The Majesty of Mayapán

By Monday, we were down to the last three days of our trip, and feeling a bit melancholy at the thought of going home soon.  The kids were really hoping to explore some more ruins, so we decided to squeeze in one last archeological expedition.  We had heard great things about Mayapán, so decided to give it a try.  At least if there were fewer mosquitos than Edzná, the trip would be a success.

On our way out of Mérida, we passed this sign for a local BBQ joint.  I'll never understand the appeal of a cartoon pig, happily cooking himself for your enjoyment.  Don't those animals ever catch on?

We journeyed south toward Mayapán, and passed through Acancéh for the third time in all our travels.  There is supposedly a large Mayan pyramid right in the middle of the town, which the guidebooks say you can't possibly miss.  But for the life of us, we can't seem to find this elusive pyramid.  So much for guidebooks!

Mayapán is believed to have been founded around 1000A.D., after a powerful dynasty left Chichen Itza to establish a new capital.  The guidebook didn't have very much to say about it, but it pointed out that Mayapán doesn't attract very many visitors, partly because it's not on the traditional Mayan routes.  When we pulled into the lot and saw we were the only car there, we realized the book was accurate in that respect.

In fact, we were absolutely the ONLY people at the site except for a handful of archeologists working at Mayapán.  The entire time.  We had the whole site all to ourselves to explore on our own.  And what a spectacular ruin site it was.

The grounds at Mayapán are immaculately maintained and the structures are under active restoration.  The archeologists on hand were pouring cement and restoring steps, all while we were exploring the ruins.  Thatched roofs now adorn some of the temples, which I would take as further indication of the thorough restoration underway. Plus, there were plenty of intact structures in fantastic condition, including a major pyramid and an observatory.

There truly seemed to be a serene atmosphere at Mayapán, and there were absolutely none of the threatening mosquitos we encountered at Edzná.  Jennifer remarked that it would be the perfect place to shoot a yoga video.  Alas, if we only had more time!  An excellent idea, although I think we'll have to plan a winter visit, since right now it's still too darn hot.

We were surprised by the rows of columns lined up throughout the site, which served as great hiding spots for the kids and a challenge for the adults.  The kids also loved playing hide and seek in the observatory, but it wasn't long before they were hot and thirsty from all the running around.





Perhaps the most memorable moment at Mayapán was when Jennifer decided to explore a thatched hut near the base of the main pyramid.  The hut seemed to be open on each side with a dividing wall in the middle.  As she poked her head inside, she immediately let out a bloodcurdling scream and ran out, then started laughing because she had been startled by a bird that was flying at her.  I started laughing even more so, because little did she know that there were three archeologists on the other side of the wall, probably terrorized by her sudden outburst.  I could just picture them intent on their work enjoying the peace and quiet, when along comes Jenn, screaming into the hut.  They certainly cannot be used to visitors there!

There were lots of details to take notice of at Mayapán, like snake head sculptures, painted frescos, and giant Chaac masks. Some of the most striking and disturbing features were the stucco reliefs at the base of the Castillo de Kukulkán.  There you can see carvings of complete Mayan figures, save for an opening in the stone where the head should be.  On these shelves were found skulls, perhaps of sacrificial victims or the ancient ancestors of the city.

With virtually no one in sight, Jenn and I decided to climb the pyramid while the kids played at the bottom.  That way, we could keep them in sight at all times while checking out the magnificent view, plus add another pyramid to our roster in the process.  You see, ever since she shrank away from the climb at Ek Balaam last year, Jennifer has been making up for opportunities lost.  I'm proud that she got over her fear and seized the chance this time around.

It was just amazing to see this entire settlement sprawled out before us, but this time, with no other tourists around to spoil the view.  It was like having our own private kingdom to leisurely play in and explore, without anyone else to get in the way. And since archeologists believe there are many more structures tucked away in the surrounding jungle, you could look around from this vantage point and just imagine what Mayapán may have looked like in its heyday hundreds of years ago.

Mayapán proved to be such a great site to visit that it practically begs to have more visitors recognize its importance, but in ways, we almost hope it stays off the tourist radar and retains its quiet, dignified charm.  It's truly like a hidden gem, one we hope to return to some day.



We climbed down tentatively and rejoined the kids (getting down is always more unnerving than climbing up!) then gathered our things to leave the ruins.  On our way out, we found a platform where tribal dancers likely entertained the ruling elite long ago.


We couldn't miss this chance for Emma to showcase her signature dance moves in all their expressive glory on this ancient stage (see the video clip below).

Speaking of Emma, she became known as the butterfly whisperer of Mayapán, because with the hundreds of tiny butterflies fluttering about the ruins, she somehow managed to catch a dozen or more in her hands (not all at once of course!).  She had great fun charming them like a garden fairy.

By the time we left the ruins it was midday and we were in need of hydration, so we stopped at a little tienda on the way back to pick up some agua and juice for the kids. After some pleasant conversation with the shopkeeper, we hit the road again in search of a cenote for an afternoon swim.  And that's when we happened upon one of the most surprising sights of our trip.

There we were driving down the highway, when we noticed a man's body lying in the shoulder on the side of the road.  As we saw this up ahead of us, Jenn slowed the car down just enough for us to realize (with relief) that this wasn't a dead body; it was a guy SLEEPING in the road, with his head propped up on a bundle of clothes.  Just snoozing away, taking a nap in the unlikeliest of places.  A distracted driver could swerve just a bit too far to the right and Señor Siesta would be having one MAJOR headache.

We just couldn't believe our eyes as we passed the sleepy Mexican, so we turned the car around and got the camera ready for a picture.  As Jennifer slowly inched the car up to the perfect spot, I aimed the camera out the window and snapped a picture.  But as soon as the camera clicked, the body twitched, the head turned, and Mr. Mexican was looking right at us, giving us the shock of our lives.  We gasped and Jenn sped away, both of us laughing about the incident.  If only I had had the nerve to snap another picture of the man staring right at us, it certainly would have made for an interesting photo sequence!

We made our way north once again to Acancéh...and guess what?  There's the elusive pyramid right before our eyes!  Not very elusive at all since we must have driven right past the structure several times already without ever seeing it. I can only guess that our eyes have been drawn to the big yellow church across the street every other time we've passed by.

Anyway, from Acancéh we traveled east, past Cuzamá (I still shudder at the name) to Homún, where we finally found Cenote Tza Ujun Kat.  Once there, a group of kids tried to talk us into a tour of some nearby caves, but we politely refused since we just wanted to check out the cenote.  We got some refreshments and snacks at the restaurant next door, changed into swim gear in their bathrooms, then climbed down the long stairway to the water below.

The underground cavern was huge, with a large opening above where sunlight could stream in.  The cenote was pretty busy with lots of locals, but there was still plenty of room for swimming and playing.  The water was nice and clear, so the kids had a great time exploring and looking for fish. I of course tried to take a few pictures, and was rewarded with a nice flop of bird poop on my hand.  But I guess after a month of this nature stuff, what are you gonna do?  I washed it off in the cenote and carried on.

After about an hour of swimming underground, we emerged from the cenote to find thick clouds and a quickly darkening sky.  By the time we left Homún, the skies had opened up, so we had to contend with rain for most of our trip back to Mérida.  Lukas had no trouble sleeping through it, though.

Strangely, by the time we made it back to our place, I was definitely   not feeling well.  Achy joints, chills, and a fever, which had me curling up in bed early for the night.  What was up with that?  The whole day had been so nice, with lots of fun at Mayapán and the cenote afterwards.  The night was spent trying to stay warm under covers, hoping to feel better by morning.  I did NOT want to spend the last two days of our trip sick in bed!

Sunday in the Park with Family

We spent Sunday close to home, exploring Mérida with a combination of sightseeing and shopping.  Started out by hitting the market, and finally found the shop we had seen earlier that had the soccer uniforms we wanted to try on Lukas.  We couldn't decide so we wound up getting him a green Team Mexico outfit plus a red and white striped Bimbo bread sponsorship uniform.  Bimbo is the Mexican equivalent of Wonder bread, and no, he doesn't need to know the negative implications the word 'bimbo' might have in American language! He just looks cute.



 
From there we spent some time in the Museo MACAY, which is the contemporary art museum.  There we found the Yucatan's answer to the Mona Lisa.  But the most memorable exhibit was an antique wedding dress that had been fashioned into a family tree.  The artist had embroidered on it pictures of each family member, including all the couples and their wedding dates.  From the images, threads led to notes and details that surrounded the dress all over the floor.  It made you wonder whether the dress was handed down from generation to generation,  and worn at each wedding throughout the years.  A very interesting and beautiful way to transform a family heirloom into a true work of art.


Afterwards we made our way to Plaza de la Independencia, where the Sunday in Mérida celebration was going on once again, as it does every week.  We combed through the handcrafts looking for souvenirs, and Jennifer finally picked up a couple of beautiful embroidered Yucatecan dresses (I had been after her all month to get one because they look great on her and she could wear it in our family photo before we ended our trip).  I found a couple of linen guayaberas that I really liked as well.  Afterwards, we walked the park, listened to music, and worked up an appetite.

We wandered into La Serenata on Calle 60 and went to their upstairs dining room for lunch.  In retrospect, the food was so-so and the atmosphere was non-existent, but at least it had a nice view of the park and all the festivities going on.  Oh yes, and more Jamaica tea for the kids (what do they put in that stuff, they're addicted!)




After lunch we walked a bit more, then treated the kids to tropical sorbets at El Colon.  Mmmmm!  Before we knew it, it was 4pm and the parking garage was due to close.  We hoofed it back just in time to find our car was the last in the lot.


Once back at the house, the kids happily swam for almost two hours.
They just love this pool!

Finally, with the kids in bed for the night, Jenn and I were able to share a nice evening featuring margaritas in the courtyard.  What a nice combination:  a warm tropical breeze and dancing to Latin music with your sweetheart.  Does it get any better?

Off to buy shoes...

We checked out of Hotel Lopez on Saturday morning and grabbed a quick breakfast at 'Old McDonalds' before starting the drive back to Mérida. We had an afternoon appointment to meet up with our friends from EducaTE for another shoot, so we wanted to make it back in time to pack up equipment and charge batteries.

On our way back, as we were about to re-enter Mérida, we came to yet another police checkpoint, but upon seeing our children the guard waved us through. But further on, another guard's newspaper had blown all over the road and he was trying to collect the pages. We drove past as we were directed and some of his pages blew under the car. Apparently, this irritated the second guard, because he called us back to question us and look in our trunk. The first guard caught up to us, pointed to the children, and must have told him to lighten up a bit, because they waved us on our way without further incident. After four visits to Mexico and more than three weeks into our trip, we had managed to be stopped three times in three days.

We got back to the house and organized the equipment for the shoot, then the kids swam while we took a breather. About 45 minutes before Cherie was to pick us up for the shoot, the electrical power to the bedrooms went out. I checked the circuit breakers repeatedly, but the power remained out. We had to contact the property manager, who sent an electrician over to correct the problem, but clearly it was going to take a while. Jenn and Lukas had to stay behind at the house, while Emma came with me and Cherie to the shoot across town.

A large part of what EducaTE Yucatan does is help provide uniforms for students that are unable to afford them. Today, we were going to get some video shots of the students buying shoes at the market with the help of the educaTE program. There were fifteen children plus their parents, along with Aliza, who was overseeing the purchase. Emma was able to play with Aliza's daughters again, as well as a couple of other girls from an earlier shoot.

The shoot was pretty straight forward stuff, no big deal, but when I needed to take a group photo, most of the kids were camera shy. They stood there stone-faced with scarcely a smile among them. Cherie had to pretend to hit me over the head with the tripod in order to get a few giggles out of them.

After the shoe store, we headed to an ice cream parlor to tape some interview lines with Aliza, so she could explain her involvement with the EducaTE breakfast program. The noise level was pretty challenging there as well, especially when a street musician wandered in playing a flute. We had to ask him to come back later so we could wrap up.

With the shoot out of the way, we picked up Greenwood, Jennifer, and Lukas (the electric was finally fixed) and went out for casual Mex food at Tacos Arabe. Delicious tacos, made all the more tasty drizzled with an unusual garlic sauce. Couldn't get enough! And another excuse for the kids to sip Jamaica tea. We dined outdoors on the patio, and across the street, some folks were getting ready for a party, blasting standards by Michael Buble and Rod Stewart. Oh yeah, and Shakira. Where did that fit in? Maybe there was an intergenerational battle for control of the DJ booth.

So that's it. A nice night out with our new friends after a hectic day. 'Nuff said.

Edzná and Campeche, Day Two

We were so taken with Campeche that we realized there was too much to see in just one day. We awoke debating whether we should stay another night, so I checked with the front counter and booked the room for a second night's stay. Just going with the flow!

Started the day with breakfast back at Marganzo, where the kids got to enjoy Winnie the Pooh shaped pancakes. But, what's this... no tequila chaser with breakfast? Bummer!

We stuck with our original plan of exploring the ruin site of Edzná, which is most of an hour's drive further south of Campeche City. Edzná is notable for being the site where several scenes were filmed for the movie Apocalypto a few years back (we saw that film and most would agree, it's pretty disturbing).

We planned to spend an hour at Edzná, then return to Campeche to finish our exploration of the city. It wasn't a very good sign when we approached the front counter and the attendant said to us, "Mas moscas." He got that right.

We had already applied repellent, but we were completely SWARMED once we stepped further into the jungle. There were CLOUDS of mosquitos following us, DOZENS on the backs of our shirts, in search of rich red blood. We ran through the jungle, arms flailing wildly, slapping at the kids to keep them safe. Bad parenting moment #32: another instance of sacrificing our children's baby soft skin for our cultural enrichment.

We made it through the jungle, into the open clearing, and the swarms had dissipated. Thankfully, the ruins themselves were not plagued with bloodthirsty insects. But the sun was in full force and it was HOT. Jenn opened a big umbrella for some much needed shade.

Edzná was an impressively large site with plenty of stone structures to climb and explore. The most imposing structure is the Temple of Five Stories, which is 102 feet high. This was closed for climbing so we settled on climbing to the top of the Southwest Temple for some pictures of the main tower.

I made the mistake of wearing a dark shirt today, so combined with the climbing, the mad dash through the jungle, and the blazing sun, I was absolutely drenched. There were not many others touring the site, so I removed my shirt and used it as a towel for awhile. I thought I would pass out otherwise.

Admittedly, I had not read up on Edzná before getting there, so didn't know much about what I was looking at while we were there. It was an amazing site to visit, but I feel we barely saw half of the site due to our time limitations... and the heat. It's really a shame, because I'm sure the kids will remember Edzná as the hot one with all the mosquitos.

We made the mad dash back through the jungle, flailing our arms and flapping at the kids with my shirt, darting straight for the car, thankfully parked in the shade of a tree. We lunched on sandwiches while driving back to Campeche, and I spread my shirt out on the dashboard to dry in the sun.

Jenn was driving again, so I recorded some notes for the blog and kept checking the map. At one point while my attention was diverted, she pulled right up to a police checkpoint (again) without saying a word to me. Oh great. Here I am, a shirtless, disrespectful sweaty gringo in front of men with machine guns. Mexicans do NOT go around with their shirts off, they go out in the blazing sun wearing extra layers, because they have no sweat glands.

I quickly put my wet shirt back on and opened the trunk for them. But, no problemo. These officers were just as pleasant and understanding as the ones we encountered the day before. I guess if I'm going to encounter anyone bearing automatic weapons, it's best if it's a police officer, right? Protect and serve.

Back at Campeche, we paid a visit to San Miguel Fort, on a huge hill overlooking the waterfront. This was really cool. An intact colonial fortress just south of the city, it was built at the end of the 18th century to stave off marauding pirates.

The kids were fascinated by the drawbridge and moat, and loved climbing into each and every lookout tower. Numerous cannons were positioned on every wall, and the view of the sea was incredible.

The fortress is also famous for its museum full of Mayan artifacts, which we glanced at, but by this point we said enough already. No disrespect, but this was the third Mayan museum we'd encountered on our trip, and when you've climbed pyramids and crawled through ruins, they just don't hold a candle. Besides, we had plenty left to do today...

We got a waterside table at El Faro del Moro for a late afternoon meal; by this time I was feeling weak and in need of serious rehydration.

Afterwards, we climbed aboard the pirate ship Lorencillo for a sunset cruise on the open seas. The view of the city was great, and it was nice to see Campeche from a new perspective.

Halfway through the cruise, the pirates took over the ship for some entertainment, which included sword fighting, music, and dancing. As the only light-skinned people on board, Jenn and the kids were easy targets to draw into the revelry, so soon they were dancing on deck too.

The ship docked just in time to enjoy a stunning sunset from the stone wharf. While waiting for the sun to settle on the horizon, Lukas and Emma found a new friend in the captain's dog, making for yet another memorable moment. The sky turned golden yellow, then crimson red as the sun slipped out of sight.

Now with a day so jammed full of activity, you'd think there wouldn't be anything left to share. In fact, there are two things: one amusing, the other touching and inspiring.

Sticky from the salt air, we headed back to the hotel for a dip in the pool. We were the only ones there for just a few minutes, when a Mexican boy of no more than twelve came and sat on one of the lounge chairs with his towel, obviously intending to swim but feeling shy with strangers in the pool.

So he just sat there watching us swim, not saying a word (maybe we looked really strange to him, it's certainly possible). Of course he probably couldn't understand a word of English, because Lukas spent the duration of the time LOUDLY encouraging Emma to invite him in to swim. "Emma, don't you want that boy to be your friend? Can you ask him in Spanish if he wants to play with us?" All the while, Lukas oblivious to the social awkwardness of the situation, just looking to make a new friend. This escalated to his classic line: "Dad, how do you say in Spanish, 'Hey dude, just come in the water!' " Moments later the boy was rescued when his mother came to the pool, presumably asking him why he was just sitting there watching the gringos, like animals at the zoo.

After cooling off in the pool, we were hungry since we had eaten so much earlier than normal, so we decided to take a walk and order a pizza. It was just a couple of blocks down our street, but it was going to be another 40 minutes until the pizza was ready. So we took another walk over to the square to pass the time.

As we got closer, we could hear piano music and noticed that the doors to the cathedral were wide open with visitors going in and out. We stepped inside and saw that there was a classical pianist and an opera vocalist performing live to a church full of people. We took a seat in the back row and listened in hushed awe as beautiful music, crisp and clear, filled the cathedral. The acoustics were incredible, and we had the uncanny sense that we had stumbled onto something that was truly memorable. In fact, the kids were clearly moved by the music and the atmosphere, because Lukas insisted he wanted to sit a few rows closer so he could kneel and say a prayer. Emma wanted to just sit between Mommy and Daddy and hug, just so she could 'be close to us'. It was one of those strange, enchanting moments in time that you just don't forget.

Afterwards, we went back to the hotel room with our pizza, and spent some time relaxing before bed. It had been a full day of ruins, sailing, and exploring, so it wasn't long before all of us had drifted off to sleep...

Campeche, the Pirate City...ARRR!

Thursday morning we began our trip to Campeche City, which is a two hour drive southwest of Mérida. It once was a colonial trading port and is now the capital of the Mexican state of Campeche.

Campeche has a long and exciting history. Spaniards settled here in the 1500's because of its strategic waterfront location, but it was plagued by pirates for nearly 200 years. In fact, it was raided repeatedly by some of the most famous pirates in history, like Peg Leg, Jean LaFitte, and Lorencillo. After two centuries, the citizens had had enough, so the authorities constructed a huge stone wall around the city, essentially turning it into a fortress.

The ride down was actually a smooth one, since we finally found the main highway and bypassed Uman altogether. The only hitch was getting stopped at a police checkpoint once we were within the borders of Campeche state. Sure the officers held machine guns, but they were fairly pleasant, and once they saw we were gringo tourists with children they let us go with a quick obligatory peek in the trunk. No bodies, weapons, or illegal contraband stashed in there!

Eventually, we located our hotel and even a parking space around the corner, which is a challenge since the streets are really narrow. Hotel Lopez turned out to be really charming, which was surprising since it was so affordable.

A comfortable room with plush bedding and a sizable bath, tastefully decorated, and marble throughout. Immaculately clean too, so this was going to be a nice change of pace from the 'rustic charm' we had grown accustomed to at Casa Walker. And instead of six doors to lock up at night, we'd only have to lock one... what a treat!

We checked in, dropped the bags, and walked to the main square to start seeing the sights, of which there were many. Along the way, we noticed immediately the colorful facades of the houses lined up on each cobblestone street in the colonial center. The town cathedral is one of the oldest on the Yucatan, and it took over 200 years for building to be complete.

One of the first things we checked out was Casa Seis, a restored 19th century home, complete with period furnishings and decor. Nice, but just a few rooms, not really much to spend time on, and hot.

Probably not worth the bother to find the 50 cents to pay the admission. I mention it, however, because there were long red stone benches in one room to the rear of the courtyard, so we sat down for a bit to look at the guidebook and figure out where to go next. Well, either it's been freshly painted or it's a dirty trick on visitors, because all of us had red backsides when we left. Red powdery residue all over our clothes, plus the kids' hands from playing on the bench. And we had literally JUST STARTED exploring the city. As if being the only white people in town didn't make us stand out enough, we had to see the sights as the notorious gringo family with red backsides. Life is cruel.

We hauled our hot, sweaty, newly painted butts over to the city's seaward bastion, the Baluarte Nuestra Señora de la Soledad. Within the stone walls is the city's Mayan architecture museum. We spent some time looking at the artifacts, but by this time we'd had our fill of Mayan museums and decided they were much more interesting to see at the actual ruin sites we'd been visiting. Besides we were eager to climb to the top of the wall to see the view.

The bastion afforded us a great angle to view the city, and the kids got a chance to be on the lookout for pirates. They got a real shock when they rang the tower bell and heard how REALLY LOUD it was. Drawing attention to ourselves all over again!

Wandering the streets of the city center, you really get a sense of what colonial life could have been like. We headed back to the hotel to get showered and changed out of our dirty clothes, before going out again in search of dinner.

We decided to take a leisurely stroll on the Malecón on our way to the restaurant. It's a really nice fully restored waterfront walkway that runs the full shoreline of the city. Cannons every so often for those still battling with pirates, and beautiful historical monuments along the way.

There were lots of Mexican families out enjoying the cooler evening air, and plenty of folks jogging and cycling as well. Even a fitness class going on! In fact, on the surface, it would appear that Campeche was pretty fitness conscious, because we even found a sizable sports complex on our way, complete with basketball courts and tennis, actively being used in the summertime heat. That's dedication.

We enjoyed a tasty Yucatecan meal at Marganzo, made all the more pleasant by the friendly wait staff. A trio of strolling musicians serenaded our table with their guitarras, which further complemented the delightful atmosphere.

At the end of the meal, the check was presented with a complementary drink for Jenn and a tequila shot for myself. When was the last time I did a shot of tequila? Of course, I couldn't possibly disappoint our hosts by refusing...!

After dinner, we made it just in time to the light show at La Puerta de Tierra, which is the city's landward gate and bastion. We were given a quick tour of some hidden catacombs and allowed to climb to the top of the wall before watching a show about the history of Campeche. The story was told in Spanish, but we got the basic gist of things: first there were the maya, who were conquered by the Spaniards, followed by Catholic missionaries. Their cultures combined to evolve into the colorful tapestry which is modern Campeche City. Oh yeah, and pirates too!

We rounded out the night by relaxing on a park bench in the main square, with the glowing cathedral nearby. The kids played hide and seek in front of the cafe for a while, and then we headed back to the hotel, tired after another busy day, and eager to immerse ourselves in the comfort of our plush new beds. ¡Buenas noches!