretaker, Santiago, showed me some of the latest finds, mostly small flutes and figures. His ancestors have made art with the local clay for generations; he makes replicas from the same clay source the Maya used 1000 years ago; I bought a small pot.

A bee tube hidden by leaves

Beautiful lunch spot -lots of birds

I enjoyed another chat with Santiago before heading out.

Fallen Stones is an accurate name for the site; some of the stones fell all the way to the village church.

Ian from Hickatee Cottages manages Fallen Stones Butterfly Farm so I was able to visit even though it's not open to the public; he picked me up near Lubaantun, 4 wheel drive appreciated.

Most of the property is covered with butterfly food.

I enjoyed going from 1 enclosure to the next, seeing the beautiful varieties of butterflies and learning about the farming and shipping processes.

This butterfly is tricky - it appears to have 2 heads. Ian spotted it as we hiked up the trail to the truck.

I purposely turned this photo so you can see what I saw that afternoon, a Maya ruler with quetzal head dress and Lubaantun flute.