I think the celebration of Cinco de Mayo (or Cinco de Drinko...) has tainted the knowledge of Mexican culture for many in the US. The holiday, which commemorates the victory over French forces in the Battle of Puebla, is not Mexico's Independence Day and is oddly enough celebrated only very low-key in the country itself. We often use the 5th of May as a day to honor Mexico by eating tacos, taking a picture in a sombrero, and having another excuse to party hard (I'm guilty as charged). Don't get me wrong, I love tacos and tequila, but I think it is important to not lose sight of the rich history of one of our bordering countries. Our day today in Mexico really made me appreciate the culture that we often misconstrue.
A few weeks before our trip, Sydne and I booked a day long tour to see Chichen Itza (CHEE-chen EET-za), a large pre-Colombian city built by the Maya civilization. It is one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico, and has been declared as one of the new “Seven Wonders of the World.” Today, we were about to become one of the 1.2 million tourists that visit the ruins each year.
A few weeks before our trip, Sydne and I booked a day long tour to see Chichen Itza (CHEE-chen EET-za), a large pre-Colombian city built by the Maya civilization. It is one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico, and has been declared as one of the new “Seven Wonders of the World.” Today, we were about to become one of the 1.2 million tourists that visit the ruins each year.
Our tour company, Wow Excursions, met us in the hotel lobby. We boarded a coach bus and started the ~2.5
hour drive to the Yucatán. Booking this tour online was one of the best decisions we made in planning for this trip. The company had excellent customer service and communication, and without question, moved the trip for us when I realized I accidentally booked it on the wrong day (whoops). Additionally, at only $76, the price could not be beat. We would've paid nearly double had we waited to book at the resort.
On the way to the ruins, we stopped for a panoramic view of the colonial city of Valladolid. Valladolid felt very authentic. It had a small town charm, with bright pastel buildings, and many of the townspeople still using the typical dress of the Maya (white blouses or dresses with bright, flowered embroidery). The streets were lined with little hole-in-the-wall shops selling fresh fruits and tamales cooked in banana leaves. According to our tour guide, the city was deeply Maya, as seen in the dress, language, and food, but also distinctly Spanish. It was founded by invading Spaniards, and touches of the culture could be seen in the Franciscan architecture of the central cathedral, and the stone-paved streets. We were only passing through the city, but I would like to come back sometime for a few days to explore and also eat some of the spicy Yucatecan foods.
We departed Valladolid to stop for a swim and lunch at the Eco Park "Ik Kil." Ik Kil has a beautiful cenote (say-NOH-tay), which is a large freshwater hole composed of limestone that forms when the roof of a water-filled cave collapses. Maya believed them to be sacred gateways to the afterlife. We took a few pictures looking down into the cenote from above, and then decided to go for a swim. First, we had to shower to rid ourselves of any perfumes, oils, etc., to keep the water sacred and pure. We got to the bottom of a long set of stairs and sat along the edge of the pool with our feet in the water. I loved the peaceful ambience-the vines (which you were not allowed to touch) hanging down to the surface of the water and the sound of small waterfalls. One of the neatest things about the pool was that it was teaming with black catfish.
After sitting for a while and watching people attempt multi-leveled jumps from the side, Sydne decided to give it a shot. I GoPro'ed while she jumped off the highest platform. She swam back up to where I was sitting and insisted that it was now my turn. I'm not the biggest fan of heights, but I sucked it up and climbed up the stairs to jump. Good thing the water was deep because I lost the whole top of my bathing suit immediately after hitting the water (haha). I swam back over to Sydne, relieved to be finished, only to find out that she forgotten to start recording the GoPro. Great...so unfortunately I had to jump again (this time the swimsuit was tied tight). If you want to see some impressive jumps, check out this YouTube video of the 2011 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series held at Ik Kil. They jumped a little higher than we did...
We spent about 45 minutes down in the pool, swimming and taking videos. After drying off, we walked around the Ik Kil grounds. There were Maya dancers decked out in tribal paint and costumes, as well as a few shops and a restaurant. We headed to the restaurant, which had a buffet that was included in our tour. There was a spread of four or five different Mexican dishes-all tasty and filling. We ate as much as we could, as our next meal wouldn't be for 7-8 hours when we got back to the hotel. This seemed like an eternity..after all, we were used to eating every hour at the resort!
Our ~2 hours at Ik Kil had ended, and it was time to hop back on the bus and head for Chichen Itza. I'll share more about the ruins and the rest of our day in my next post.
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| Plaza in Valladolid |
On the way to the ruins, we stopped for a panoramic view of the colonial city of Valladolid. Valladolid felt very authentic. It had a small town charm, with bright pastel buildings, and many of the townspeople still using the typical dress of the Maya (white blouses or dresses with bright, flowered embroidery). The streets were lined with little hole-in-the-wall shops selling fresh fruits and tamales cooked in banana leaves. According to our tour guide, the city was deeply Maya, as seen in the dress, language, and food, but also distinctly Spanish. It was founded by invading Spaniards, and touches of the culture could be seen in the Franciscan architecture of the central cathedral, and the stone-paved streets. We were only passing through the city, but I would like to come back sometime for a few days to explore and also eat some of the spicy Yucatecan foods.
 |
| Looking down into the cenote |
We departed Valladolid to stop for a swim and lunch at the Eco Park "Ik Kil." Ik Kil has a beautiful cenote (say-NOH-tay), which is a large freshwater hole composed of limestone that forms when the roof of a water-filled cave collapses. Maya believed them to be sacred gateways to the afterlife. We took a few pictures looking down into the cenote from above, and then decided to go for a swim. First, we had to shower to rid ourselves of any perfumes, oils, etc., to keep the water sacred and pure. We got to the bottom of a long set of stairs and sat along the edge of the pool with our feet in the water. I loved the peaceful ambience-the vines (which you were not allowed to touch) hanging down to the surface of the water and the sound of small waterfalls. One of the neatest things about the pool was that it was teaming with black catfish.
After sitting for a while and watching people attempt multi-leveled jumps from the side, Sydne decided to give it a shot. I GoPro'ed while she jumped off the highest platform. She swam back up to where I was sitting and insisted that it was now my turn. I'm not the biggest fan of heights, but I sucked it up and climbed up the stairs to jump. Good thing the water was deep because I lost the whole top of my bathing suit immediately after hitting the water (haha). I swam back over to Sydne, relieved to be finished, only to find out that she forgotten to start recording the GoPro. Great...so unfortunately I had to jump again (this time the swimsuit was tied tight). If you want to see some impressive jumps, check out this YouTube video of the 2011 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series held at Ik Kil. They jumped a little higher than we did...
We spent about 45 minutes down in the pool, swimming and taking videos. After drying off, we walked around the Ik Kil grounds. There were Maya dancers decked out in tribal paint and costumes, as well as a few shops and a restaurant. We headed to the restaurant, which had a buffet that was included in our tour. There was a spread of four or five different Mexican dishes-all tasty and filling. We ate as much as we could, as our next meal wouldn't be for 7-8 hours when we got back to the hotel. This seemed like an eternity..after all, we were used to eating every hour at the resort!
Our ~2 hours at Ik Kil had ended, and it was time to hop back on the bus and head for Chichen Itza. I'll share more about the ruins and the rest of our day in my next post.
2 comments :
Those guys in costume remind me of the scary dudes in the movie Apocalypto! Especially the one on your left.
I remember that movie. They were pretty scary. Made weird noises too.
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