Mayan Ruins and History of El Salvador

Yesterday, our amaizing tour guide (Tarzan aka Jaime) drove us to see La Joya de Ceren, the San Andres Ruins and the Museum of Archeology in El Salvador. This was by far one of the coolest experiences I've had in my life. La Joya de Ceren is where the ruins of an everyday Mayan village used to be located approximately 1500 years ago, but was covered in ashes after a nearby volcanoe exploded. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site aka the Pompei of Central America. We got to see a sauna bath from the ancient world which had a thermostat!!!! Saw the teeth of a young adult and the remains of a rat. Although my fellow companions do not believe me (they think I'm crazy), I definatly saw a little gray gecko running on the sidewalk.. like the one on the geico commercial!! We also visited San Andres which is said to be the acropolis of the Mayan city. There, we got to stand on top of a pyramid which is said to have been used as a temple for sacrifices to the gods. What was most facinating was the fact that only about 1-2% of these sites are actually excavated. (omg!! :o) I learned a lot of history from El Salvador at the Museum...everything from the pre-colonial history to present-day. The most impactful fact I learned at the Museum was the fact the Mayans used to make human sacrifices to their gods by skinning the human and covering an idol of the god with the skin for about 20 days. Also, they would take the heart of the person and offer it as well. Women and pregnant women were  usually sacrificed, and it was considered a priviledge to be a sacrifice. Overall, I learned a lot about the culture and history of El Salvador.