Yucatán trio

No, this post is not about a trio of musicians in guayabera shirts, strumming their guitars while singing "trova" music.  It is about the three uniquely Yucatecan places that we visited Monday.  We hired a driver through the hotel to take us on some day excursions outside of the city, and Monday was our first excursion.  I had planned the itinerary to highlight some important aspects of the Yucatán.

Our driver, Jaime, arrived right on time at 8:00 A.M.  We left the city heading south and soon were out in the countryside.  The scenery of most of the Yucatán Peninsula is frankly very boring... a Mexican Kansas in that it is as flat as a pancake.  The peninsula is a river-less shelf of limestone covered with only a couple feet of soil.  In hundreds of spots throughout the Yucatán, the limestone crust has collapsed forming sinkholes.  These sinkholes are openings which lead down to the subterranean water table.   These natural wells were the Mayas' source of water during the dry season.  They called them "dznot"... today we refer to them as "cenotes."  A visitor to the Yucatán should see at least one "cenote".

We turned off the main highway and traveled several miles on a narrow paved road through the little town of Cacao and on to the even smaller village of San Antonio Mulix.  A short distance from the village are two "cenotes".  The villagers have formed a cooperative to operate the "cenotes" as an eco-tourism site.  Visitors pay an admission, and the funds benefit the village.  Although the "cenotes" are not far from the village, the final leg of the journey, along a rough, dirt road hemmed in by the forest, seemed to take forever.  Nancy and Fred surely were thinking "Where the heck is he taking us?!"   I asked them, "Do you feel like Indiana Jones yet?" 

We only visited one of the two "cenotes".  A few years ago several scenes from a Mexican "telenovela" (soap opera) were filmed there.  We walked down a path, descending to the water level of the sinkhole.  It would have been more beautiful if it had been a sunny day, but it is a very tranquil, lovely spot.  The water is crystal clear.  In the deepest area it is a very deep shade of blue.  The roots of the trees above dangle down the side of the limestone cliff, and lily pads dot the shallower portions of the water.  

We continued on to our next stop.  We soon entered an area of the peninsula known as the "Puuc".  "Puuc" is the Mayan word for hills, and this is the only region of the Yucatán that is not flat.  More than 1000 years ago a number of Mayan cities flourished here. 

Obviously, any traveler to the Yucatán should visit at least one archaeological site.  The most famous of the Mayan ruins is Chichén Itzá,  located halfway between Mérida and Cancún.  However when I play "tour guide" to friends I never take them to Chichén.  The ruins are indeed very impressive, but they are completely overrun with tourists who arrive by the busload from Cancún.  Because of the huge number of tourists, the structures have been roped off to protect them from wear and tear...  you cannot climb anything at Chichén Itzá.  Finally, every path within the archaeological site is lined with vendors selling tourist junk, much of it made in China.  In my opinion, this magnificent gem has been turned into a Mayan Disneyland!

So it is that I always take friends to the great Puuc ruins of Uxmal.  I think that Uxmal is just as impressive as Chichén Itzá...  in fact, I think Uxmal is more aesthetically pleasing.  Uxmal receives a fair number of tourists, but does not feel crowded.  You are still allowed to climb the ruins with the exception of the Pyramid of the Magician.  (I suspect that it was closed due to safety concerns.  The steps are extremely steep.)  Blessedly there is not a single vendor within the gates of the archaeological site!  (If you need to shop for souvenirs, there are some shops... some of very nice quality... in the visitors' center.  And there are some vendors' stalls out by the parking lot.)

When you enter the archaeological site the first structure you see is the Pyramid of the Magician.  I'm glad that I had the opportunity to climb it years ago when it was allowed.  

 

Notice how steep the steps are.

 Near the pyramid are a group of buildings which the Spanish called the Nunnery.  The four buildings facing a central courtyard reminded them of a convent.  In fact the complex might have been a school where the sons of the city's elite were educated.  The upper portion of each building is decorated with intricate mosaic designs formed from thousands of pieces of stone.

 

  

 Beyond the Nunnery is the ball court where a ceremonial ball game was played.  Without using their hands or feet, the players would attempt to get a hard rubber ball through the ring on the side of the court.

 

On a mound overlooking the city, stands the impressive Palace of the Governor.  Once again, the upper portion of the structure is lavishly decorated with stone mosaics.

 

Beside the Governor's Palace is the "Gran Pirámide" (Great Pyramid).  Climbing is allowed on this pyramid.  Fred and Nancy did not make it to the top, but I did.  This was my fourth time climbing it.

I am the king of Uxmal!

We had seen a cenote and had visited a Mayan ruin.  Our third and final stop was at an hacienda.  In the late 19th and early 20th century the haciendas of Yucatán produced most of the world's supply of rope from the fiber of the henequen plant.  The landowners made fortunes while their Mayan laborers were little more than slaves..  

We visited Hacienda Ochil, a former henequen plantation, which today is a very nice restaurant specializing in Yucatecan cuisine.

  

Fred and Nancy with our driver Jaime

We returned to Mérida after a very full day of typically Yucatecan sights.