12. Chicxulub

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Chicxulub and a haphazard geologist, looking away from the crater centre!

We didn’t come to Chicxulub for lunch, of course. Sure, the restaurant was nice enough, the food, too, and the scenery entertaining, with pelicans providing for their own lunch – frequently diving vertically into the water, trying to catch whatever they eat.

the pier, sticking far into the Gulf of Mexico

pelican diving

and plunging into the water

fishing is the main excercise in the village

But the real reason to come to Chicxulub is that here, allegedly, crashed a meteorite into the earth some 66 million years ago, ending about 75% of the life then existing. Mass extinction, it is called, and it has occurred more than once in the earth’s geological history. But this one, at the end of the Cretaceous period, is so much more alluring because it ended the life of the dinosaurs, too.

and this is the centre of the village, centre of the volcano, too, marked by a sculpture of … a dinosaur

if that wouldn’t have been enough, murals spread the word

Unfortunately, there is not much to see from the impact crater itself, which is buried under a kilometre of limestone, and is in any case for more than 50% offshore. But geodetic measurements do show a slight subsidence towards a supposed crater centre, confirmed by gravity measurements and other geophysical data. And that centre is in Chicxulub – Chicxulub Puerto, not the Pueblo -, coincidentally right in the middle of the town square. And Chicxulub would not be Chicxulub, if it wouldn’t make the most of its fame, although admittedly, not many of the attractions have anything to do with the meteorite impact. Rather, it is the dinosaurs that – understandingly – appeal to the imagination of the tourist. Several wall paintings, lots of different dinosaur sculptures, and a real Sendero Jurasico – ignoring the fact that the beginning of the Jurassic preceded the end of the Cretaceous by some 135 million years.

the Sendero Jurasico, with a variety of dinosaurs

some of them barely keep their heads above the water

another one, trying to escape the Sendero

and this one, on the edge of the Jurasic path

just somewhere in Chicxulub, a wandering dinosaur

the Meteorite Museum in Progreso

once again protected by a life size specimen of a dino

and inside, not just an artist impression, no, a moving artist impression – see the video below

and this is a veru unlikely specimen, didn’t move, in fact

In nearby Progreso they also try to benefit from the impact fame. There is a real Museo del Meteorito, with a few samples of meteorites – probably not from the one that can be found at 1000 meters deep – and a selection of fossils, most if not all of them replicas, I think, from throughout the geological history (including trilobites, that died out at the end of the Permian, 252 million years ago, so completely irrelevant for this particular museum). Next in the museum is an artist impression, in the form of a film, of what the impact would have looked like. Hilarious, at one stage you see several tall dinosaurs just falling over after the meteorite has landed (first video, around 30 sec.), followed by lots of thunder and fire, of course. But most of the museum visit is, once more, dedicated to the dinosaurs, in the form of many moving models, shaking their heads and wagging their tales (second viseo). Altogether, far removed from any scientific reality. But that’s not what I came for, of course. I have just been to the most famous crater in the world, and that is enough for the – admittedly dormant – geologist in me.

 

and the next one:

https://youtu.be/ox3PnrBvHT0

 

 

11. Progreso

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the beach in Progreso

Progreso is a humble, but well established beach town, also along the Gulf of Mexico coast. Mostly Mexican tourists, I believe, which immediately changes the atmosphere, away from the aggressive targeting of the Gringo dollars. I say humble, because so far there are just a few hotels and restaurants along a pedestrian boulevard, and some more in the streets further back from the beach. The only big thing in town so far is the jetty, which extends no less than 6.5 km into the sea, allowing not only large freight boats, but also the cruise ships to dock. But from driving to here along the coast, it is clear that this Costa Esmeralda, on the way to Progreso, is going to be the next big thing. Like earlier, you almost don’t see the sea from the road, but there is lots of construction going on, big hotels, big apartment buildings. Land is still offered for sale, but many plots have already been developed into gated communities, with beach villas, condo’s, clubs. And obviously, there is more to come.

the pedestrian beach front in Progreso

low key beach facilities

and the 6.5 km long jetty by night

hotels under construction along the Coasta Esmeralda

some are almost ready

the Laguna Rosada – but not very pink – behind the coastal road

not sure what this is, other than a bird in the lagoon

and more birds, we have seen this one before

Behind the coastal strip, like in Cancun just a thin sliver of land, is the Laguna Rosada, the pink lagoon. Mostly poorly visible, too, hidden from view by more shrubs, but wherever there is an opening, it shows an expansive water body, more brown than pink, with a bird population not so different from that near Rio Lagartos.

the salt works, basin after basis

the salt basins, with sticks around to prevent dirt into the water

some of the basins are brown

these look like seagulls, except that they are a lot smaller

or a stern, perhaps? I am no specialist on birds

And here, too, are salt works, although on a lot smaller scale than what we saw in Las Coloradas. We are welcomed by four friendly guys who work the basins, but have all the time in the world for a chat. And they don’t mind us wandering off between the ponds, watching some of the birds. But these ponds never get as pink as in Las Coloradas; they obviously don’t contain enough of the micro-organisms, which is why the workers have surrounded the ponds with wooden sticks. These, they say, keep the sand out when the wind blows, another way of creating clean salt. We bought some, to try at home.

wheel barrows are the biggest means of transport I could see around, here

the main plaza, surrounded by buildings

a small building in the corner of the plaza

platforms at the side of the central plaza

decorations, although not very well preserved

well, except this creature, and lots of his kind

and there is nobody

amongst the rocks and palm trees

the Spanish conquistadores built a smal church next to the site

Just behind the salt works is another Maya site, Xcambo. Back to the Indiana Jones-mode, with hardly any other visitors, except that this, rather small, site has been heavily restored, a bit more visible than in many other places. The advantage is that you get a nice impression of a largely complete Maya square, surrounded on four sides by buildings and pyramids. Which you can climb, too, although they are not as high as the one in Ek Balam. It is just a cute little place, really, and enhanced by the ruins of a little chapel, obviously built afterwards. Further away in the jungle are more structures, so there is enough to discover still.

And if this wasn’t enough, we also crawl through the jungle, along a heavily overgrown path, to a nearby cenote. Just to have a look, not to swim – we have left our gear in the hotel. Overwhelmed by mosquitos we rush back to the car, and to a beach restaurant in nearby Chicxulub.

the track to the cenote

and the cenote itself, not for swimming

10. Rio Lagartos

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Rio Lagartos is famous for its flamingos

Due north from Valladolid is Rio Lagartos, a small fishing village at the edge of the Gulf of Mexico. Somehow, a relief, after Valladolid. Much smaller scale, much more relaxed. What strikes us immediately, is the colour pink, everywhere. The bases of lamp posts, the edges of the pavement, several houses, the little church, even some people’s bicycles have been painted whole, or partly, pink. Rio Lagartos is trying to make clear that this is flamingo country.

 

 

 

there is an abundance of pink in town, to make the connection with flamingos

houses, pavement, and the murals all indicate one way: flamingos

well, and pelicans, of course, they are everywhere

not just the houses, also the balconies

they stress that Rio Lagartos is flamingo country

the municipality office, with an interesting tower

more murals, on the subject of fishing

and another mural, whole wall covering

lots of other tourist boats, the ones to beat to reach Panch first

We have come here for two things: a boat ride across the lagoon to see birds – including those flamingos -, and perhaps some crocodiles, and to see Las Coloradas and its pink basins, part of a large commercial salt works. And it is easy to arrange: just ask in your hotel, and the owner will have a cousin with a boat, or in our case – we still had to have lunch – another family member with a restaurant, who has a cousin with a boat. In other words, within an hour of arrival we had had lunch and were on the water, on our way to the lagoon.

and more birds fishing

heron fishing

 

The lagoon is big, and we need to get to the other end for the coloured basins, so the boats speeds across the water. Little chance of bird watching, although we do spot several of the larger water birds, fishing themselves. Whenever I want the boat driver Luis to slow down he shouts, over the noise of the engine, that we will see more of those further up. In reality, we need to beat the others to arrive at Pancho, first. Pancho is a huge crocodile who lies motionless under some of the mangrove branches – I am not even sure whether he is alive, or has been stuffed; apparently he is always in the same place. Luckily, we see a few more crocs, and Luis bought some fish to have them open their mouth. I realize that I have seen many crocodiles in my life, but never one swimming. They look so elegant when the slide into the water, from a sand bank, but actually swimming is something else, with their four legs struggling to stay afloat.

and there is Pancho, the big croc

another crocodile, haplessly swimming

or feeding himself with fish from Luis

you’d say that these jaws can handle more than just fish

a spoonbill, pinker than a flamingo!

more pelicans, the white version this time

congregated on a sand bank

or taking a ride with Luis, in our boat

seagull, too, take the easy way

In the end we do slow down, for the pelicans, the herons, the egrets, the ibises, even a beautifully coloured spoonbill. The pelicans decide to invade the boat, no fear for us humans whatsoever (and neither do the seagulls, who also catch a ride for some time). And at the end of the lagoon, there are the flamingos, lots of them, gracefully walking in the shallow water. It takes a bit of convincing to get Luis closer – you know, shallow water; a lousy excuse really, as moments later he does move closer, no doubt not wanting to jeopardize his tip at the end. So finally we do get nearer, and it is a beautiful spectacle. The birds are more orange than pink, fabulous.

and thee they are, the flamingos, ‘dancing’, as it is called

more orange than pink, if you ask me

but equally attractive – and curious, in this case

more of the same, feeding and flapping

more of the same, landing

and in the air they are equally graceful

by the way, pelicans can also be beautiful, flying

Next are the coloured basins, supposedly pink, but there is too much wind for a good view, the water surface is too disturbed. These are basins created by the salt works further on, where salt is still being won by evaporation. The pink colour of the water comes from micro-organisms that feed on particles suspended in the water, thereby ultimately producing a cleaner – whiter – salt. Incidentally, the flamingos also feed on these micro-organisms, which gives them their pink colour, too.

the salt works at the far end of the coloured basins, here coloured with flamingos, too

fish eagle – I think, maybe a young one

a mangrove black hawk

and the smallest of all, black-and-white kingfisher

On the way back we need to slow down our friend Luis several times. As far as he is concerned, he’ll go straight back, ignoring the fish eagle we spot in a tree, or the kingfisher that is resting on a branch in the water. But ultimately he listens – once again fearing for his tip, no doubt – and we end up with some more fabulous shots. Whilst just being on a boat is actually already quite nice, in its own right. No regrets.

close up of the salt works, behind the fences

salt mountain nicely contrasting with the pink lake

equally contrasting, the water colour of the ocean

Before moving on the next day, we drive once more to the salt works, trying to get a better view of the pink basins. We arrive at Las Coloradas, a village created for the salt works, I believe – and not particularly attractive. But we are here for the basins. The water is much quieter than yesterday, and the colours are much better, not in the least against the stark blue sky. The salt operations themselves seem quite impressive, too, but they keep behind the fences. Private property. Not for tourists, unless you sign up for an expensive tour of at least two hours, which disagrees with our further plans today.

and another view of the pink lake, against the blue sky

traveling by ourselves, not in a fast speedboat, provides opportunities to see smaller birds, too

09. Ek Balam

Blog entries

the stairs up the main pyramid in Ek Balam

Ek Balam is an impressive Maya archaeological site, and former major Mayan city, north of Valladolid. Its main structure  is a 32 meter high pyramid, with 106 steps: I know, because this one you are allowed to climb – which may be part of its tourist attraction.

And a tourist attraction it is. We were, once again, early to beat the crowds, but by nine there were already plenty people on site. Who all paid the pretty steep entrance ticket of in total over 500 pesos per person, well over 30 US$, made up by several agencies, federal and state, who all want to have a share of the pie. A far cry from the 75 pesos we had to pay in the Rio Bec area, where we were often the only visitors.

the entrance arch, stand alone

lesser temples around the South Court, also climable

the obligatory ball court, same at every site

But Ek Balam was worth every penny. It is a fairly compact site. Yet, it contains quite a few buildings in addition to the main pyramid. There is an entrance arch, a round palace, a ball court and several temples. I will spare you the details of Late Preclassic to Postclassic, with its demise as major centre in the Late Classic period, save to say that the place had been occupied from perhaps 500-600 BC to 1100 AD.

As said, the most spectacular structure is the main pyramid, or acropolis, and not only because of its stairs. On the sides at the base remnants of the Maya hieroglyphs can be deciphered, and about half way up is the burial chamber of one of its prime rulers, called Ukit Kan Lek Tok. The entrance of the chamber is decorated with a range of friezes, and with sculptures of several figures; I don’t know all the details – and if I would have known, I would have forgotten, by now -, but it is pretty impressive, given that this is all mostly original, not restored.

By the time we left, it was a lot busier at the entrance of the site, even more tourists then when we arrived; so we did manage to beat the real crowds!

the base of the main pyramid, a sizable structure

Mayan hieroglyphs on the outside pyramid wall

the main burial chamber, the outside full of decorations and statues

one of the secondary burial chambers, decorated

one of the prominent statues

and one of the tiny ones, above the door

looking down the stairs, a rare moment without anybody

and the view from above, across to the South Court

On the way to Rio Lagartos, our next destination, we briefly stopped in Kilik, another small town, where somehow lots of horses and their riders had congregated. As it turned out, they were preparing for the last day of their fiesta, which included a trip with about forty horses through the countryside, before lots of dancing in the evening. The horses were beautifully harnessed, with special saddles, reigns and all the paraphernalia necessary; the riders less so, mostly boots and a Stetson, with the exception of one of the amazons, who probably went for the beauty contest, next to her visibly proud father.

horses are being brought to Kilik for the grand local

riders and horses, mostly out of the sun, preparing for the trip

one of the amazones, and she knows it

and they get them young!

saddle and stirrups

09. Valladolid

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a corridor in the Ex-Convento de Santo Domingo, in Uayma, just outside Valladolid

Time to leave the Caribbean Coast behind. Before hitting the colonial town of Valladolid, we drive to the village of Uayma, where we have a look at the Ex-Convento de Santo Domingo, nowadays the village church. An incredible building, originally built for the Franciscans in the 17th C,  burnt down in the 19th C, and rebuilt in 2005. It is expansively decorated with bright-coloured rose motives and the occasional double eagle – referring to the Habsburgs, apparently. Beyond the church are the convent buildings, an attractive courtyard, and a beautiful chapel with wood-carved sculptures. A nice surprise!

 

 

the Ex-Convento de Santo Domingo in Uayma

extensively decorated on the outside

and with the same theme, less expressively coloured, inside

it is still an active church

including an attractive side chapel

decorated with wooden sculptures

and another one

this is the courtyard at the back of the ex-convento

entrace to the hacienda where the San Lorenzo Oxmal cenote is located

the cenote, pretty deep and open to the air

one of the creatures present at the hacienda, an iguana

This is also – still – sinkhole country, and nearby is the San Lorenzo Oxmal cenote, this one open to the sky, but nevertheless 27 meters below surface level. The attraction here is the long roots from surrounding trees, that reach almost to the water level; and the rope that can be used to swing from a jumping platform to above the water, inviting all sorts of adventurists to attempt somersaults and other incomprehensible moves, which invariably end up with landing flat on the water. The obligatory life vest is probably more to protect people from belly flops than from drowning. For the rest there is not much more to do than floating around, hoping to catch a bit of sun, whilst staying out of the way from the jumping crowd. My travel companion loves it; I have to admit that the interests of my travel companion and myself are not entirely aligned when it comes to cenotes.

one of the highlights in Valladolid was eating poc-chuc – barbeque – in a local restaurant

San Bernadino de Sienna convent in Valladolid

Valladolid itself is a largish town, but with a rather compact old centre. It is promoted as a colonial town, and the large San Bernadino de Sienna convent, one of the oldest in Mexico, built in 1552, testifies to this. But for the rest the ‘old town’ is quite drastically restored. The mostly small, square, single story houses along the Calzado de Los Frailes have been nicely painted in a variety of pastel colours, and have been given over to tourism functions: boutiques, bars, restaurants, souvenir shops. And there are in fact quite a few tourists in town. Slightly disappointing, perhaps because our expectations were sky high.

the Calzado de Los Frailes, a narrow street from colonial times

houses have been patched up, though

tourist fare for sale – I still regret myself I didn’t buy it

the church in the centre of Valladolid, the Templo de San Servacio

one of the old buildings along the main square

again, with a attractive corridor

in the square, dressed-up people celebrating, or entertaining tourists

the local traditional costume is colourful

and so are the local girls

a small museum in Valladolid contains local dresses, but also a collection of masks

each of them special in their own way

to the extend that we could have those at home, too

like this one, quite an original piece

or this, an unmistakable Latino mask

the church by night

and the church door

and the San Bernadino de Sienna convent by night

08. the tourist route

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one of the smaller buildings at the Tulum Maya site

We hadn’t anticipated to see the sunrise, on this trip, but we did. In order to beat the tourists in Tulum, we had been advised to be on site well before 8 am, the official opening time. But that meant that we had to leave from our hotel in Coba, about an hour away, in the dark.

access to the Maya site in Tulum is colourful, if irrelevant

And indeed, this plan worked well. We were amongst the first to get our tickets, and walk into this Mayan site, unique for its location at the coast. Of course, the sun had just come up, and was now low above  and behind the most important building – not ideal for photographs. You cannot control everything. But overall the site was nice enough, with various temples spread across the mostly flat plateau, dotted with palm trees. Movement was exclusively via a network of gravel paths, most of the buildings had been roped off to avoid people climbing on, or wandering in between walls. No Indiana Jones feeling here. And the place does fill up quickly, and you know how that goes: soon there are lots of small groups, with guides talking loudly to make sure even the least-interested member of the group could hear him –always a him, never a her. People taking selfies, people taking pictures of each other, some even taking pictures focused on the buildings. Nah, no Indiana Jones feeling at all. A must-see, like all the websites and travel guides claim? Mwah, perhaps a little overrated.

one of the early visitors to the site

overview of the Tulum Maya site, with clear, roped-off paths not exactly the Indiana Jones experience

a small temple in Tulum, at the coast

the main structure, called the Castle

the Castle, from another cormer, illustrating its coastal setting

a two story building

with lots of decorations

like these corner stones

the ancient Mayas are also present, in person

flowers bring a bit of colour to the grey stones dominating Tulum

Although – as you know by now – we try as much as we can to avoid the tourist scene, our plan today is to drive along the coast and at least see Cancun – drive through -, see the strip outside Cancun with all its hotels, see how this fabulous Riviera Maya looks. Just to confirm that that is really something that would not turn us on.

Disappointing, all the way. Along the road from Tulum north-east, towards Playa del Carmen and Cancun, you never see the sea. Every patch of coast has been claimed by one or another hotel, and we pass lots of them, with the most fabulously attractive names; think of Dream Jade Resort, El Dorado Seaside Palms or Secret Jewel Beach Villas. But the hotels are mostly invisible from the road, hidden behind an entrance gate in a wall. A designer wall, perhaps, but a wall nevertheless. And right and left of the wall a barbed wire fence, or some other unfriendly construction to keep non-guests out. What is behind the wall, or the fence, remains hidden.

The country side doesn’t help. It is not particularly attractive, shrubs and shrub-like trees, of a nondescript pale green. All along the way, on the other side of the fence, as well as on the other side of the road. In fact, this is what most of Yucatan looks like, so far, the road to Coba isn’t much different. And what doesn’t help is the rubbish, sometimes more, sometimes less, but quite often not just the stuff you throw out of the window. Whole plastic bags full of rubbish find their way onto the side of the road, too.

the beach in Puerto Morelos

The first significant town we hit along the coast is Playa del Carmen. One huge tourist resort, but with mostly low-rise hotels; soulless, it what comes to mind, there is no atmosphere whatsoever. We drive into town, towards the coast, but it doesn’t get better. Worse rather, when we get to the jetty where the ferries from Cozamul, a popular island offshore, arrive. The boat that just got in dislodges the tourist groups en masse, each of them following their guide for the specific tour to the waiting busses.

The rather smaller town of Puerto Morelos is slightly better, more compact and with more live in the streets. We decide to have lunch here, in a beach restaurant, which doesn’t disappoint. But still, not for a million dollars would I spend my holidays here – by way of speech, that is…

arriving in Cancun, the road to the hotels is clearly signposted

And then Cancun. Cancun has two coasts, one on the inside of the laguna, and one along a narrow strip that separates the laguna from the Caribbean Sea. We decide to follow the narrow strip. And once again we see hardly any beach, the hotels, this time definitely visible, occupy the area between road and sand. I had expected a kind of Vegas-like string of obscene hotels (I have never been in Las Vegas), but in fact quite a few of the hotels have made an architectural effort, although whether you like the design or not is a personal matter, of course. Despite the narrow strip, the set-up is relatively spacious, with enough room for green, mostly lawns and palm trees. Throw in a few nightclubs and shopping malls, and that is Cancun for you, and everybody else here on their package deals. Disappointing, but not enough evidence to call it disgusting – although not for a million… you know.

And then it was still a long way back to our base in Coba. Whereby the landscape didn’t improve from earlier on.

this is how it looks

and this is how it looks at the other side of the lagoon

some of the hotels are actually quite attractively built

07. Coba

Blog entries

Maya masks for sale on the road to Coba

We have set up base in Coba, a little inland from the Costa Maya, with Tulum as its centre. Tulum is three things: a coastal zone full of beach hotels, an archaeological site, and the ‘pueblo’ a bit further back from the shore. We had been in Tulum for lunch, and to change money – we had run out of cash after having been robbed – literally – by the police earlier. Which made us decide to avoid Tulum all together.

long queue to enter the Tumum archaeological site

Well, almost. We still wanted to see the Tulum ruins, apparently picturesque against the background of the Caribbean Sea, so we left our base early the next day, to be at Tulum at around nine am. To beat the crowds. Right! If we had thought that our confrontation with tourism had started in Chacchoben, we need to think again. When we arrived, there was already a line of hundreds of meters for the ticket office. And, as far as I understand, Tulum is a pretty small site. Do we really need to see ruins together with all these people, probably obscuring the view, and most definitely obscuring my pictures? We turned around and left.

these are all the things you are NOT allowed to do – and some you are allowed to do – at the Xcacel turtle reserve and beach

when we arrive, an empty beach, quite something for Yucatan during tourist season

haphazard tourist struggling with fins

and the parking lot is being guarded, too

Off to our next program item, a tiny little secret beach mentioned in the Lonely Planet. A ‘contradiction in terminus’, I know, everybody reads the LP in the expectation to find that last undiscovered secret, and thus it will be overpopulated in now time. But no, when we arrived at the Xcacel beach we were the only ones, and although later more people joined, it remained the type of beach you expect from a little secret. No facilities except for some toilets, a parking, and two wooden tables in the parking where you can eat the food you brought yourself; which is not allowed on the beach, neither is any form of plastic, alcohol, stereos, and a whole lot more. This is a turtle sanctuary, and large parts have been cordoned off to protect them. I suspect the fee we pay is to support the sanctuary work, but at the same time they want to ensure the environmental integrity for those turtles. Great concept, and it works for us. White beach, clear sea water, and protected by a reef not far away, within reach of a swim. With fins and snorkel, to admire some of the corals and fishes – not as spectacular as in Haiti, across the Caribbean some years ago, but a nice enough activity for a long morning. By the time it gets too hot, we pack up our stuff and leave again, from the still remarkably underpopulated beach. So much for the tourist trap.

the ruins of Coba, or one of the many

the temple with paintings

which are all the way at the top, and not that well visible from below

one of the characteristics of Coba is its large number of stelea

some of which even somewhat decipherable

which is greatly helped by a drawing of the stelea

the ball court, one of the two in Coba, in perfect shape

with a ring, and decorations, on one side

the ring was where the ball needed to go through

We head back to Coba, not to our hotel, but to the archaeological site there, a large complex and once an important trading centre, from 600-1100 AD approximately – which is quite late, in Maya terms. Back into the trap. But it looks worse than it is, there are lots of large busses parked, but by the time we get in, halfway the afternoon, most of the big groups are leaving again. Most of the small groups, too, it looks, and at most of the buildings there are in fact very few other people. This site contains two – presumably restored – ball courts, of the type we have seen often in Guatemala, long ago. And indeed, architecturally, the site here resembles more that of Peten in Guatemala than that of Northern Yucatan, or so the text boards say. There is also a corner full of stelae, nine of them, most badly weathered. Yet from some you can actually still make out some of the figures, which is helped by detailed drawings that have been placed next to them. Others are completely undecipherable, which is probably the reason that these are not being accompanied by drawings. The highlight, though, is the large Nohoch Mul pyramid, once again forbidden to climb, but impressive enough to admire from below.

the main pyramid of Coba, called Nohoch Mul – which menas big mound, apparently

which is essentially a mound of stone

with some decoration at the top

a peaceful pool to swim

Nearby we had identified several attractive cenotes. Cenotes are sinkholes in the carbonate bedrock that underlays much of Yucatan peninsula, caused by the collapse of the surface layer. There are hundreds of cenotes here, some well-developed for tourist activity, including jumping platforms and ziplines, and bars and restaurants. Local boat tours take you to underground rivers, and to other cenotes. Other locations are more introvert, just a blue hole in the ground, where you can swim a bit, or put your snorkel on to inspect the underwater life: apparently, there is a fish that occurs in all the cenotes in Yucatan. Nicer even, sometimes the collapse has occurred in the subsurface, with creates a covered sinkhole, like the Choo Ha cenote we visited. Steep wooden stairs take you to perhaps 30 meters below the surface, where a spectacular underground lake, a bit chilly, invites you for a dip. After which you can float on your back through the cave, admiring the stalactites that hang from the ceiling. Oh, and at the end of the afternoon we were all on our own, in this magic place.

stalactites and stalacmites galore in the Choo Ha cenote

06. Bacalar

Blog entries

our hotel jetty at the lake of Bacalar

It is time for a day off. Bacalar is a relatively quiet town, on the side of a very pleasant lagoon, apparently showing no less than seven different colours during the year. Since we are only going to be here a day or two, we are already happy to distinguish two colours, dark- and light-blue. Somebody suggested that this was because of the presence of cenotes – the sinkholes, of which more later – under the lake. Oh, and Bacalar also has a historical tourist attraction, the Fuerte de San Filipe, an almost 300 year old fort built to defend the town against pirates that used the lagoon as a shelter. But when we turned up, well before 7 pm, the official closing time, everybody had gone home already.

But Bacalar is also being discovered by the tourists, which means that services, from hotels, waiters and whoever else, vary greatly. Luckily, in between a dip in the pool and floating in the lake we manage to locate some fabulous restaurants, with fabulous food, and even a wine list, not something very common in the average Mexican restaurant. We even managed a bottle of Mexican wine, a first for us, aptly called Castillio Rhin.

the Bacalar lake, at least two colours

but also extensively used for boating activities

the town square of Bacalar

and the towers of the fort

another view of the fort, necessarily from the outside

our first Mexican wine, appropriately called Castillio del Rhin

one of the small, neat pyramids in Chacchoben

we have beaten the tourists, so far; the only other people are the cleaners, preparing the site

and there are some people carefully restoring some of the structures

small structure at the foot of one of the temples

The long-feared confrontation with tourists came the next day, at the archaeological site of Chacchoben, which is not far from Bacalar. So far, in the Rio Bec area, we had the sites we visited almost, or entirely, for ourselves. But here quite a few cars were parked already, however, by the time we got back to the parking, 45 minutes later, the fourth and the fifth touring car just arrived, inching their way in between several parked minibuses, whilst swarms of mostly Americans hovered around the souvenir stalls. At least we still managed to see the site relatively undisturbed, but the magic of the earlier sites had gone. The path was upgraded to gravel, clearly an unnatural addition, and lots of workers were either cleaning, or restoring parts of the several pyramids and temples. The buildings and staircases were impressive enough, but the biggest attraction, according to the guide books – that these were some of the few pyramids you could climb – is no more; the stairs have been roped off, and with so many workers around, it would be futile to try to sneak up. The structures here are quite different from the ones we saw earlier this trip, in that there was no decoration at all here, just stone and stairs. I loved the little pyramid, perfectly shaped, with sharp angles, as well as the larger structures, with the round corners which, perhaps, are not so typical for the Rio Bec structures, after all.

there are also several larger structures

the Indiana Jones feeling

small flight of stairs up one of the side buildings, equally Indiana Jones-like (except the rope in front…)

another large temple with wide stairs upwards

and there they are, the masses

brought here by a fleet of busses

On our way further into Yucatan we met with one of those typical situations we are not prepared for. I drove a little too fast, true, in a town I cannot remember the name of, where a stretch of road had a maximum speed of 20 km/hr – the rest of town is 40. Sure enough a police car – which I suspect was waiting for people like me – gets on my tail, stops me, and the policeman politely tells me that I really need to respect the speed limit, you know, with schools around, children crossing the streets etc. He then tells me that he will have to give me a fine, of 2000 pesos, some 120 US$, and will have to confiscate my driver’s licence, which I will able to get back tomorrow, after a lengthy process, amongst others including a two-hour re-education course. Hmmm. This interferes badly with our plans, backtracking several hours tomorrow is not my idea of spending our time efficiently. Ahhh! But there is a solution! If I want, I can also pay the fine here and now, except that they will then not be able to write me a receipt, of course. A classical set-up. What do you do? Call their bluff? Hand over my driver’s licence? Pay up, of course, and bribe the policemen. Both of them looked pretty well-fed, so I will not have been the first one.

I hate wasting money like that. But I hate even more that I contribute to such a despicable system. Makes me feel bad for the rest of the day. Next time, I’ll tape the conversation. And then play it back to the policemen, and ask them for 2000 pesos.

05. the Rio Bec Maya sites

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a decorated, and still partly painted, doorway at one of the Maya sites in the Rio Bec area

There are innumerable Maya sites, big and small, stretching from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala to the south of Mexico. The Yucatan peninsula has probably the highest density of sites; many exquisite Maya settlements, large and small. And Ruta 186, the road that cuts across the beginning of the peninsula, from west to east, through what has become known as the Rio Bec area, is as good a start any anywhere.

We start off from Emiliano Zapata, the town named after the famous Mexican revolutionary, who helped overthrow the dictatorial Porfirio Diaz at the beginning of the 20th Century, over improving rights for the poor farmers and reforming land distribution. The day is miserable, overcast and raining almost continuously; the road is almost empty, a two-lane affair with patches full of significant potholes, where everybody steers around liberally. No matter if there is traffic coming from the other way. The trucks we encounter are massive, huge nine-axle monsters, all of them in a hurry. They see nothing wrong in overtaking a slower comrade. Again, no matter if there is traffic coming from the other way. The two-lane road including shoulders is wide enough for three vehicles, including trucks, next to each other, and you just have to adjust to using the full width of the tarmac. Do in Mexico as the Mexican do.

the entrance to the Maya plaza in Balamku, the round corners apparently characteristic for the Rio Bec architecture

it’s official: we have arrived in the Maya area

Towards midday we reach our first Maya site of the trip, Balamku. This fairly small site, the first in the Rio Bec area, is not very popular with tourists, and unjustly so. There are several groups of buildings, some better preserved than others, some better excavated than others, which is pretty much typical for most Maya sites. In fact, three architectural groups have been identified, but one has not even been excavated yet, a situation we will encounter in many more sites to come, suggesting that archaeological discoveries here have not been exhausted yet. The buildings so far unearthed date from 300 BC to about 800 AD; the site was abandoned around 1000 AD, as so many sites, for unknown reasons.

the main Balamku pyramid

But Balamku’s fame comes from a rare series of stucco friezes at the far end of the site, over 15 meters long and 1.7 meters high. It has been described as ‘the death and rebirth of Maya kings as the sun god, traveling into and out of the watery underworld’, something I didn’t manage to recognise myself when I stood in front; I had already difficulty picking out the snakes and the frogs in the frieze, but a helpful guide pointed out several of the details. Even without fully understanding it, this is a beautiful piece of artwork, dating from the 6th Century AD.

inside the pyramid, extensive stucco works

with one of the more-than-life size images

and another one

with decorations underneath

and apart from us, almost no other visitors!

And then for the bad news: we learn in the local village that Calakmul, the most important Maya site in this area, rivalling Tikal and Palenque, is already closed for the day, and also closed the next day – every Monday in February – because of works. And we are not going to wait for Tuesday. Pitty, but there are enough other sites to discover, no doubt.

every Maya site, also here in Xpujil, has stairs to access a building

We base ourselves in the small town of Xpujil – I know, Mexican names are impossible to pronounce, this, apparently, needs to sound like Shpoo-heel. Not a very exciting place, a typical rural town with low-rise buildings, mostly ugly square houses and shops, or combinations of the two.

But Shpoo-heel is also home to a Maya complex, Xpujil, which is known for its three-tower structure, at the far end of the complex. Quite a structure it is, including its decorations at the back of the middle tower, in which some sources have recognised a jaguar. There are several other structures scattered around, and the site is – like so many of the sites we will visit – very well arranged, with a non-invasive path – no tarmac, but stones and earth – winding through the jungle, that leads past each of the areas of interest.

and in some cases their are still extensive paint remains

some steps into a temple have been intricately dcorated

the Xpujil main temple, with its three towers

the back of the middle tower is decorated, with a giant mask

admittedly, colour is hard to find in these grey-stone dominated sites

the Chicanna site has several larger temples, this is one of them

here, too, paint remains and wall decorations

another of the Chicanna temples

again, decorations everywhere, like here the side pillars

and further wall decorations

A little backtracking brings us to Chicanna, once again well organised with a well-laid out, but humble path past the various structures. Despite it being just a short drive from Xpujil, and only a short distance from the main Ruta 186, we are the first once here, today, and we have the site for ourselves. There are several large buildings, with towers and elaborate decorations; the highlight is a beautiful doorway with sculpturing to the left, to the right and above the door. Chicanna, only discovered in 1966, is interpreted as a residential site for the elite, and was occupied from 300 AD to 250 BC.

the most curious building in Chicanna, with a top section full of windows

and the walls, next to the door, once again decorated

and always stairs, in between the various buildings (also Chicanna)

access road to Hormiguero, once a two-lane road, not weeds encroaching such that it is barely one lane

Hormiguero takes a bit more effort to get to. We take a road to the south, and then another road, tarmacked but potholed, and in several places the two lanes that had been reduced to barely one lane, inching our car in between the yellow weeds. We are not just the first ones today, but likely the only ones. Entrance is free, yet, once again the site is well laid out, and the now familiar path leads past a number of fabulous buildings, with the main pyramid more elaborately decorated than we have seen so far. Incredible that such a site, such a splendour, is hardly being visited – because there is so much more to see, I suppose.

the main structure at Hormiguero

with wall decorations

and round towers

another temple at Hormiguero, completely covered in decorations

like this round side pillar

the early Maya must have been pretty small…

As usual, we have spent much more time than planned at the various Rio Bec sites. To add insult to injury, we find out that Mexico actually has several time zones, and that Quintana Roo, the province we have just entered, is one hour ahead. Which means that by the time we reach Kohunlich, another site we wanted to see, it is almost closing. We skip it, also because the Ruta 186 has turned into a nightmare; yesterday, Sunday, was fairly quiet – and yet stressful because of the driving style -, today, Monday, the road is cloaked with trucks, many of which are supporting the two major infrastructure projects here, a new motorway and the Tren Maya, a railway project – the current president’s pet project, apparently – trying to connect various places in Yucatan. Meant to provide transport for the poor, although I understand that the poor will not be able to afford the ticket prices, by a long shot. The truck carry materials for the projects, which have access roads every few kilometers, or so, manned by traffic wardens that stop the cars if a truck needs to turn off, or onto the road. Which doesn’t do much for our progress, and that of everybody else.

04. the Olmecs

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the Olmecs’ most characteristic artefact are the colossal heads, like this one on the Zocalo of Santiago Tuxla

The reason for our relatively slow progress towards Yucatan is the Olmecs; Mexico’s first well organized civilisation, which started around 3000 years ago (dates vary wildly in the literature), and according to archaeologists provided the basis, in terms of religion, science, architecture and art, for the subsequent indigenous cultures. As far as physical remains are concerned, the Olmecs are particularly famous for the ‘cabezas colosales’, their colossal heads. A total of seventeen have been found, probably representing powerful local rulers, and they are all different, meticulously carved from basalt. Some have suffered from weathering, but all of them – well, the few we have seen, so far – have a delicate facial expression, very personal. First time we came across them was 20 years ago, when we visited the Parque La Venta in Villahermosa, where four of them are exposed, together with other Olmec stone artefacts, along the walking paths through the park.

The Olmecs were confined, as far as we know, to the area around Veracruz, in the Southeast of Mexico, just before entering the Yucatan peninsula. As we are heading that way, we might as well take a look. Two major Olmec localities are La Venta, the centre of power from 800-400 BC, and Tres Zapotes, which dominated slightly later.

the Tres Zapotas museum

In Tres Zapotes there is no archaeological site to visit, only the museum. Which has a collection of Olmec artefacts from huge to tiny, all found in the vicinity. Of course, we first concentrate on the colossal head, Cabeza Colosal Numero Uno, proudly exhibited. This was the first head to be discovered, in Tres Zapotes in 1938 – although apparently, it had been found before, in 1882, but at the time not well documented and not publicised. It is 1.5 meters high and weights almost 8 tons; it is still unclear how on earth the Olmecs managed to transport the basalt from its source, probably some 150 kms away. It is thought to represent the ruler, at the height of his power. But there is lots more to admire, from huge stelae and roughly hewn figures, which are not always equally clear about subject matter, to very delicate, little sculptures, of heads, of people. The guide claims that those are the commoners, as opposed to the rulers depicted by the heads, but I have so my doubts. Many of the tiny heads are also decorated with headdresses, and as a minimum well-coiffed, which I suppose was not something common people did. All together a lovely small museum.

this is one of the colossal heads

with a real expression of his face

these photos illustrate how the head was found and recovered, in the 1930s

monumento G in the museum, a sculpture with head looking up

a butterfly creates a welcome contrast with the dark basalt of Olmec artefacts

apart from the big head, there are numerous small, tiny heads, too

a small face, from different material, but similarly decorated

like this one, with impressive hair-do

or this, apparently with jewellery on the forehead

and this, with intricate earlobes

the pyramid of La Venta, now overgrown, and several stellea

the stairs to the top of the pyramid, no doubt a recent addition

outside in La Venta, finally some colour

two of the monuments on one side of the museum outside

of which one is another colossal head

La Venta is an actual archaeological site, where we can roam around, climb the pyramid – overgrown with grass and trees, nothing like the impressive stone monuments of the Aztecs and the Maya, but still some 30 meters high. To protect the artefacts, what we see outside are replicas, but carved from the same basalt, and made to look as old as the original. I recognise the one colossal head we have seen long ago in the park in Villahermosa, where the original is being kept. And at the far end of the site are three more, equally impressive (even though these, too, are replicas – I am sure I would not see the difference if they are placed next to the original). There are some smaller figures, and lots of basalt pillars, or parts thereof, are scattered around, once no doubt part of a more impressive structure. Tracks lead into the jungle, where more artefacts, like a huge altar, can be found under the trees. The small on-site museum has a few more pieces, and these are the originals.

two of the three colossal heads at the far end of the outdoor space of the museum

this is one of them

this another, somewhat less expressive

and the third, look at those eyes!

one of the artefacts on the other side of the museum

a collection of small heads in the La Venta museum

two of them, in close-up

and one in more detail

well, and another one, too

this is a recurring theme in more museums, woman and child

part of the museum is in the jungle

but the jungle also harbours more colourful elements

where an altar was dicovered, still in place

the colossal head inside the Santiago Tuxla museum

also with an impressive expression

a stadard bearer, from somewhere 1500-900 AD; note the folded arms

a stone mask from the Olmecs, quite different from the colossal heads

a lovely sculpture, I think Olmec, in the Santiago Tuxla museum

four more smaller heads

A third museum, as well as the largest colossal head, is to be found in Santiago Tuxla, where we spent the night. The head on the village square is some 3.4 meters high; the smallest heads in the museum, once again very well laid out, are in the order of a few centimetres. In addition, there are lots of other artefacts, including a second colossal head found near Tres Zapotes, several other large-scale basalt sculptures, as well as delicate earthenware, suggesting a high level or artistic capacity already early on in Mexican history. And this is all original stuff! Or so they say.

Most of the Olmec artefacts, whether sculptures or clay figures, are focussed on the human figure, others are anthropomorphic and zoomorphic. Very few are of realistic animals. Nowhere mentioned in the museums, but unmistakable, are the almond-shaped eyes in many of the faces, whether colossal or tiny, although mainstream scientists discard an Asian origin.

What is striking, is that these artefact were already appreciated very long ago; some have been found a 1000 years after they were produced, in Aztec and Maya offerings.

We were going to re-visit the Parque Archaeologico in Villahermosa, the park where we were first confronted with these remarkable artefacts 20 years ago, but unfortunately, the park is closed for remodelling, so we have to skip this. But we will try to visit the museum in Xalapa, on the way back to Mexico City, where another seven original colossal heads are displayed.

once more, the head in Santiago Tuxla, the biggest one discovered so far