Freddy Silva is one of the world's leading researchers of ancient civilizations, sacred sites and their interaction with consciousness. He is the best-selling author of The Divine Blueprint.
MORETravel with best-selling author and ancient temples researcher Freddy Silva & Maya master teacher Miguel Angel Vergara to the Maya sacred temples of Mexico and Guatemala.
Experience the timeless Maya knowledge of sacred geometry, number, cosmic correspondence, and ritual encoded in the temples and pyramids of Palenque, Yaxchilan, and Tikal on a journey that elevates the seeker to discover their inner temple: the place of the soul. Tour leaders Freddy Silva and Miguel Angel Vergara will take you through sacred ceremony at the Misol Ha waterfalls, guide you up the Usumacinta river, through pristine jungle, and to some of the most transformative sites in Mexico & Guatemala, including Palenque and Tikal. READ MORE
Freddy Silva is one of the world's leading researchers of ancient civilizations, sacred sites and their interaction with consciousness. He is the best-selling author of The Divine Blueprint.
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Maya Master Teacher Miguel Angel studied for 17 years with Mayan elder and wisdom keeper, Don Vincente Martin, and teaches seminars in Mexico and abroad on Mayan shamanism, tradition, and culture.
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I couldn't have hoped for a more worthwhile experience. The wealth of information shared by Freddy Silva magically resonated perfectly with Miguel Angel Vergara's teachings from the Mayan traditions.Andrew Welch, Seaford, England
TESTIMONIALS
This Maya Temples of Transformation Journey was a wonderful retreat to connect to this ancient mystical land. I would highly recommend this experience to anyone coming to visit the Maya Temples.Stella Maria, Dubai
TESTIMONIALS
Tour Description
Deep in the heart of the verdant hills and jungles of Guatemala lies a cradle of civilization, a birthplace of gods. Here, in remote times, a group of magician-shamen called Itzam first emerged, seemingly out of nowhere.
With the sound of their voices they are said to have erected extraordinary temple cities overnight. They also possessed intimate knowledge of the laws of nature and the cosmos, which they used to raise humans from their basic existence so they too could become gods. They created a land so beautiful that all who lived there would fall in love with its splendour; they seeded it with the most beautiful flowers to adorn the roads, and created the rivers, the caves filled with mystery, and the waterfalls and cenotes whose crystal clear waters reflected the light of the sun.
In time, this “land of the chosen ones” called Mayab would usher another enlightened people who today still bear its name. The spiritual craft of the Maya is a testament to how timeless wisdom and regular interaction with temples can maintain a person – even entire societies – in balance indefinitely.
It is on this promising note that we welcome you to an adventure to the temples of Mexico and Guatemala.
Some say that long journeys come with the best rewards. If this is so, then this is such a journey.
The focal points of our adventure are the exquisite temple-cities of Palenque and Tikal. Both are remote and require a tad more effort to reach, yet the pilgrim is rewarded with a feast for the eyes and the soul. Tikal is a complete temple-city and features one of the highest pyramids in Central America, while Palenque contains some of the finest art and architecture of the region; the impressive panels of the Temple of the Inscriptions, together with the elaborately carved tomb lid of Pakal as the intermediary between earth and the Otherworld, is enough to lubricate the wheels of imagination and provoke the will to embark on a spiritual quest.
Together with Copan (not on this itinerary) the two sites form a perfect triangle across Central America, a sacred geometry that influences everything within and around. No wonder this location was sacred to so many for so long.
To this we add Yaxchilan, an impressive site that most visitors overlook, since it requires a journey by boat through pristine jungle. And the sacred waterfall and cave Misol Ha, to experience a cleansing ritual and demonstrate just what connecting with the earth spirit really means.
In a world where the signal is becoming ever more drowned by the noise, the temples of the Maya offer a rare opportunity to reconnect with the tune of the cosmos, a frequency our predecessors yearned for in order to maintain a daily link with the source of all there is, and from which they led exemplary lives.
And should you find yourself on this journey, who knows, maybe you too shall come to be like a god.
See videos from our 2015 Maya Temples of Transformation journey on our YouTube channel, and photos from this journey on our Flickr page.
Arrive Villahermosa and transfer to hotel. No meals or events planned for today, so arrive whenever it suits you. For those able to arrive a day early on Jan 27, Freddy will be going to La Venta Park Museum today to see the mysterious altars and monolithic stone heads carved by the mysterious Olmec. Although not part of the tour, he is happy for you to join him on an informal walk, to get into the rhythm of the quest.
(Overnight in Villahermosa at the Crowne Plaza or similar)
This morning we enjoy breakfast before checking out of the hotel, with your bathing suit in your carry-on bag, because we travel to the breathtaking Misol Ha for a cleansing ceremony and profound meditation.
Here we pass behind the waterfalls to a powerful cave with a pool of water, a seat of power that can transform your life. This power is reflected in Grandmother Ix’mukane, “Heart of the Earth”, who lives spiritually in this sacred site waiting for you to let go of your past wounds and begin a new life of love, light, balance, and prosperity, which is realized through the purification of the water, the earth, and the sun, accompanied by the spirit of the great Jaguar. Miguel Angel will lead you in a guided meditation while in the cave to connect personally with the Grandmother.
We will have lunch together and enjoy a visit to the town of Palenque for a brief orientation (and a trip to an ATM for anyone who needs pesos). We then check into our hotel, outside the town and closer to the temple of Palenque.
(Overnight in Palenque at La Aldea Hotel or similar)
A full day at the temples of Palenque, “The House of the Serpent in the Infinite”, a Maya ceremonial centre possessing one of the highest spiritual frequencies. Its sacred architecture is exemplary and unique, a poem in stone.
Surrounded by the rivers Lakam-Ha and Otulum, Palenque is the home of many of the classic Maya teachers, such as Kinich-Hanab-Pakal (“Great Teacher with the Shield of the Sun”), referring to his radiant light, the sign of a high initiate of the esoteric arts. The carved lid of his sarcophagus is one of the ancient world’s most profound works of art, depicting as it does Pakal as the intermediary between worlds. Here also lived the great teacher and Maya priestess, Lady Zac Kuuk (“White Quetzal”) who represented the wisdom and the sacred knowledge that descends like the sacred Quetzal bird to illuminate our seventh Chakra – a component of the Maya initiatory path towards self-realization.
Pakal and Lady Zac Kuuk followed the teachings from ancient avatars at this site –wisdom that guided them on their personal and spiritual path until they reached the highest grade of Halach Uinik: a Maya Master.
In addition to sacred knowledge from Freddy and Miguel Angel, you will also receive IK, the “breath of the gods, the breath of life”. IK takes the symbolic form of a “T”, like a tree with two protective branches, the tree or cross to which high initiates were metaphorically nailed and from which they experience living resurrection: a story that is very different from the westernized version! You will also have time to explore this sacred site on your own, and will have a free evening to relax and absorb today’s experiences.
(Overnight in Palenque at La Aldea Hotel or similar)
Early rise and check out of the hotel for a journey along the Usumacinta River, “the river of the jade serpent”, stopping for breakfast in the jungle. To reach Yaxchilan we take a stunning boat ride on this slow moving river straddling Mexico and Guatemala, bordered by pristine jungle.
Yaxchilan means “city of the first prophets”. Here, secret rituals were conducted allowing initiates to travel through time and space to return with specialized information. No wonder they were referred to as Architects of the Sky!
Teachers such as Itzamnaj-Balam II, Jaguar-Bird IV, Lady Kabal-Xook, and Lady Sak’biyaan (“Precious Crystal Skull”) were versed in the Mysteries by travelling to parallel universes and recording the information in the stelas and lintels at this very special, and often overlooked, site.
Following a ceremony at Yaxchilan there will be time to explore on your own before returning to the hotel via the river. This evening we can gather for a meal and sharing circle (optional).
(Overnight near the Usumacinta river at the Escudo Jaguar resort)
Check out, and prepare for the long trip to Guatemala: first by boat across the river and then bus to Flores, which will be our base for the next three nights. (Please have your passport on you today as we will be entering Guatemala.)
This quiet day is also the mid-point in our adventure, an opportune time to reflect and process experiences. So, relax and open up in preparation for the magical adventures awaiting you in Tikal.
We expect to arrive in Flores in time to explore the town a little. Along with delicious restaurants there are plenty of interesting shops to explore, with lovely textiles and hand-crafts to purchase.
(Overnight in Flores at the Hotel Casona de la Isla or similar)
Breakfast, followed by our first visit to Tikal, “The Place with the Sacred Voices”. Tikal is a university that reflects the architecture of the cosmos, a ceremonial centre where the ancient Maya teachers captured the sounds from other realities. The shapes of the pyramids and temples reflect the thorough understanding of mathematics, geometry, and cosmic calendars. They are also designed to act as needles, capturing the telluric energy of the Earth and of the sky, acupuncturing the ground and the human body.
Here we will find the highest pyramid in the Maya world, a cosmic antenna that allows you to touch the stars and become attuned with the cosmos. Great teachers such as Kinich-Muwaj Chak-Tok-Ich-Aak and Ix’Kalom-Te give us an idea of the extraordinary era when Tikal united science, art, philosophy, and religion as one, reflecting the sacred name of the Creator Hunab-Ku, giver of movement and measurement in the universe. After a full day we return to Flores for a free evening.
(Overnight in Flores at the Hotel Casona de la Isla or similar)
Tikal is so good we have to return twice. The Grand Plaza is one of the places where we are permitted to perform the Kiche Ceremony, the purpose of which is to honour the memory of the ancestors and Maya teachers. At this spot we find Temple l, an icon of classic Maya architecture, freed from the jungle in 1882 by the English archaeologist Alfred Mausdlay.
80 years later the tomb of Maya King Hasaw-Chan-Kawail was discovered, richly adorned with numerous jade pieces, sea shells, pearls, mirrors, jaguar skins, and painted ceramics. Among these offerings stand a collection of 37 objects of bone with small glyphs and carved pictorial scenes in red cinnabar, the colour of spiritual transformation; one depicts the journey to the Otherworld by the corn god Hunal-Ye together with his animal spirits. Legend states that in Tikal there lived the Architects of the Sky, builders of great pyramids and temples; it is said they came from the stars and spoke He-Suyua-Thau, “the language of light”.
We return to Flores to enjoy our farewell dinner together.
(Overnight in Flores at the Hotel Casona de la Isla or similar)
After breakfast we prepare for a full day of travel by coach back to Villahermosa. (Please have your passport on you today as we will be re-entering Mexico.) We can use this time to contemplate the experiences on this transformative experience. It is a perfect opportunity for journaling, or simply observing the beautiful countryside that we pass through.
(Overnight in Villahermosa at the Fiesta Inn Cencali or similar)
After breakfast we transfer to the airport for flights home.
(B = Breakfast; L = Lunch; D = Dinner)
Note: This itinerary is subject to change due to conditions beyond our control.
