Travelblog LA#38: Chichen Itza & Valladolid – Mexico

16th – 18th October, 2023

 

So I finally made it to Chichen Itza.

Which, I guess is a surprise to no one, but believe it or not this was something that I had been looking forward to and dreading in equal measure. When you are backpacking around Latin America you hear horror stories about this place. Many people even advise you to not go and suggest other, less-visited Mayan ruins. Well – as I am sure you are all aware – those were all on my list too. I am doing my best to see all the Mayan ruins that I can.

And I hate to say it, but I have to be honest; Chichen Itza is worth the hype. I even think that some of the things that people have said about it are a bit of an injustice. Some claimed that Uxmal – which I covered in my last blog – is just as impressive as Chichen Itza, and don’t get me wrong, Uxmal is a wonderful place that more people should visit it, but it is not Chichen Itza. Those people are fooling themselves. Some places are popular for a reason, and Chichen Itza is one of them.

The iconic Pyramid of Kukulcán is just breathtaking. Not only for its size but for its shape and how well-preserved it is. It is not just a great feat of engineering but a work of art, and it has many features that – at first glance – one might miss if they are unaware. Such as that the steps on each of the four sides number ninety-one, and there is a final one at the top where they meet; a total that equals three hundred and sixty-five, a number whose significance is obvious. The Mayans’ knowledge of astronomy, earthy cycles, and mathematics was very ahead of its time.

One of the most impressive features of this pyramid’s design is the phenomenon that happens twice a year at the equinoxes; when the rising sun hits the corners of the pyramid in such a way that it casts a shadow upon the sides of the steps to simulate a snake slithering down the pyramid. I visited at the wrong time of the year for that, but here is a picture of it I lifted online.

And yes, when you visit Chichen Itza there will be a lot of people there, many of whom appear to have come mostly to pull duck faces for their Instagram selfies or orchestrate all kinds of poses of themselves with the pyramid in the background. I even did a bit of this myself (partly out of irony). The thing to remember, however, is that a lot of them will be coming from fancy resorts close to Cancun, which is a couple of hours away. I arrived early and the place was reasonably quiet for the first hour or so.

Also, the good news is that many of the duck-face-selfie crowd do not stray too far away from the main pyramid anyway, and the tour groups seem to be catered towards people who are not interested in seeing the entirety of the site either. Chichen Itza is a big place. It took me over four hours to explore all of it, and many of the further-out sections were reasonably quiet.

The architecture here is unique to the Mayan world. So much so that there is currently a debate going on between Mesoamerican historians over whether Chichen Itza should be considered its own separate culture category. There is a lot of Toltec influence, including within the design of the Pyramid of Kukulcán itself, and historical records that indicate that a Toltec dynasty may have conquered the city in the tenth century.

Compared to the other Mayan ruins I have explored over the past few months, the thing that stood out to me about Chichen Itza is how warlike its energy is. This is perhaps not surprising as this place was Athens of the Mayan world and a big player in the complex political structure between the cities during the Classical period. It dominated much of Mesoamerica and was constantly fighting with the likes of Tikal and Copan over boundaries of influence.

One of the most interesting parts of the complex is the Temple of Warriors. Archaeologists have revealed that this building most likely began its life as a place to worship Chac Mool – an important deity here – but as it expanded over the years it became surrounded by hundreds of pillars. Many of which – if you look closely – still have the figures of noble warriors carved upon them. Some of them have intact glyphs too, which have been deciphered. They mostly state each of their lineages, titles, and military achievements.

There is also the Platform of Skulls, which is covered in carvings of its namesake. It is believed that the bodies and bones of those defeated in battle were once placed here, both as a trophy to their might and as a warning to their enemies.

The ball court is something that stands out here too. I thought I had grown bored of ball courts in Mesoamerica – as I have yet to visit a city without one – but this one dwarfs all of the others.

There are two large platforms along the sides where viewers would watch the games, and one of them is also home to the Temple of the Jaguars. Unfortunately, people are not allowed to climb any of the monuments at Chichen Itza anymore – something that I understand as it receives far too many visitors for such a thing to be viable – but there are murals inside that depict battle scenes.

Something that you can see from the ground, however, is the large and impressive carvings across the sides. Not all of them survived the passing of time but the sections that remain are very impressive. One of them depicts the captain of the winning team beheading one of the defeated players.

Another place I thought I would mention is the area to the south of the complex. This is home to some of the oldest parts of Chichen Itza, including El Caracol; an astronomical observatory.

As well as some temples that are a bit smaller but have some very impressive Puuc-style stonework.

Now that I have covered everything that I loved about Chichen Itza, I am going to have a little moan about something that bothered me about this place. Those of you who read my last blog concerning my visit to Uxmal might remember that I was a bit miffed about the price, and this place came with a similar surcharge, only even higher.

And, it’s not merely the price that bothered me but more the breakdown of this cost. If you read this carefully you will see that it says that the total of 614 pesos is made of the sum of two costs, 524 and 90. Well, the 90 pesos is all that is going to INAH – the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, who own and maintain the site – whilst the rest is all just an extra tax that the local government have slapped on.

You may also notice that this charge is considerably less for national residents, too. I know I make quite a lot of tongue-in-cheek references to Gringo Tax on this blog but, in this case, it is not a social thing; it is an actual institutionalised tax that is targeted at gringos. Now, don’t get me wrong; I understand that most gringos are privileged people from richer countries. I know that the floods of tourists visiting this area incur costs and roads need to be maintained, etc, but we also bring money to the area and uplift the economy by doing so. I personally don’t mind paying a bit of gringo tax when the people imposing it are not taking the piss but there is a line and this definitely crosses it for me. If you are not familiar with Mexican currency, run it through a currency converter so you can understand how insanely high this ‘tax’ is.

Also, another problem that I have with it is that I don’t think it is fair to the INAH or the locals. INAH undoubtedly have fewer people visiting these sites now because of the charges. And out of the people who do come, not all of them will look too closely and understand the nuisances of where the money is going. They are probably wondering why such a ginormous site that so many people visit each day doesn’t have a museum and only has one toilet block that is a bit run down and does not even have functioning seats or paper in the cubicles. It makes INAH look bad, and it puts them in an awkward position. If they eventually need to raise their prices for legitimate reasons they will feel much more self-conscious about doing so because of how much people are already paying.

I also suspect that the people who run tourism-related businesses in the area have found visitors less inclined to spend money than they used to be. I know that is the case for me. Many of the people who travel to Mexico are low-budget backpackers like myself. Usually, with a site as important as this one, I would be tempted to hire a guide – I did as such when I went to Tikal – but after the entry fee I paid it was just out of the question. I found myself having to tighten my purse strings in the days leading up to my visit and the ones that followed to keep within my broken budget. No eating out or beers for a while; just cooking my own meals in my hostel.

I had been planning to go to a place called Ek Balam the following day, but the night before I checked on their website and discovered that this place, too, has also had the same charge added. By that point, I was just done. I have paid this fee twice now – at Uxmal and Chichen Itza – and if I had paid it a third the total would have come up to over £75. Ek Balam receives few visitors as it is. It is just a small site that people only go to because they are either geeks like me or want to walk around some ruins that won’t be crowded. The Yucatan government are just being obnoxious at this point.

So, instead, I spent one last slow and quiet day in Valladolid; the place I had been basing myself since I left Merida. This is another one of Yucatan’s charming colonial towns, and it is one that I grew fond of. It receives just enough tourism to have good facilities but hasn’t seemed to have lost itself yet. I stayed at a Hostal La Candelaria which was by a little plaza where different groups of locals liked to come and practice their dance routines.

There are a few little attractions around the town, such as a cathedral and the Convento de San Bernardino de Sienna.

Besides those – as well as a couple of museums – Valladolid is a great place to just wander. I did this on my final day and I came across a market which I think was one of my favourites of this trip so far. Some of its sections were a little touristy – as many of the vendors specialised in souvenirs – but not overly so. I have never been one for trinkets or tatt, but one thing that did catch my attention was the stalls selling things such as local spices, honey and chilli sauces. None of the vendors tried to gringo tax me (or, if they did, it was such a small amount I didn’t mind). I am coming to the end of my trip now so it is time to start collecting some things to bring back with me.

I am of course gutted that I didn’t see Ek Balam, but the silver lining is that having this day free meant that I got a day to take it slow in Valladolid and do things like this. And, even better, some of my money went to local businesses instead of unreasonable charges.

Later that day, I also went to my first cenote.

If you haven’t heard this already; the Yucatan peninsula is full of these. I am not qualified to give you all a geology lesson but they were formed by a complex geological process initially triggered by the Chicxulub Impact that killed off the dinosaurs. The land here is very flat and there aren’t many rivers so these were the main water sources for the Mayan civilisation.

The water within was refreshingly cool, but not overly so, and there were also lots of fish so I took my snorkel with me. It was a great way to finish off my time in Valladolid. This cenote also has its own local myth attached to it which I will leave with you before signing off on this blog.

 

 

Before the arrival of the Spanish, there were two chiefdoms, the Cupules and the Cocomes, who were in dispute for control of Zací and its cenote.

On the vault of the cenote lived the X’men (healer and wise woman of the town). She was the leader of the Cocomes, an old and powerful woman who could communicate with the gods, the healer had a granddaughter named Zac-Nicte (white flower). On the other hand, the Halach-uinic (governor) was the one who governed the destiny of the city and dictated the laws, it belonged to the Cupules. He had a son named Hul-Kin (ray of sunshine).

Hul-Kin and Zac-Nite grew up and vied for control of Zací. However, as the years went by, a strong friendship emerged and later they fell in love, keeping it a secret, since their union would dishonor their respective families.

The Halach-uinic learned of his son’s relationship, whom he immediately sent to a town in southern Yucatán, agreeing to marry the regidor’s daughter. The news shattered Zac-Nite, who was pregnant. When her grandmother found out, she promised that she would ask the gods to bring the Hul-Kin back.

One night before the wedding Zac-Nite decided to tie a very heavy stone in his hair and threw himself into the cenote. Hul-Kin learned of the tragedy and returned to Zací In the midst of nostalgia and despair, he saw the water tomb of his beloved and without hesitation he threw himself to the bottom of the cenote.

The X’men witnessed that act of love, not without forgetting the mourning in which he was for his granddaughter. With tears in her eyes, she walked to the edge of the vault and threw a white Mayflower and said, “Zac-Nite, I have delivered. I brought the Hul-Kin and now he is with you forever.” After uttering these words, the sorceress cursed Zací’s cenote: every year, when the surface of the water turns a dark green colour, a person would drown in honour of the love of Zac-Nite and Hul-Kin.

 

For more photos from Chichen Itza and my time in Valladolid, click here.

 

Travelblog LA#37: Mérida Part 1 (Uxmal, Izamal & Solar Eclipse) – Mexico

8th – 15th October, 2023

 

A solar eclipse.

This is one of the reasons that I planned my trip this way. I had heard that it was due to happen when I was plotting my itinerary in 2022, and – with Dia de Muertos also just a couple of weeks away – it seemed like the Yucatán peninsular of Mexico was where I should be at this point of my journey.

We actually had a solar eclipse in the UK back in 1999, and back then I thought it would be a once-in-a-lifetime thing so I think this will be a highlight of this trip that I will look back on in years to come.

And this eclipse was also a different kind to the one I remember back when I was thirteen years old and sat on a cliff in Dorset. I am not quite sure of what the science behind it is – perhaps something to do with both the Earth and Moon having elliptical orbits, if I were to guess – but this type of eclipse was what they call a ‘halo’, so it didn’t completely cover up the sun and plunge us into darkness. It was a very different experience, and quite eerie. My surroundings were still lit by the kind of yellow light that you get at midday, only greatly dimmed. I even needed to reapply some mosquito repellent, because some of them had come out again, the change in the light of day confusing their cycle.

And, as you can probably see, I chose the site of another Mayan ruin to watch this event from. This one is called Uxmal, and it is sixty kilometres south of Mérida.

I came here early in the morning, rising at 5 a.m. to ensure that I would get a seat on the bus and into the site on time. This turned out to be a good idea because when I arrived at 7:30 a.m. – half an hour before the site opened – there was already a queue forming.

I managed to be among the first fifty or so people to enter, meaning that I got to have a quick walk around whilst the place was reasonably empty and take some photos. Uxmal is an impressive place and I am glad that I came here for the eclipse, but one thing I will say is it came with an expensive entry fee of almost 450 pesos for foreigners. And of that, only ninety pesos actually went to INAH – the body that runs most of Mexico’s archaeological sites – whilst the rest is just a fee that the local government have slapped on because they know lots of tourists will pay it and it is easy money for them.

Although relatively unknown internationally – perhaps due to its proximity to Chichen Itza – Uxmal was a big player during the Mayan Classic period and is now widely considered the best example of the Puuc-style architecture common in this region. Perhaps one of the reasons it isn’t spoken about as much is that there has been a disappointing lack of research done here. This place is a favourite among locals – who want to avoid the crowds of tour buses that swamp Chichen Itza each day – so it seems that INAH have focussed almost all of their resources on restoration and maintenance, and very little on excavation.

Overall, I did enjoy this site. It now holds the special status of being the place where I saw the Yucatán Eclipse of 2023, but I did find the amount of Gringo Tax I paid a hard pill to swallow when the people running this place had done very little to enrich the experience for me. Unlike most archaeological sites in Mexico, this place doesn’t have any informational displays for its visitors.

To put it into perspective, the price paid was a similar price to what people pay to see Stonehenge back in the UK – a price I also don’t agree with as I don’t think these monuments should be exclusive to those with money – yet at least when you go there the price comes with access to audio guides available in a variety of languages and a museum. I understand that most Gringos who come to visit Latin America are privileged, but sometimes the extra charges imposed upon us just seem to be slapped on in a manner that is just a bit thoughtless and lazy.

Moving on; some of you have probably noticed that it has been a while since I last posted and are wondering where I have been. Well, the answer to that is Mérida.

This place is not as well known internationally as Cancun, but it is the de facto capital of the Yucatán peninsula. When I arrived I still had some days to wait for the solar eclipse and I didn’t want to move east until it had passed. Mérida was a great place to pass some time as it had just enough attractions to keep me entertained, whilst also being quiet and laid back enough to be a pleasant choice for one to lay low for a while.

As usual, the main plaza is the place to be in a lot of Latin American cities, and in Mérida, this is especially true as there are lots of free events here that happen in the evenings. I discovered this during my first few days when I went to meet a friend there and we heard music coming from the cathedral and went to investigate to find ourselves watching dancers performing.

The women were wearing mestizo garments. I had previously seen examples of these in one of Mérida’s museums. They are popular here and very representative of what modern Mérida is like as a city; a place where the pre-Colombian and colonial cultures have finally – after years of strife – fused into something new. The white material and cut of the design are more Spanish-inspired whilst the colourful patterns are reminiscent of Mayan culture.

I have seen my fair share of public performances in Latin America now and one thing that really struck me about this one was how enthusiastic the performers were; you could tell that they were not just doing this for the money or out of duty but were passionate and enjoying themselves. Here is a video here.

Another evening I went to see the ‘Juego de Pelota’, which happens most Saturdays at 8 pm.

This began with a short ceremony involving music, incense, and the players dancing around a fire.

And then, they began to play. I will be honest here and say that it is my understanding that we don’t quite know how this ball game was actually played. I do know, however – from the ruins that I visited – that the courts usually had two hoops on opposite sides of the court. Here they just have one in the middle and the players seemed to be treating it like a game of volleyball (only with the players not using their hands but rather their hips; something that does appear to have been traditional practice).

Despite it being very questionable about how ‘authentic’ this modern interpretation is, it was still an impressive show. It is no simple feat to get that ball into the air let alone through a hoop with the players only allowed to use their hips, yet in the space of thirty minutes or so they managed to do this twice. It involved a lot of diving and skidding across the ground. Click here to watch a video.

After a while, the game was changed a little and they introduced a flaming ball. This time, they did allow themselves to use their hands, and – once again – this is clearly not traditional, but still very impressive (click here).

Mérida does have a decent selection of museums too. I won’t bore you by covering them all but I will say that they are more on the provincial side so are smaller than the ones I have visited in places like Mexico City. Most of them are free and it is a good way to spend a day if you find yourself in Mérida with some time to burn. One that should get a special mention is the Gran Museo del Mundo Maya, which is a bit far away from the centre and slightly more expensive but worth both the money and the journey.

One thing that I particularly enjoyed about this museum is that it covers not just the history of the Mayan civilisation during pre-Colombian times but also details about the Mayan people still living today. This is by no means the only museum that has attempted to do such a thing, but it will often be just a small section towards the end and feel a bit like a lip service. Here it is placed at the forefront and occupies a substantial section at the beginning of the museum. It also does not shy away from telling the story of the abuse that the indigenous people of the Yucatán suffered under colonial rule yet does so in a way that chooses empowerment over pity and highlights their strength as a people. Covering the plights of marginalised groups can often be a precarious subject but this museum has done a great job of getting the tone right.

Uxmal is not the only day trip that can be made from Mérida. One afternoon I went to visit a place called Izamel with a friend. Many of the locals refer to as a ‘Puebla Magica’, but I didn’t see any magicians there. It is certainly very scenic with its yellow colonial style buildings and cobbled roads.

What makes this town stand out is that it is home to vestiges of both pre-Colombian and colonial periods, both of which are majestic and overlook the town. When you arrive there is first the San Antonio de Padua Convent close to the plaza, with its iconic, rectangular atrium.

And then, just a short walk away, there is a Mayan pyramid called Kinich Kak Moo. It is actually a pyramid in two stages, but if you measure them together as a whole it is technically the biggest pyramid in the entire Yucatán peninsula by volume.

There is a great view of the town from its peak.

For my final day in Mérida, a friend I made called Ariel invited me to go on a road trip with him and some of his colleagues and we went to a place called Celestun by the coast. This is a place that a lot of people go to for boat trips around the mangroves to see flamingos but once we arrived we found the prices for these tours a little steep so decided to spend the day at the beach instead. I am glad we made this decision. I know this sounds a bit jaded I have seen plenty of mangroves and flamingos over the years and I am starting to feel a bit lazier now I am over eight months into this trip. Also, I have often found that you will often remember the people you meet over the things you see when you travel anyway. So, although this might not be very exciting for you to read nor do I have lots of photos to show you; I had a wonderful day having a few beers by the beach with good company. Mérida isn’t just a place with things to see but a place full of great people.

The next day I caught a bus to Valladolid, which will be my base for a few days whilst I go visit the ruins of Chichen Itza and Ek Balam (and maybe a cenote or two), but my time in Mérida is not over; this is the city I will be returning to for the Dia De Muertos celebrations at the end of the month.

For more photos and videos of my time in Mérida, click here.

 

Travelblog LA#36: Palenque, Campeche & Edzna – Mexico

4th – 7th October, 2023

 

Yes, more ruins.

And I am not going to apologise. If you don’t like ruins, why are you even here? I have a feeling that those who don’t have either unsubscribed by now or have started skimming whenever my blogs feature pictures such as these.

So, for those of you still here, this place is Palenque, which is located in the Chiapas region and was historically another big player in the Mayan Classical period.

It is mostly known for its Temple of Inscriptions, a site which has been studied extensively due to the hieroglyphic texts found on the tablets on the upper tiers. It is one of the primary sources for Mayan history.

Unfortunately, people are no longer allowed to ascend the pyramid so I was not able to see them myself. I did, however, use my digital camera to zoom in on some of the carvings upon the façade.

The Temple of Inscriptions is also known for being the burial place of K’inich Janaab’ Pakal, who has quite an interesting story. He came to rule as a child king during a time when Palenque was still recovering from being sacked by the rival city of Calakmul. With some initial aid from his esteemed mother – Queen Sak Kʼuk, who served as regent and was a very effective ruler in her own right – he then went on to rein for over seventy years, restoring Palenque to a golden age. The construction of this pyramid began towards the end of his life and was later finished by his son, K’inich Kan B’alam II.

It is also the home to Pakal’s tomb, which was discovered in 1952. Those of you who follow me regularly might remember that I saw a recreation of this when I visited the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.

I did not get to see the famous mask that was found within it. I am not quite sure where it is kept. There is an on-site museum at Campeche but it was closed for renovation so perhaps it is there. I can imagine that wherever it is they are taking very particular care of it as it is quite a special archaeological find. Here is a picture of it that I found online.

Jade was a sacred stone to the Mayans. It is bluish-green colour means that it can be associated with many natural things – such as water and trees – and those who wore it were believed to be connecting to all three levels of the Mayan cosmos; the sky, earth and underworld. It is quite common for rulers to be buried wearing such a mask to help them transcend.

When I reached my next destination – Campeche – a couple of days later, I was lucky enough to see a jade mask within its Museum of Mayan Architecture. This is one for a king whose name we do not know but he was from Calakmul, the rival city that sacked Palenque shortly before Palak was born.

Along with the mask, this person was buried with an entire ensemble of necklaces, bracelets, and other jewellery, mostly made from jade.

I enjoyed Campeche and ended up staying there for a few days (despite its horrendous population of mosquitos that had no sense of boundaries). It is a colonial city which has been awarded UNESCO heritage status, surrounded by walls and several forts across its breadth that helped to protect it from pirates.

These days Campeche is a laid-back place which receives just enough visitors to have a selection of hostels, museums, cafes and gift shops, but not inundated enough to feel overwrought. Tourism is a sideline here, not the main source of economy, so this place still has all the feel of an authentic and ‘real’ Mexican city.

Another good thing about Campeche is that it is close enough to Edzna – another archaeological site – for it to be an easy day trip away. This was the first thing that I did when I arrived (are any of you surprised?).

Edzna is not very well known but I think it deserves more attention. I didn’t mind having it mostly to myself, though.

Edzna was not the biggest player in the Mayan world – it spent most of the Classical age as a vassal to Calakmul. What makes it interesting, however, is that it managed to outlast many of the titans of the Mayan world, enduring way beyond the Classical age – when many Mayan cities were abandoned – and into the fourteenth century.

What makes this place stick out for me – as a visitor – is how open it all is. The people who dwelt here must have been a very close-knit community because almost all parts of it are visible to each other. The Nohoch – a 135-meter-long structure stretched across the main plaza – had four rooms within its upper tiers that are believed to have functioned as administrative centres and storage, while its nine meters of steps across its entire breadth likely served as seating during events.

From the Nohoch, one can see a clear view of the Acropolis, which served as the religious centre.

Its main temple is among the most impressive buildings I have seen from the Mayan world. Some inscriptions at its base indicate its construction began in the seventh century, but archaeologists have dated some of the upper layers to the fourteenth century. The fact that this city was still adding to their monuments way after many of the other Mayan cities had dwindled is very impressive.

Unfortunately, people are no longer allowed to climb this pyramid, but within all of those openings you can see exist twenty-seven different chambers that have been excavated.

One last thing I want to mention about this site is that in one of the plazas on the outskirts are the foundations of a temple with two stucco carvings still preserved in their original colours. They represent the sun god – Kinich Ahau – in both his rising and setting stages of the day. I love it when you find things such as these as they give you a glimpse of what a place might have looked like during its zenith.

For my final day in Campeche, I went for a wander around the historic centre. Most of the fortresses have been converted into museums that are free to enter. I also enjoyed the Palace Museum which had displays not only concerning the city’s history but also about boats and piracy.

 

Click on the following links to see more photos from my time in Palenque and Campeche.