January 26-28, 2025
“Do NOT throw the coconuts.” – Sign post at entrance to an archeological site
We left the city of Merida behind and took a car into the Yucatan peninsula. We had some destinations in mind, but mostly we just wanted to be surprised. Road trips are great. The mobility and not knowing what is around the next corner makes them wonderful little adventures. We have never been here before so we did not know what to expect.
The following are some observations, or postcards if you will, from that road trip.
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The roads were surprisingly well maintained. The vast majority of the driving was two lane highway and for the most part the traffic was light. Furthermore, since there are no rivers or mountains on the peninsula, most of the time the highway was in a straight line.
The highways were a lot like driving in a walled alley. Beside us Wild Tamarind, Jamaican dogwood, and Manilkara Zapota hemmed in the highway on each side creating two long green walls. As we got closer to the coast Florida thatch palm, Everglades palm, and Papaya trees started to dominate.
It was not all just a green wall. The sides of the road way were adorned with mile after mile of Yucatan Butter Daisies. These yellow blooms framed the road way by the tens of thousands and seemed to stretch on forever.
While there are numerous villages and small towns to pass through, their were no stops in-between communities. Where rural locals get their supplies is a mystery. And what is behind that tree wall of trees?
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Between stops small towns punctuated the trip. They each had an ingenious system to get cars to slow down going through town. Every town had installed a series of formidable speed bumps that if you hit at a higher speed, it felt like the undercarriage would rip off. Then, to drive home the point - so to speak- they would repeat these barriers like the Siegfried Line every 75 yards. It worked.
This is Mani, a small village that was the home of the Convento de San Miguel Arcangel. It was here that the Catholic priest gathered all the written Mayan material he could find and burned them. Today, only three codices remain. None are in Mexico. They all adorn museums in Dresden, Germany (The most complete one), Madrid Spain, and Paris, France.
Despite this odious history, the village could not be more charming. Colorful pastel houses adorn the square. A Christmas tree is still up and Colleen spent some time with some Mayan women looking at local dresses
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We made our way across the peninsula to Lake Bacalar. This long thin fresh water lake is one of the few bodies of water on the peninsula. It is well known for its clarity and spectacular blue colors of various shades.
The bottom of the lake is limestone and it is fed by underground rivers coursing through the porous limestone rock.
However despite our anticipation of exploring the lake by boat the weather finally caught us and rain storms swept through the area for the two days we were scheduled to stay. Still we had a nice time in a lovely jungle hotel and managed to have a few clear hours to obtain some pictures.
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Not to be defeated, we pushed on to Tulum. This city is well known to hipsters and back packers looking for a beach and plenty of Tequila. As such, it is crowded, noisy, and way over priced for Mexico. Needless to say, it was not our favorite place to stay.
But we had one night there and the next morning we made our way to the nearby Tulum Mayan ruins. It was a hot day and the place was very crowded with sightseers due the easy access from the nearby city.
What to say about Tulum ruins? A few facts first. It was a port city that was walled off to protect against marauders - usually other Mayans. It had its peak around 1200 CE (about 200 years after Uxmal). The city was much smaller than the other great cities like Coba, Chichen Itza, and Uxmal. Its heyday was during the declining years of the Mayan empire.
The bad - It is heavily touristed and you are accosted by dozens and dozens of people trying to sell you something just to get into the site. It is twice as expensive as Uxmal and no where near as grand. There is very little shade and touring the area often involves long exposure to the Mexican sun. It feels a little like Mayan Disneyland on a very crowded day.
The good - The Caribbean ocean! The ruins extend to the beach making almost every photo a post card. Unlike other sites, like Uxmal, it has not been reconstructed so you see the buildings in their raw, broken state. This adds a level of wistfulness and mystery to the visit. It is also not so big that you get overwhelmed with Mayan facts and can digest it more easily. You can easily, depending on the crowds, finish looking at the various building in 90 minutes.
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Coba.
This stop was an unexpected treat. As we were headed for Valladolid, our main base for this leg of the trip, we passed right by the village of Coba and the nearby ruins. On impulse we stopped to see what the ruins had to offer.
What a difference from Tulum! Parking was easy. There was exponentially less Touts (People who try to see you things). Unlike Tulum, Coba was surrounded by trees and a nearby lagoon. And it was big! This was a major city around the year 1000 CE and tens of thousands lived here. Only 5-10% of the site has been uncovered. The rest is still encased in the surrounding jungle. There was a paved highway here that extended all the way to Chichen Itza!
Here we met Jamie, a short, pleasant Mayan man who offered to drive us between the long distances of the site on his bicycle/rickshaw for a reasonable rate. He was charming, full of facts, and showed us the best this fascinating city has to offer
.Coba was not only fascinating for its history, but with the jungle encroachment on all sides, the whole experience felt very “Indiana Jones”.
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One more story - back to Tulum. As part of the high price entry fee we had to buy a ticket to the “Jaguar Ecological Park”. I didn’t want to go there, but we were told it was required.
So I asked, “Are their jaguars in this park?”
The lady looked at me startled and said, “Oh no sir. There is nothing like that here!
But, as we walked in, we actually say one for ourselves. Here is the wild predator right on the trail coming out of the jungle.
While we were driving though, we did see this sign.
The idea of hitting such a large predator on the road, let alone see one is highly unlikely.
Yet, just the thought of them out there is kind of exciting.
Even if it is only in your imagination.
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