They are beautifully restored and are in a beautiful park setting. Our guide translated in both English and Spanish the various depictions on the buildings of serpents, jaguars, turtles, the diving or descending god and the rain god Chac with the long nose. When the nose is up it was a supplication and when down it signified the blessing of rain.
Lol tun means flower stone. Sacred to the Mayan since pre classic times it was the crown of my journey to this region. Caves were doorways to the terrible underworld called Xibalba but also the place where life began according to their mythology and where the hero twins defeated the lords of the underworld in a ball game. There are signatures of hand prints on the walls of this cavern where areas are still being opened up as more is discovered. My guide was Pablo who showed me the musical stalactites that played an om like melody in two tones when struck with the palm of the hand.
I must have pleased the gods as I emerged unscathed and pondering the rituals and and terrifying visions the ancient Mayans must have experienced in this mysterious and dark portal of life and death, creation and destruction.
This site is harder to get to than most but worth every bug bite as well as sore feet. Wear good hiking or running shoes and bring Deet spray. This site is part of a tour called La Ruta Puuc out of Merida but only leaves on certain days and only if there are enough people (min of four). Fortune again smiled as my group only had three (myself and a lovely Spanish couple) but was a go ahead anyway. Next time I will check into a possible bus ride there.
I felt blessed to have completed the quests I had set out for myself when I planned this trip and there was still more to come.
I got to this beautiful site by bus from the central Merida bus station. It takes a couple of hours to get there and is one of the most beautiful Mayan sites with the colossal Temple of the Wizard rising above the trees. There even were two Conneticut Yankees in the court of Uxmal. We met at the bus station and travelled together that day. One of them was a professional photographer and the three of us wandered the historic landscape together, climbed a pyramid, and got soaked in the jungle rain before stopping for lunch. In cavalier fashion gallant Sean offered me his rain coat and I took it. I unfortunately ran out of battery power and had to use my cell phone to take pictures. That alone separated the photographers from the shutterbugs. It was a huge temptation to sit on the Jaguar throne in the square that says sitting prohibited!! My two friends vanished briefly and I have been checking Dex's photo website to see if he has any occupied throne pictures but nothing yet. You won't see it here as I missed the shot!!
two Conneticut Yankees in the Court of Uxmal
the real photographer
success!! and now bloody hell! we have to turn around and go back down (rain coming!)
The final days of my journey. Isla Mujeres is a charming island with an interesting history. It is said that it was once a pirate stronghold and they kept their women there. Another story is that the Spanish found Mayan goddess worship specifically Ixchel the rainbow goddess of fertility on the island and named it for that. Still another story is one of unrequited love of a pirate captain who loved a woman who lived on the island but she never returned his affection.
sea shell house ( it had a kind of Lemony Snicket feel to it!!)
they sell sea shells
Cuba is only a few hundred miles off the coast and there is a military wharf on the island as well. In the restaurant there was a little waiting involved as the fish was just on it's way from the watery depths to be cooked! It was delicious but I wasn't sure what it was. I discovered that there are a number of ex pats living there year round and the houses are very imaginatively built!! Many houses are specifically for rental purpose. I spent an afternoon snorkeling but never found the boy who took my picture underwater!! That would have been fun to see.
I was so sad to leave this place and Mexico and vowed to return soon. I'm looking into rentals also so I can spend a bit more time. Next time I would like to visit the caves of Balankanche.
