We made our first stop at Quirigua. We visited there last spring with Nathan and Christena. We learned some interesting things when we had a Book of Mormon tour guide with us. Most of you are already aware that each of these square carvings on the stone refers to an event, story or person that was known to the “readers”. One that shows up all over Mesoamerica is of an outstretched hand with a circular mark shown in the middle. Pretty interesting. Also where the buildings were at the end, there is a part of this sacred area where there are two entrances – presumably one for women and one for men and there are three separate rooms, each with a higher interior elevation for worship. Once again, we were able to visit on a day when it was overcast and the weather was beautiful. We must be living right. It is generally really hot and humid there.
The large steles each are the life history of a person – a ruler or warrior. The carvings are not completely understood at this point, but many of the glyphs have been deciphered.