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Balancanche Cave
These are offerings left to the rain god Chac, as they were found deep in the cave.I have been struggling with how to wrap up my journey through Mexico. I don't know if it was the intense heat in the Yucatan or the onset of the rainy season or maybe even the fact that I saw so many amazing things in such a short time, but I haven't been able to find the words to describe it. Since I left Palenque I have visited six different cities in Mexico, each one uniquely different from the others and each one, with the exception of Campeche, serving solely as a base for exploring the surrounding countryside. From those six cities I visited twelve different Mayan sites, a mangrove swamp full of flamingos and a biosphere reserve preserving a large swath of pristine tropical forest in the heart of the Yucatan Peninsula. I did all of this while basking in all of the intense heat and humidity that the Yucatan could throw at me. For those of you who are not as passionate about ancient cities as I am, prepare to be bored out of your mind - Sorry!
When I left Palenque I headed straight for the grand Yucatan city of Campeche. Much like Veracruz to the north,
Campeche
This is the view from one of the forts on a hill outside of town. These forts and the walls around the city were build to protect the city from pirates. Campeche was a walled city, but, unlike Veracruz, a large portion of Campeche's walls are still standing. The walls and fortifications were built to protect the city from the repeated raids from the well organized pirates and buccaneers, like Henry Morgan, that plagued the city and they did their job well - With the exception of one pirate who was given safe passage into the city as part of a ransom agreement, no pirate force ever successfully entered the city again. It was the city's turbulent pirate history that fueled my urge to see Campeche and the city's listing as a UNESCO World Heritage Site made it even more appealing - Some of the most memorable places I have been in the world have been on that list! I spent several wonderful days and nights in the steamy inferno that was Campeche. I walked along the old walls and toured the string of small forts, many with museums inside, that the walls originally linked together, I explored one of the hilltop fortresses that used to protect the deep water channel approach to the city and I strolled through the streets within the walls admiring the well preserved and very colorful
The City Walls
Two large sections of Campeche's walls still stand. This is the seaward wall containing the sea gate. colonial architecture that abounds there. I spent one of my days in Campeche exploring the little-visited Mayan ruins of Edzna. The collectivo van that I had to take to get there dropped me off on the side of a deserted jungle road at six in the morning and, after a short walk down a side street, I made it to the locked main gate for the site - I was two hours early! After an enjoyable hour sitting on a rock listening to the birds serenade the coming of the sun, the caretaker spotted me and let me in and hour early - I had the entire site to myself for nearly three hours! The most famous structure at Edzna sat on the beautiful main plaza and took the form of a pyramid, but, instead of solid walls, the front facade was made up of a series of rooms running the full length of each of the ziggurat's terraces, each level accessible from the massive main staircase - I explored each of the rooms as I climbed the pyramid and every time I entered a new room I was greeted by a heart-wrenching explosion of beautiful green birds, which startled
The Turret
A well protected place to shoot from and a cool looking addition to the wall. me every time. Other notable things at Edzna included a few well preserved masks of the Mayan sun god at the base of one of the structures and a giant pyramid mound covered in trees, which had a small temple on top and excellent views of the surrounding countryside. There were several other great Mayan sites in the Campeche area, but the city is still in the process of building its tourist infrastructure and, short of renting a car, the other sites were virtually unreachable. Campeche was a wonderful city to spend some time, so I am glad I decided to stop.
The next place I stayed was the colonial city of Merida. I had heard a lot of great things about Merida and I was excited to be getting there, but I was not prepared for the heat! I have never felt heat as oppressively uncomfortable as the heat in Merida was. My main reason for stopping in Merida was its close proximity to the Ruta Puuc sites of Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil and Labna. The only reasonable way to see the sites via public transportation was by taking the Ruta Puuc bus, which stops at each of the
Inside the Walls
The colonial architecture in the old part of Campeche was impressive enough to gain the city a place on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. four sites and gives you a little time to explore each of them - As much as I dislike taking tours, I knew it was the best way and I signed up. Our first stop was Labna, the site furthest from Merida. We were given forty minutes to see the ruins, so I set off in a quick walk. The first structures I came to were a group of three long building with ornate facades of Chac masks and half columns, which were typical of the 'Puuc' style, and several large rooms with nice vaulted ceilings employing the Mayan Arch. I explored several of the rooms on the ground level and then I went through an arched passage way and up a set of stairs to a few ruined building on the top level. A sacbe, which were raised limestone roads that connected several of the Mayan cities together and acted as highways, ran from the front of the first group of structures, across the main plaza to another small group of structures including an impressive example of the Mayan Arch in a well preserved and heavily ornamented structure and a tall, ruined pyramid with a nice temple on top.
Edzna
Edzna is a small but nice ruin outside of Campeche. This is the sites most impressive structure. Labna was an enjoyable site to explore and the forty minutes we were given was just enough time to see the site, but not at a leisurely pace. I had to run back to the bus and I was a few minutes late, but I wasn't the last one to arrive. Our next stop was at Sayil, only a few minutes down the road, and we were given another forty minutes. The first structure I came to was an impressive, three story temple complex with several columns and beautiful proportions - Only the first level was open for exploration, so it didn't take long to climb through all of the rooms, which also had nicely vaulted ceilings. The remaining structures at Sayil were buried deep in the jungle and it quickly became apparent that the forty minutes allotted to the site was not nearly enough. Instead of throwing the towel in and giving up on seeing the other ruin groups, I decided to start running and I set off through the mid-day heat and tropical sunshine, jogging through the steamy jungle. The first outlaying structure I came to was a ruined building that was mostly buried. The interesting thing about
The Sun God
This is one of the well preserved sun god masks from Edzna. that structure was a nicely carved hieroglyphic doorway that partially protruded from the earth. I examined the carvings for a little while and then I set off again. I passed a sign that said the next ruin was seven hundred meters away - Nearly one kilometer deeper into the jungle! I passed occasional mounds of ruined structures and I startled a few animals (I wasn't able to see what they were) and then I arrived at the next structure. At first sight, I didn't see anything special about this massive, overgrown mound, with the exception of a few large, picturesque trees growing out of the top. A closer inspection revealed a mysterious door underneath the tangle of exposed roots of the larger tree, which passed through a small section of wall that had been exposed in a small landslide and led to a mostly intact room inside what must have been a large structure, now mostly reduced to rubble. I was impressed by the lone door, but, when I walked around to the other side of the mound and scrambled up a trail through the jumbled blocks of stone, I found and entire ornamented facade spanning the full length of
Labna
The ornamentation at Labna was great. This arch and Chac mask was on the main structure at the site. the mound and containing several complete rooms and some that had collapsed. I sat and admired the unexpected facade on the otherwise natural looking mound and tried to imagine what this structure could have looked like over a thousand years ago when it was a thriving community - The ruined mound was the furthest structure from the bus and it was my favorite at Sayil, so I am glad I ran. Being short on time I scrapped a thought of trying to find the site's ball court, which was overgrown and ruined somewhere well off of the trail nearby, and I started running back. I was already late when I reached the last group of structures, so I snapped some quick pictures and briefly studied an odd stela and started a quick run back (I knew I wasn't going to be the last person to the bus because I had passed another group of runners on my way back from the mound who were still well behind me). I reached the bus about ten minutes late, drenched in sweat and exhausted, and I took my seat. My run through the jungle was about six kilometers long, but it was very
Labna's Arch
The Mayan arch, while not a true arch, was used throughout the Mayan world to support the ceilings of the structures. The arch at Labna is one of the most famous ones. rewarding. The other group of runners showed up about five minutes after me and we set off to our next site, Kabah. I was relieved when we got to Kabah and saw that it was a compact site straddling the road - No running there! Kabah was an important site and the ornamentation was more of the same style we saw at the other two sites, but on a much grander scale. The most impressive structure at Kabah was on a raised platform facing the road and had a facade completely covered in stone mosaic Chac masks, amazing geometric patterns and what looked like feathers. On the rear of the structure, over the center door, were two life-sized 'Atlantean' figures, one with a jaguar mask - Originally four of these statues were found, but one was moved to a museum and the other is under a roofed patio by the site entrance. There was a row of rooms on the front of the structure, which had beautifully carved stairs heading to a second row of rooms that sat a little above the first rooms. There were several other large structures with columned doorways, but none as impressive as the first
Sayil
This is the very impressive main structure at Sayil. one. Across the road there were several large pyramid mounds and an impressive, free-standing arch that marked the beginning of a sacbe that lead all the way through the jungle to Uxmal, our next destination. Still feeling the effects of the run, I returned to the bus a few minutes early, which surprised the bus driver who had expected me to be late again, and took my seat. By the time we arrived at Uxmal I had had plenty of rest and I was ready for my two hour exploration of one of the most important Mayan sites and another of the places I had wanted to see since I was a kid. Uxmal was a truly wonderful place - Most of the structures were in excellent states of preservation and the detail of the ornamentation was some of the most complicated and beautiful I had seen. The first structure I came to as I climbed the hill from the entrance was the Temple of the Magician, sometimes called the House of the Dwarf, which rose high above the surrounding terrain like a giant conical mountain. Possibly the coolest sets of stairs in the Mayan world rose to the top
The Door
This is the doorway into the mound at Sayil. of the pyramid-like structure. The stairs were insanely steep and therefore off-limits to everyone, which was sad because the carvings on top are said to be the most impressive at the site. From the Temple of the Magician I went to the magnificent 'Nunnery' structure and explored the large courtyard with its ornate facades and grand arch entryway. Thousands of birds filled the air inside the courtyard and added to the feeling of mystery and adventure that was already present at the great structure. Next came the House of the Governor with more impressive facades and a great, two headed jaguar altar in front of it. This structure served as the home for the great explorers of the Mayan realm, Stephens and Catherwood, when they did their reconnaissance of the site, so it was cool to walk in their footsteps. In the end I was able to explore five of the most important structures on site and several of the smaller ones in the allotted two hours - I kept a leisurely pace and I even got to climb one large pyramid. Uxmal was definitely the highlight of the day and it certainly lived up to the grand image I
The Unexpected Façade
This is the exposed facade from the mound in Sayil. had built of the site in my mind. I was surprised by one thing at Uxmal - I was there on a Sunday and there were hardly any people there, which I didn't expect from such an important site, especially being as close as it was to Cancun. I spent the rest of my time in Merida exploring the colonial streets, unsuccessfully trying to mail my slab of stone home and doing my best not to prove that spontaneous combustion can happen with a human - I combated that phenomenon with lots of ice cold fruit juices and aguas de Jamaica. When I had accomplished all I had set out to do in Merida, I boarded a bus to anywhere cooler - I chose Valladolid, but the middle of the Lybian desert or even the Planet Mercury would have worked as well.
I passed through several nice little towns on my way to Valladolid and at one stop I saw the sight that first fueled my desire to travel, the giant ziggurat of El Castillo rising above the trees in the parking lot of Chichen Itza - Several years ago, on a trip to Cancun to celebrate my graduation
Kabah
The most impressive structure at Kabah is completely covered in Chac masks. from University, I visited Chichen Itza and when I saw El Castillo then something clicked in my mind and I realized that all of the exotic places that I knew so well from the pages of 'National Geographic' were actually in reach, I had caught the travel bug. I was surprised by Valladolid. I had expected a moderately interesting town that could serve as a base to see a few sights in the area, but I found a wonderful colonial town of the caliber of the other small towns that have made me love Mexico - I enjoyed the thriving zocalo with its lively evening crowds and great music, the Yucatecan food, though different from most of Mexico, was great and the abundance of things to see and do in town all made Valladolid one of my favorite stops in the Yucatan Peninsula. From Valladolid I explored three Mayan sites. The first was Balancanche Cave, which had an impressive collection of Mayan artifacts sitting where they were placed by the Mayans as offerings to the rain god Chac. To get to the artifacts we walked down a slippery path through the outer cavern, which had several nice formations, and through
Atlantian Figures
These two excellent carving are part of a set of four. a large steel door (it was a new addition) and then even deeper into the underworld. Eventually we came to a large room with a large column where a stalactite and stalagmite grew together and surrounding the column were several beautifully crafted pots and other artifacts.
We then went deeper still and came across two more neatly organized groups of artifacts and then a giant underwater lake. Balancanche Cave was a great change, but I almost didn't get to go because I needed at least two people to be let in, but an Argentinian couple showed up in the nick of time and saved the day. The next day I visited the massive, jungle shrouded city of Coba. Coba is located near the Caribbean coast and the resort towns of Cancun and Playa del Carmen, so I wasn't surprised when I walked into Coba's tour bus filled parking lot. Once in the park, I immediately headed for the large, partially restored pyramid of Nohoch Mul, one of the largest structures on site and the only one that can be climbed by the public. I made my way up the large staircase, passing many people who were struggling their way up
Kabah's Arch
This arch designates the start of a sacbe that leads through the jungle to Uxmal. along the way - Having climbed nearly every climbable structure I have encountered on this trip, I felt the climb was easy! I took a seat on one of the top steps, well away from the rope hand-hold, and I sat there watching the humorous crowd of people ascend and descend the staircase - There were the people who were in excellent shape and had no problem with the stairs, there were the out of shape people who struggled their way to the top, stopping several times along the way, there were the people who were clearly feeling the effects of several days of partying in their resort towns, there were the people that were terrified of the stairs, but who chose to take a chance for the glory of standing on top and there were the people who wanted to prove how cool and un-afraid they were by carelessly moving up and down the stairs as quickly as they could (these are the people who occasionally fall, forcing the authorities to close the structures to climbing). What all of the climbers had in common, myself included, was the experience of looking across a seemingly boundless forest, broken only by
The Nunnery
One of the more impressive structures at Uxmal - This picture does not do it justice. other mountainous ancient structures and a few distant forest fires - It was a grand vista! I sat on top for nearly three hours watching the crowd slowly trickle down to just me and then I enjoyed a few minutes of solitude on top and I headed down to explore the rest of the site. Everywhere I looked I saw jungle covered mounds, all concealing an ancient, man-made structure. I walked for what seemed like several kilometers (the intense mid-day head amplified the distances I think) and I came to a large group of small structures with several stelae, but unfortunately the stelae were mostly too weathered to read - Imagine the story they could tell if they were intact! I made my way back towards the park entrance and several structures I had skipped on the way into the park, stopping at a peaceful lake-side clearing on the way. The last structures that I saw at Coba were some of the most impressive. There was a nicely restored ball court and a truly massive pyramid complex, which contained a few tombs and several concealed passage ways (all closed to the public). There was a lot of archaeological work and
Uxmal
The Nunnery is on the left and the Temple of the Magician is the obvious conical pyramid to the right. restoration going on all over the site, but Coba is still blanketed in jungle and will hopefully stay that way - The jungle setting is a rarity among the Mayan sites, because most of them have been cleared to give the visitors and archaeologists a more accurate glimpse at what the cities would have looked like in their heyday. After Coba came another little known site close to Valladolid, Ek Balam. Ek Balam was a rather compact walled city and it had some of the most impressive structures I have seen. Excavation and restoration work are being aggressively done at Ek Balam and they have revealed an amazing facade with a giant monster-mouth doorway and a few 'Mayan Angel' sculptures - It was a truly amazing sight to see. It appears that the site is getting a lot of attention from the tourist authorities and is posed to be the next major site in the area - There was a new parking lot and visitor center being constructed and the rebuilding of the structures was being done at an impressive rate; hopefully all the work will relieve the strain that the massive crowds are putting on the other grand sites
The Jaguar Altar
This was found buried near where it is now standing by Stephens and Catherwood. in the area. Ek Balam only took a few hours to see, so I planned a small adventure for the hot afternoon. I rented a bicycle in Valladolid and I rode five kilometers to the Cenote Dzitnup, which was an underground opening to the underground river system that winds its way through the Yucatan. Inside the cenote was an amazing underground pool with some impressive cave formations and a small opening in the roof that shot a beam of mid-day sunlight through the cave and into the crystal clear water - Swimming in the cool water was a perfect way to escape from the Yucatan heat for a while!
The following night found me in Rio Lagartos on the northern Gulf Coast of the Yucatan. I had joined forces with a few friends from the hostel and we decided to do a mangrove wildlife safari and flamingo tour. To say that Rio Lagartos was a sleepy town would be an understatement - There was one hotel to stay at and one restaurant to eat at and the streets were deserted. Our tour started early in the morning as we boarded our boat and headed off towards the mangrove swamps.
The House of the Governor
Another of the more impressive structures at Uxmal. This building was home for Stephens and Catherwood. We started seeing the abundant bird life immediately. As the day progressed we saw hundreds of pink flamingos, some peacefully wading through the water slurping up the small pink shrimp that give them their color and others awkwardly flying through the air in a strangely graceful way. Seeing the giant flocks of pink birds made me think of the tacky pink flamingo yard decorations that can be found throughout America - They look just like the real thing! We also saw many other birds, a horseshoe crab and a few crocodiles through the day - We got to see a black hawk sweep down and grab a fish out of the water right next to the boat as well! We made a quick stop at a salt mining operation where we floated in the extremely salty evaporation ponds - It was impossible to sink, which was a strange feeling! As part of the tour, our guide smeared some of the 'salt mud' from the area all over us and explained how the mud was one of the best exfoliants out there and that some people pay big bucks for the same treatment in some of the more exclusive day spas
Casa del Abuelos
I probably spelled it incorrectly but is is another of the famous structures at Uxmal. on the coast - I could definitely feel the slight burning of the extremely salty mud. We made a side trip to the beach where we swam in the turquoise water of the Gulf and washed off the mud. I spent one more night in Valladolid and then set off on an epic bus journey to the small town of Xpujil on the outskirts of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve.
Xpujil quickly won the not-so-desirable title of my least favorite town in Mexico - Of course, I didn't spend any time in the northern border towns or they would likely hold that spot! Xpujil didn't have a dangerous feel, in fact the people there were all very nice, but there was just no reason to visit there unless you have your own car. The town had one of the best locations in Mexico for tourism, being surrounded by no less than seven major ruins and a pristine tropical forest just begging to be explored, but the tourist infrastructure I was lead to believe was there was completely absent and the only way to get to the sites from the town was by expensive taxis - It would have cost less
Una Culebra Verde
This little snake was hanging out in the thatched roof at Balancanche. money to see the sites as part of a tour from Campeche, six hours to the north! Due to the cost I was only able to see four of the seven sites I had set out to see and those four were just short of epic journeys. My first full day in town I decided to visit the three closest ruins on foot, a round trip of over thirty kilometers! The site of Xpujil was the first and easiest ruin to see, being on the outskirts of town. I walked over to the site and took in my first structures done in the 'Rio Bec' style. Most of the buildings on site took a lot of imagination to reconstruct in my mind, but the most important building there was in a great state of ruin. The structure was a great example of the 'Rio Bec' style with three, instead of the normal two, ornamental towers rising high above the main portion to the structure - It was an impressively massive structure! One of the towers had a narrow and extremal steep staircase leading up through a tunnel to an opening in the side of the tower where the roof used
The Cave
The most impressive layout of artifacts at Balancanche Cave was in this room with a giant central column. to be, which was a lot of fun to explore. From Xpujil I had a nine kilometer hike to the next site, Becan. Becan was an important city in its day and the grand structures and the large mote surrounding the site definitely portrayed that importance. Many of the structures at Becan had been well restored and there were several hidden passages and stairways to explore and some giant buildings to play on. All of the structures at Becan were massive and had a layout that was quite pleasing to the eye - I would love to be able to see this site in its former glory, because the architectural style at Becan was impressive, more so than most of the other sites I have visited. Hidden away in a small set of ruins away from the most impressive structures was a phenomenal stucco mast that was still partially painted red - The mask was protected by a newly constructed, climate controlled room with a viewing window, which made it a little difficult to see, but it was still one of the highlights of the site. The darkening sky overhead reminded me of the massive electrical storm and torrential downpour
Coba
This is the giant pyramid at Coba that provided me with so much entertainment. that had hit the area the night before and it prompted me to quickly get moving to the next site of Chicanna, another few kilometers down the road. Along the way I saw a strange small bird hopping across the street and on closer inspection I found a small toucan with a brownish beak that reminded me of the paint job on one of my brother's Fender guitars - The bird was beautiful and he sat on a limb and posed for my camera, but, sadly, in my excitement I messed up the settings and all of the posed shots were blurry (I did get one good shot of him though.) I made it to Chicanna one hour before the site closed and at the same time as a large tour group. Luckily, Chicanna was a very small site and I was able to see the whole place in my hour. The first structure I came to was a mixture between Chenes style, with the monster mouth doorways, and Rio Bec style with the ornamental towers - Most of the ornamentation was gone, but I was able to make out two different monster mouth doorways, one over the other (two
Ek Balam
This is the facade at Ek Balam. Notice the monster mouth doorway and the Mayan Angels. stories). Next came a group of basic ruins with very little in the way of carvings, but after that group came the impressive main plaza. There were three excavated buildings and what appeared to be a fourth, completely overgrown in jungle growth, lining the plaza. One of the structures was a massive twin tower structure of impressive proportions. Another was not overly memorable, but the third excavated structure on the plaza was the one Chicanna was famous for. That structure had a giant, excellently preserved and restored monster mouth doorway along with lots of other impressive ornamentation. That particular structure is where I ran into the tour group, so I had a long wait before I could get my pictures. Luckily, the heavens opened up and the rain started falling, which sent most of the people running for cover and left me alone with the ancient stones. I caught up with some of the stragglers from the tour group who were from France and they were not very happy, because in their words, "We left France to get away from the rain for a little while!" - It seemed the rainy season was starting a little early! The poncho that
Mayan Angels
A close up of the angles. I had carried all through Mexico finally earned its keep on the rainy walk back to town.
The following morning started at five-thirty with me waiting for a cab I had set up the night before. The cab, however, never showed, so at six o'clock I walked down to the taxi stand and found someone else who was willing to take me on my seven hour, whirl-wind adventure through the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve to the remote, but important ancient Mayan city of Calakmul. Our adventure started off on a sad note when my driver had to choose between a dog and a large truck that both materialized out of the early morning fog in front of us. That was the only incident of the day, but the adventure went on! Once we entered the forest of the reserve wildlife started appearing around every bend. Most of what we saw were the large and very colorful Peten turkeys and we saw them in the hundreds! We also saw a giant pheasant, an agouti, which looks like a mix between a raccoon and a fox, and a keel billed toucan. The forest got denser and denser as we progressed further into
A Most Excellent Swimming Hole
Cenote Dzitnup was just outside of Valladolid and was a great way to get away from the mid day heat. the reserve and then some scattered stone mounds started to appear and, after sixty kilometers on the winding jungle road, we pulled into the parking area for the ruins. I had wanted to spend four hours at the site and my driver assured me I would be able to see it all in two, so, after a bit of negotiating before we left town, we settled on three hours. I was the first person through the gate that morning and, with the exception of the resident archaeologists and caretakers, I had the place to myself. It was a long walk through the forest before I reached the first group of ruins and along the way I saw several colorful birds, a troupe of spider monkeys and many types of insects and I heard the scream of a small jungle cat that was somewhere close by, but I never saw it. The first several groups of ruins I came to were residential complexes and they were not overly impressive, except for their sheer size, but one of the structures had a large concrete bunker built beneath it with a locked door that was obviously concealing something cool (there was no sign).
In the Mangrove
The wildlife around Rio Lagartos was impressive. I wound my way past a giant stone wall and up a hill where I came to one of the main plazas. The plaza had several very impressive structures and a lot of mysterious stelae sticking up out of the ground at strange angles. I explored all of the structures around the plaza and marveled at the quantity of stelae, wishing they were in better condition so their story could be told. One of the larger structures was only partially excavated and the way it was done demonstrated well what would be found beneath the rubble if we were to excavate any of the ruined mounds around the site. The plaza had been cleared of the ground layer of vegetation, but the trees had been left alone, which gave a very open, forest park like feel to the area that was very pleasant. While I explored the plaza I came across two large rivers of big black ants, which joined into one long, wide row that went as far as I could see and disappeared into the forest - It was a cool sight to see, but I was careful not to make them mad! I still had not seen
A Double Sun Rise
This was the start of our safari in Rio Lagartos. the grand pyramids that Calakmul is known for and I was running out of structure groups to see, but, at the end of a long jungle trail, I finally found a pyramid and it was the largest one I had seen in the Mayan world - It rose high above the canopy of the forest, which was, itself, well above my head. Most of the pyramid's front facade had been excavated and restored, but I still passed a few trees clinging to the side as I made my ascent. From the top I had a sweeping panorama of unbroken rainforest as far as I could see in every direction - The Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, another UNESCO site, is huge and it joins with the Maya Biosphere Reserve, encompassing most of Northern Guatemala, protecting a mind-boggling amount of forest and numerous archaeological sites. The vista was broken by a few man-made structures, but they were over a thousand years old and added the feeling of mystery to the view. Being on a schedule I was unable to spend as much time as I would have liked on top of the pyramid, but I didn't mind that much because I was being
Flamingos
These flamingos were busy eating and playing in the water. swarmed by a fierce-looking cloud of flying insects of some sort when I was up there. The next structure I came to was much smaller than the pyramid, but it was also an important structure, having never been built over and containing the tomb of an important person. Its still stuccoed walls contained hundreds of names etched into its ancient surface - It is thanks to those people that so many of the ruins in the world are now roped off! On the way down that structure I noticed a black lump of fir clinging to the branches of a tree about ten feet away from me and about at my level. On closer inspection there were several lumps of black fur and they turned out to be a troupe of howler monkeys. They were fairly content with where they were and most of them were sound asleep. One of them moved down the tree towards me and that is when I noticed the two babies it was carrying. The babies started playing with each other while mama ate, completely oblivious to my presence. The sun was behind the monkeys, so the pictures were not that great and I decided
Flamingos (2)
and these flamingos were flying by the salt mine. to relocate. I knew that to go where I needed to go had grave and serious consequences associated with it, but I decided to take a chance and I walked under the monkeys. At first they ignored me like before and I got some great pictures, but then they got annoyed with me and the twigs and urine started raining down on me - I got through the barrage and to safety without taking any direct hits, which surprised me, because I figured a monkey would have better aim at a range of fifteen feet! The monkeys remained quiet during our interaction - No roars could be heard echoing through the canopy on that day. I was running out of time and I still had two structure groups to see, so I said good bye to the monkeys and I moved on to another mountainous pyramid! I made quick work of the ascent, stopping to admire a few nice stelae along the way. The view from the top was equally as grand as from the other pyramid. On the way down I found two steel doors set into the stone walls of the pyramid. I looked through a small opening
Crocodile!
We saw a few of these guys lazing the day away. in the doors and one had a set of stairs descending a little ways and then ending in a newly constructed wall, which must mean it was an already explored tomb that was being resealed, and the other had a few steps that descended into a perfectly smooth dirt floor, which may mean that there is an unexplored tomb there and the excavation was ongoing, one dirt layer at a time - It is neat to think about the possibility of unexplored tombs still existing today! I moved on quickly to the last structure I was going to be able to explore and I made my way to the top. The view from the top was better than the view from either of the two pyramids, not because it was taller, but because both of the two pyramids could be seen, rising high above the forest canopy like mountains - It was a surreal vista! I made it back to the parking lot and my waiting taxi a little late and we were off, back to Xpujil - I sure could have used that extra hour!
I said good by to the three toucans and the parrot that were
Valladolid
The plaza in Valladolid was a great place to spend the evenings. in large cages next to my cabin and I headed to Chetumal, my last stop in Mexico. I successfully mailed my stone slab home - I have since learned that it sustained some superficial damage on the way, but it made it and it was off my back! I also visited the very nice Mayan Culture Museum there, which was an excellent and very informative overview of the Mayan culture and beliefs and a great recap for what I had seen so far. I boarded a bus for Orange Walk in Belize and I sat thinking about my three months in Mexico. The preconceptions I had built in my mind regarding Mexico - that it would be a difficult place to travel, that Northern Mexico could be skipped for lack of stuff to see, that the large cities would be crime ridden waste-lands completely lacking in charm - were all completely incorrect and I am a bit disappointed in myself for letting those thoughts take root in my mind. The Mexican people were some of the friendliest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, in fact, I can't think of a single person I met that I could
Xpujil
The grand three towered structure at Xpujil. say I didn't like! The one month that I had planned for Mexico quickly ballooned into three and I could have easily filled three more, but it was time for me to move on. I will always be grateful for the time I was able to spent in Mexico and I will surely return someday, but, for now, farewell Mexico, hello Belize!
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Timo
non-member comment
Thanks
for your great journal.Plan to go in October so this was very useful.Have a good one. Timo from Finland