SACRED MONKEY RIVER

An engrossing account of a journey down a Mesoamerican river system that figures prominently in the mythology and history of the region.

Shaw (whose prior occupations include river guide and editor of Adirondack Life) perceives the transcendental significance of rivers and travel upon them. “To the Olmec,” he writes, “both canoe travel and spirit travel led to communication with one’s ancestors and the transformation of the flesh into spirit and back again.” In a work that is part travelogue, part metaphysics, Shaw moves gracefully from descriptions of landscape and riverscape to ruminations on the ancient civilizations through whose ruins he glides. “[A]ll of Mesoamerica is a historical echo chamber,” he says, with reverberations “too loud to miss.” Shaw had traveled to this border area between Guatemala and Mexico before, and in 1996 he executed the rough passage whose details occupy much of his lovely text. He recognized that he would not be the first to descend the Usumacinta and its tributaries, but he wanted to find “the heart of the country.” Intercut with narratives of his sometimes harrowing experiences on the river (and in it: several times he capsized, once with nearly fatal result) are accounts both of the onshore history and of the current political situation that ranges from chaotic to criminal to lethal. All along the route he encounters armed persons—some in official capacities, some not (a few soldiers at one “dinky army base” are tossing a Frisbee). He sees evidence of poaching and other natural destruction and hears tales of ruthless bandits down-river; when the stories become too compelling to ignore, he abandons his trip. There are times of wonder, too, as he realizes that “we live atop others’ ruins, programmed for extinction.” Among the most thrilling moments are those in the rapids as he and his companions test their considerable skills.

A learned and lyrical journey down the ceaseless stream of history, through its foaming rapids and across its placid pools. (endpaper map, line drawings, photos)