I know the jungle is alive. I know it is a community, with the plants, animals, rocks, water holes, and unseen guardians all working together. But when you feel the power of it directed at you, when you are the one interrupting the peace, the awareness of the power of this connected wild community suddenly becomes very real.

We turned onto the highway, which I hoped would lead us to the enigmatic ruins of El Dos. It lay before us like a long gray ribbon stretch..

Eli told us stories; stories of how the Maya really built the pyramids, stories of what happened during the great caste wars, stories of...