Jihar Chiapas tana ba da damar da ba ta da iyaka ga masu bincike: ramuka, koguna masu hayaniya, koguna da abubuwan ban mamaki na gandun daji. Shekaru kaɗan yanzu, kamfanin da na mallaka yana ta saukowa daga manyan koguna mafi ɓoyayyuwa a cikin wannan jihar kuma ya buɗe hanyoyi don masu sauraro wanda, duk da kasancewar shi sabon salo, yana da sha'awar yaba da kyawun halittar.
Bayan na binciki wasu hotunan iska na yankin kuma nayi tunanin hakan na wani lokaci, sai na yanke shawarar tattara rukunin masu nazari don sauka kan kogin La Venta, wanda gadon sa ya ratsa ta rafin da ke da nisan kilomita 80 wanda ya ratsa ta yankin El Ocote. Wannan tsaguwa tana da gangara wacce ke tafiya daga 620m zuwa 170m asl; Bangonsa ya kai tsayinsa zuwa mita 400 kuma faɗin rafin kogin da yake bi ta ƙasan yana jujjuyawa tsakanin 50 zuwa 100m, har zuwa 6m a cikin sassan mafi ƙanƙanta.
A ƙarshe, ƙungiyar ta ƙunshi Maurizio Ballabio, Mario Colombo da Giann Maria Annoni, ƙwararrun masanan tsaunuka; Pier Luigi Cammarano, masanin ilimin halittu; Néstor Bailleza da Ernesto López, masu rami, kuma ina da gogewa game da zurfin kogi da cikin daji.
Mun ɗauki ƙaramin, raƙumi mai sauƙi da kwalekwale mai iya busuwa, da kayan aikin fasaha da yawa waɗanda suka sa jakunkuna suka yi nauyi, da isasshen abinci na kwana bakwai.
Yankin ƙasa a ɓangaren da ke can can ya bushe. Mun sauko fayil guda ɗaya zuwa kan bene mai tsayi wanda ya jagoranci mu zuwa wurin hawan jirgi, a ƙasan babbar tashar jirgin. Kogin ba ya daukar ruwa da yawa, don haka a kwana biyun farko sai da muka jawo kwale-kwalen zuwa kasa amma, duk da kokarin da aka yi, duk mun ji daɗin kowane lokaci na wannan tafiya mai ban sha'awa.
Spiritaunar rukuni ta kasance babba kuma komai yana aiki sosai; Ba zato ba tsammani Luigi ya ɓace don tattara samfuran tsire-tsire da ƙwari, yayin da Mario, mai tsoron macizai, ya yi tsalle daga dutse zuwa dutse yana busawa yana ta bugu da sanda. Da aka juyo, dukkanmu muka ja muka tura kwale-kwalen da aka loda da kaya.
Tsarin shimfidar gangaren yana da ɗaukaka, ruwan yana tacewa ta bango yana ƙirƙirar kyawawan matattara na zane-zane da kuma tsarin kulawa wanda aka sani da bishiyoyin Kirsimeti, kuma kodayake yana da ban mamaki cacti ta sami hanyar zama a cikin ganuwar tsaunuka masu duwatsu kuma sun yi girma daidai zuwa gare su. Ba zato ba tsammani, mun fara ganin wasu kogwanni da suke a gefen bangon dama na canyon, amma sun ɗan yi tsayi kuma munyi la’akari da cewa babu wata ma'ana da za mu tunkaresu saboda tsayuwar bangon bai ba mu damar hawa da kayan aikin da muke ɗauka ba. Mun fi so mu zama masu haƙuri kuma mu ɗauki “matsa lamba” a ƙarƙashin Jet de Leche, tsalle mai tsayin mita 30, wanda aka yi da farin kumfa wanda zai faɗi a bango mai santsi mai launin lemu, kuma ya zame a hankali a kan duwatsu.
A ƙarshe, kaɗan ci gaba, mun isa kogon farko da za mu bincika kuma da zarar mun shirya sai muka shiga ciki.
Farar duwatsu masu farin dutse sun nuna hasken farko; Afafun kogon sun kasance kurame ne a farkon ɓangaren ginin kuma yayin da muka shiga cikin sararin da sauri ya sauya girmansa. Babu ƙarancin jemagu, waɗanda suka saba zama a waɗannan wuraren, inda sauran samun toxoplasmosis suna da yawa saboda yawan kuzarin fitowar aljihunsu.
Zai ɗauki shekaru kafin a bincika kogon duka sosai. Yawancin reshe sun fita; tafiya cikin su yana da wuya kuma ɗaukar kaya yana da nauyi. Mun yi kokarin kutsawa cikin su gwargwadon iko, amma ba da daɗewa ba muka sami rassa da kututturai, wataƙila sakamakon ƙaruwar koguna ko raƙuman ƙasa da suka toshe mana hanya. Ban san ainihin dalilin ba, amma gaskiyar ita ce, a tsayin 30 m, ana samun katako a makale a ƙasan ganuwar kango.
A kwana na uku na tafiya mun yi hatsari na farko: an rufe bakin kogi saboda ƙaramar zaftarewar ƙasa, kuma cikin sauri, kwale-kwalen ya juya kuma duk kayan suka fara iyo. Tsalle da sauri daga dutse ɗaya zuwa wancan, mun dawo da komai. Wani abu ya jike, amma godiya ga jaka masu hana ruwa komai ya dawo kuma tsoro bai faru ba.
Lokacin da muke kewayawa tsakanin wani abu da sauri, wani babban bango wanda ya fi sama da mita 300 girma, zuwa hannun damanmu, ya ja hankalinmu, a kusan hawa m 30 da ke farfajiya tare da wani tsari da aka yi da hannun mutum za a iya bambanta. Abin ya ba mu sha’awa, muka hau bango muna amfani da fasa da matakan da muke da su ba da daɗewa ba muka isa bagadin pre-Hispanic wanda aka yi wa ado da siffofi waɗanda har yanzu suke adana jan fentin. A ƙasa mun sami abubuwa da yawa na tsohuwar kayan ado, kuma a bangon har yanzu kuna iya ganin alamun zane. Wannan tsarin, wanda dogon lanƙwasa a cikin kogin ya kauda kai, ya zama alama ce ta al'adun Mayan da suka gabata.
Binciken ya kawo mana babbar tambaya: Daga ina suka zo daga kogi, mai yiwuwa sun fito ne daga tsaunukan da ke saman kawunanmu, inda wataƙila akwai wani tsohon bikin bikin da har yanzu ba a sani ba. Wurin da abubuwan da ke kewaye da shi sihiri ne.
A cikin tsakiyar sa, rafin ya fara rufewa har sai ya kusan faɗi 6 m. Rassan da hanyoyin da muka lura a saman gado wata alama ce da babu shakka cewa a lokacin damina wannan kogin yana da matukar tsayi kuma yana jan abin da ya samu a hanyarsa.
Yanayi ya ba da lada ga ƙoƙarce-ƙoƙarcenmu tare da tilasta hanyar wucewa a ƙarƙashin ruwan da ke rufe duk abin da ke gadon kogi kuma ya toshe hanyar kamar farin labule wanda kamar ya raba duniya biyu. Mun kasance a cikin danshi, zuciyar duhu daga canyon. A cikin inuwar, iska ta sanya mu rawar jiki kadan kuma tsire-tsire, yanzu gandun daji na wurare masu zafi, sun faranta mana rai da nau'ikan fern, dabino da orchids. Kari kan haka, wanda ya ba da farin ciki ga balaguronmu, dubban aku sun raka mu tare da hirar tasu ta tsawa.
A cikin daren wannan rana ta uku ƙwanƙolin toads ya nuna matsayinmu, tunda masu lankwasawa ba su da iyaka kuma suna rufe. Dangane da lissafin mu, washegari shine ya karawa raftin, tunda tunda matakin kwararar yana tashi dole ne muyi amfani da mashin. Dare ya yi duhu kuma taurari suna haskakawa cikin ƙawarsu duka.
Da safiyar rana ta biyar, kwale-kwalen ya yi gaba a gabanmu, yana mai yin alama a kan hanya kuma ina yin fim ɗin duk abin da na samu a kan hanya daga kan jirgin. Ba zato ba tsammani sai na fahimci cewa kogin yana kan hanya zuwa bango mai duhu ba tare da ciyayi ba. Sun yi ihu daga kwale-kwalen cewa muna shiga rami. Bangon ya rufe har sai ya taba su. Ba mu da rawar jiki, mun kalli kangaren ya zama babban katako. Ruwan yana gudana a hankali kuma wannan ya bamu damar yin fim cikin nutsuwa. Lokaci zuwa lokaci, ramuka suna bayyana a cikin rufin da ke ba mu isasshen haske na halitta. Tsayin rufi a wannan wurin kusan 100m ne kuma stalactites suna faɗuwa daga gare shi, wanda ya bambanta da launi dangane da zafi da launin bango (launin toka mai haske). Gtto ya ci gaba da lanƙwasawa zuwa dama. Ga secondsan daƙiƙoƙi, hasken ya ɗan ragu kuma a cikin hasken fitilun wani dutse ya bayyana a cikin siffar bagaden Gothic. A ƙarshe, bayan fewan mintoci, mun hango hanyar fita. Da zarar mun fito daga waje, sai muka tsaya a bakin rairayin bakin teku mai yashi don more wannan abin mamakin na ɗan lokaci kaɗan.
Tsawon tsafin ya gaya mana cewa mun kasance a 450 m asl, kuma tunda Tekun Malpaso yana da 170, wannan yana nufin cewa har yanzu dole ne mu sauka da yawa, amma ba mu san lokacin da inda za mu fuskanci wannan bambanci ba.
Mun dawo zuwa kewayawa, kuma ba mu rufe sama da mita 100 ba lokacin da babbar hayaniyar saurin ta farka hankalinmu. Ruwan ya ɓace tsakanin manyan duwatsu. Mauricio, mutum mafi tsayi, ya hau ɗayansu don ya lura. Rushewar ƙasa ce, ba za ku ga ƙarshen ba kuma gangaren ya yi ƙasa. Ruwan yana ta malalowa yana ta kwararowa. Kodayake rana ta gabato, mun yanke shawarar adana shingen, wanda muka shirya igiyoyi da carabin domin idan muna bukatar amfani da su.
Kowannenmu ya ɗauki jakar baya kuma raftan da aka zana a bayansu suna da nauyi ƙwarai. Zufa ta karyo daga fuskokinmu yayin da muke neman hanya mafi aminci don isa zuwa ƙarshe. Dole ne mu yi taka tsantsan hawa da sauka duwatsun m don kaucewa fadawa cikin ruwa. A wani lokaci, Dole ne in ba jakata a Ernesto don ɗaukar tsalle na 2m. Wrongaya daga cikin kuskuren kuskure da karaya zai haifar da jinkiri da matsala ga ƙungiyar.
Kusan da yamma, mun kai ƙarshen gangare. Canyon har yanzu yana da kunkuntar, kuma tunda babu sarari don zango, sai muka kara kuzari cikin sauri don zuwa neman wuri mai kyau don hutawa. Ba da daɗewa ba bayan haka, mun shirya sansani kusa da hasken fitilunmu.
Yayin hutun da muka cancanci, mun cika hanyar bincikenmu tare da bayanai masu ban sha'awa da tsokaci. Mun cika da kallon abin da yake gabanmu. Waɗannan manyan katangun sun sa mun ji ƙanana, marasa muhimmanci kuma an ware mu daga duniya. Amma da daddare, a bakin rairayin bakin teku, tsakanin kunkuntun rafin kogin, a karkashin wata wanda ya bayyana a bangon azurfa na kwarin da gaban gobara, za ka ji amon dariyarmu yayin da muke jin daɗin abinci mai daɗi na spaghetti.
