The Mayan Experience Concludes: Mexico

We had finally come near to the end of the Mayan experience, but we still had Mexico to go. From Caye Caulker, we boarded a speed boat that took us directly to an “expedited” Mexican border, allowing us to avoid a 13 hour chicken bus ride and a rougher border crossing. As we docked the boat, we could see several Mexican guards armed with guns and sniffer dogs awaiting the arrival of travelers like ourselves and some not, I’m sure. Once we cleared immigration and customs, we were on our way to Playa del Carmen, the fastest growing resort town in the Americas.

Tulum, one of the last cities to be built and inhabited by the Ancient Maya, is about a 45 minute drive from Playa, and is situated along the eastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in the Quintana Roo state of Mexico. Tulum is believed to have been dedicated to the planet Venus, hence, the female force of nature. The main shrine at the center of the city, directly facing the gorgeous blue waters of the Caribbean and the sunrise and the sunset, is for Venus, but after Spanish conquest, came to be known as the Pyramid El Castillo (The Castle). Two other significant buildings are the Temple of the Frescoes and the Temple of the Descending God. The former was used as an observatory for tracking the movements of the Sun. A description at the entrance to the ruins reads:

“Religious life and a pilgrimage to the sanctuary, a cultural expression associated with economics, politics, and nature. Mayan gods were present in one or more elements of nature. Some were manifest in the stars or in atmospheric phenomena like rain; others in plants like the ceiba (cotton silk tree) and animals like the jaguar. Each season of the year and each daily activity, such as the harvest, were marked by a ritual dedicated to a deity, aimed at making sure human labor would be rewarded with optimum results. Tulum was a city dedicated to the planet Venus, a deity with a dual nature; that of the morning and the evening star. The descending god symbolized by the setting Sun is closely related to Venus, and so it can be said that the evening star was worshipped at Tulum; thus, the image of this deity is found in the façade of some of the buildings, and its accesses are oriented to face the point where this planet sets. Another important deity was Ek Chuah, the god of trade, to whom tribute was paid in the course of commerce interchanges.”

This description resonates again with Hindu philosophy as well as the many ancient philosophies of the eastern world. It also demonstrates the Maya’s recognition of the sanctity of life, nature, the elements, and the cosmos. Interestingly, the site is run over with iguanas that appear to be guardians of the sacred temples.

Temple of the Descending God


Temple of the Frescoes

Under the watchful gaze of the guardian iguana

Templo Dios del Viento (Temple of the Wind Gods)

Temple to Venus, the main shrine

The back of the Venus Temple, facing the Caribbean

Another view of the Temple to Venus

Our last days were spent lounging on the stunning beaches of Playa del Carmen, swimming in its crystal and turquoise blue waters, or simply walking along the promenade, lined with restaurants and shops. A variety of street performers entertained passersby, who could rest over a cold beer, refreshing gelato, or very cheap massages. This wouldn’t be considered authentic Mexico, but it was a relaxing way to end the trip before returning to the madness of work!

Street performer poses for the camera

The Cotton Candy Man!

Nacho Libre masks for sale

A "shining" street performance

Care for a cigar?

The Mayan Experience Continued: Belize

The border crossing between Guatemala and Belize is a crude one that we were able to traverse through rather quickly. Once across, it was another 30 minutes before we reached our first stop in the English-speaking Caribbean nation of Belize, San Ignacio. “Go slow!” is the motto of this tiny country, cushioned between Guatemala, Mexico, and the Caribbean Bay. The small town comprises the most intriguing mix of Indian and Chinese business families, who run the hotels, convenience, and liquor stores, the Amish, who oversee the organic production of cheese and other dairy products, descendents of the Africans forcibly moved to the Americas during the slave trade era, the Rastafarians, and of course, the indigenous population of Belizeans. Even a small Sri Lankan population resided here!

The most adventurous part of the trip was probably here in Belize, roughly an hour’s drive out of San Ignacio. After a 40 minute hike through thick, lush, tropical jungle and thrice crossing the Mopan River, we had reached the mouth of the Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) Cave, known as a living museum of Mayan relics. We stored our cameras in waterproof bags (which, unfortunately meant I couldn’t photograph the stunning green waters we plunged into as we swam our way into the cave) and strapped on our mining helmets. While some guides allowed other explorers to strip down to their bathing suits, ours was extremely particular about observing the ancient traditions of the Mayans, and at the very least, ensuring we showed the respect due to such a holy place, highly concentrated with thousands of years of built up potent energy garnered through faith, chants, and rituals. We were requested to remain clothed with our swimming suits underneath, and upon entering the chamber of rituals, further requested to remove our shoes and vigilantly navigate around the intentionally strategically placed remnants of the ancient Mayan people.

Team Intrepid crossing the Mopan River

Pottery shards from Mayan rituals

The famous frog symbol on Mayan ceremonial pottery

Strategically positioned ceremonial pottery in their original places

Spirit catchers, left tipped over

I fully understood why this was referred to as an Indiana Jones activity upon reaching the mouth of the cave. Caving requires swimming, hiking, and climbing through body deep waterways, jagged crevices we could barely squeeze our bodies through, and massive caves several meters high, with only our head lamps showing the way forward. Gazing above and around, we gasped with awe at the natural limestone formations protruding from the walls, ceilings, and floors of the cave in the form of stalagmites, stalactites, and pillars formed over thousands of years once these two ends met. Jellyfish-like and other configurations hung over us in hues of whites, creams, corals, and reds, glimmering at the touch of light from our torches. The cave is 3 miles deep, however the Mayans took their rituals further into the cave only a few hundred meters every 300-500 years before finally reaching the ceremonial room to conducts their rituals over a 1,400 year span. The ceremonial hall contains the remains of altars, spirit catchers, and other ritual instruments left in their original, very strategic positions based on astrology and formations configured by auspicious numbers, the most significant being 3, 5, 7, 9, and 13. Skeletal remains of the shaman elders and sacrificed young people, most likely for rain in such a freshwater-sparse region, are also strategically scattered throughout the hall, the most famous being that of an ostensible young, princess of a Mayan kingdom, known as the Crystal Maiden, who was believed to have been killed by a mortar stone to the back of the head.

Skeleton head of a shaman elder

Limestone formations in the ATM cave

Jellyfish-like limestone formations

More ceremonial pottery

The Crystal Maiden

From San Igancio, we boarded a chicken or local bus for the 3 hour drive to Belize City, one large shanty town rife with poverty and criminal activity. From here, we caught a 45 minute water taxi to Caye Caulker, a limestone coral island measuring 5 by 1 miles. By this point in the trip, a virus turned sinus infection was taking its toll, and while the rest of the group went sailing and snorkeling along the Belize Barrier Reef, I tried to enjoy brunch on the beach and catch up with emails before crawling back into bed for some much needed rest. For the remaining 2 nights, we did, however, enjoy some of the juiciest lobster and fresh fish dinners. It was time to get ready for the next and final stop, Mexico!

Our drummer friend, Emmit

Cotton candy!

Man, cutting freshly caught lobster

Drying laundy under the house

Toys

Caribbean waters off the Caye Caulker shores

The full team Intrepid

Fresh lobster, shrimp, and other crustaceans