A True Magical Mystery Tour

The magical mystery tour is coming to take you away . . . and I am not exaggerating,.  The past two days have been simply amazing.  Yesterday we went to the ruins at Uxmal, which is a pretty large site.  Here is a picture of the site itself.

It was somewhat overcast and we actually got rained on, for which we were grateful because it was HOT.  Here I am, wet as can be with sweat.  That is why my chest is shining brightly.

The jaguar (balam in Maya) plays a huge role in Maya symbology.  Here is a throne, with an image of a two headed jaguar. 

This site is in really good shape - there is a lot of detail still visible clearly, 

But my favorite was what is called the Pigeon House because that is what it looks like.

 

 

But the best in some ways was still to come.  The topography here is interesting because it is karst topography, with mostly limestone.  This means there are a LOT of caves here.  And caves were sacred to the Maya, who regarded then as an entrance to the underworld.  The Maya (current calendar issues notwithstanding) have no concept of an end to the world.  They see life as sort of being in three layers - the sky, the earth, and the underworld.   As we were heading towards another ruin site, one called Oxkintok, we ran into a man who offered to take us to a newly discovered site that had Maya petroglyphs and cave painting.  Although we took pictures, it was dark in the cave, you do not want to use a strong flash and I know they will not show here what we saw.  But we went in this big cave, and all over the ceiling were paintings in different colors, mostly red.  They told of the abandonment of a nearby site.  The place was discovered by archaeologists from the Discovery Channel and national Geographic.  This was not just a cave, however, it was also a cenote (sen oh -tay).  A cenote is a sinkhole, or a cave full of water.  Like a grotto.  We underwent a Maya purification ritual, including the burning of incense and a sort of baptism.  Here we are with Victor, our Maya speaking guide.  (By  the way, a lot of the people here speak Maya as a first language, with Spanish coming in second.)   

Then to top things off, we got to go swimming in it.  The water was clear, refreshing, and wonderfully cooling after being all hot at the ruins sites.

 

 

I can't find words to describe what an experience it was.  I am not a really spiritual person, but I could feel something special in there.  I have felt the same way in some of the churches we have been in down here. 

 

 

Today we went to some different cenotes, albeit without the Maya mythology,  There are a couple thousand of these scattered throughout the Yucatan.  Some of them are holes in people's yards, and there are some that are commercial enterprises that charge people to come and swim, with bathhouses and refreshment stands.  We did not go to those, rather, ours were located off out of the way dirt roads.  Here is the entrance to one of them.



 

And here I am with out guide, Roman, who also owned the hotel we stayed at.

 

\thi is what the water looks like.  It is not dirty, rather, leaves and sticks fall into it.  But it is so clean and clear it is unbelievable.

 

Here is how it looks when the sunlight streams down on it.

 

Again, it was an incredible experience and we swam for about an hour, playing in the water and just soaking it all up.  We later went and roamed around an abandoned hacienda, which had its heyday when hennequin (sisal) was a major crop for the area.  At that time, because of hennequin, which was referred to as oro verde (green gold) Yucatan was the richest state in Mexico.  However, nylon and other synthetics soon took the place of sisal, and although it is still manufactured here out of a plant that looks a lot like agave, it is not what it once was.  We actually saw a factory processing it in Merida. 

 

So tomorrow we are off to more ruins near here, and then we will head off to Chichen Itza.  I went there once a number of years ago with my best friend Sue, and I am eager to see it again.  At that time, I knew little about the Maya and their culture and history, so this time it should be even more interesting.  I am even learning a few words in Maya.  For example, pec is dog, ak is turtle, and balam is jaguar.  (This will wreak havoc with my spell check!)  The last two days have been exhausting for me, as our guides spoke no English, and I had to translate all the Spanish for Mike.  It is very tiring because you have to pay attention very carefully every minute.  And that is wearing, but I was glad for the experience, which can only help me improve my language skills.  I am getting better about being able to speak other than in the present tense.

 

OK - I am getting tired and want to kick back with a beer before I go to bed.  Tomorrow will be another long,but fascinating day!

 

 

"I used to think I was the strangest person in the world but then I thought there are so many people in the world, there must be someone just like me who feels bizarre and flawed in the same ways I do. I would imagine her, and imagine that she must be out there thinking of me too. Well, I hope that if you are out there and read this and know that, yes, it's true I'm here, and I'm just as strange as you." 
(Frida Kahlo)