[Composed 11/28/2024]
Who's Driving Who?
Our plan for today was to have a deluxe tour of one of the most important archaeological sites in the Yucatan: Chichen-Itza. Chichen-Itza is about 2 hours and 15 minutes away from our hotel. The tours we looked at kindly offered transportation to the site. In our case, that's problematic: being a passenger for 2+ hours would mean that on arrival Shira would be hopelessly car sick.
I was undeterred. Our travel advisor Courtney had a recommended tour company, which at our request, she reached out to see if we could tweak the standard plan. Would it be possible, we asked, to have the promised tour yet have us drive the guide in our rental car? We got the green light, and I assured Shira that they must do this sort of thing all of the time.
This morning at 6:54am, we confused the valet by explaining that we needed our car pulled around, as we were heading out for a tour. But why do you need your car? Isn't the guide taking you? He was just the first in a series of individuals who would be baffled by the arrangement: a guide being chauffeured by a tourist.
Once on our way we asked our guide Leo, surely you've had this setup before? Nope, he explained, it was not only a first for him but for the head of his tour company.
The drive to Chichen-Itza went off without a hitch. The roads were in good shape and the drivers were relatively tame. Along the way, Leo gave us a quick local and national history lesson.
Breakfast On The Go
Unfortunately, the hotel's breakfast started at 7:00am, which is when our tour began. We were prepared for this, however, as yesterday we picked up provisions at a local supermarket while heading to the hotel.
I started my day in truly gourmet style with Dolores: Pasta con Atun. That's right, breakfast was a packet of tuna with pasta, and it was absolutely delicious. Seriously, I've got to find out if any of the local international stores carry this brand, as it really was top notch. Later in the drive, you know for second breakfast, I had corn a tortilla smeared with peanut butter. If Leo thought Shira was crazy for driving, I'm sure he was equally confused by my culinary habits.
Welcome to Chichen-Itza
Finding Chichen-Itza was straight-forward, but it took us a few moments and some prompting from Leo for us to understand that the folks frantically waiving us down on the side of the road near the site were just vendors trying to sell stuff. The experience had echos of the chaos at the Airport.
Getting into Chichen-Itza couldn't have been be smoother: Leo had us park in the tour bus section; we hooked up with a specific local guide who had our tickets ready to go and we zipped through security. This is where Leo's VIP treatment really shined.
Leo was awesome and I'd highly recommend him and his tour company. With that said, when I was planning our day I was confused as to how we might arrange a guide without a full day tour. Everything I read online said that the site would be swarming with folks offering to escort tourists. But how could we be sure to get a reputable guide?
Turns out, this isn't an issue: there are licensed guides wearing official shirts. If we had shown up to the site and purchased a ticket one of these would have been assigned to us. We'd have missed out on the luxury access to the site and other parts of the day, but I'm confident we'd still have had a nice tour of Chichen-Itza. So don't sweat guide selection if you decide to DIY a trip to the ruins.
Touring Chichen-Itza
The guide's tour was exceptional. He put the buildings, history and details of the site in context and answered all the questions I lobbed at him with ease. Like:
Question: what's inside of El Castillo (The Castle; the main pyramid)?
Answer: another pyramid.
Question: And what inside that?
Answer: Still another. (Mind, blown.)
Chichen-Itza, our guide explained, was a holy space embedded within a Mayan city. The temples, ball-court and other features were sacred in nature. As the guide gave us the rundown, I couldn't help but compare and contrast what we saw and learned to another ancient people: ours.
Jewish farmers, like Mayan farmers, brought their produce to a sacred location where a priest dressed in special garb offered their bounty in the hopes of future blessings. Both Jewish and Mayan priests could access areas that were off limits to regular citizens. Both peoples lives were governed by a calendar based on both the Sun and the Moon, and both calendars were implemented through careful astronomical observation.
Our guide explained that El Castillo wasn't just an impressive looking structure, it was intentionally designed as a interactive calendar. On the spring and fall equinoxes, for example, the Sun's shadow falls just so, making it appear as though a snake is slithering down the side of the building. I could imagine the shadow effect would serve as a sort of large scale, date based, sundial.
Could I imagine treating the calendar with such reverence and importance as to make the largest structure on the site dedicated to its purpose? I can. The first commandment to the Jewish Nation in the Torah is to mark the new month, effectively setting up our people's calendar. While Jews may lack physical structure like El Castillo, the idea of making the calendar of central importance, very much resonates.
Of course, Jews and Maya part ways in a number of obvious areas. The Maya were polytheistic, while Jews are monotheistic. Our guide explained that there's evidence at the site of human sacrifice, something that was explicitly forbidden for Jews. To add to the mystery, it's not entirely clear if those being sacrificed were victims, honorees or more likely, a mixture of both.
The massive scale of El Castillo and the nearby El Templo de los Guerreros (Warrior's Temple) is certainly impressive. But I found the detailed carvings on Plataforma de las Águilas y los Jaguares (Eagles and Jaguars Platform) to be stunning in their own right. They've been restored to be so vivid. Unlike the abstract nature of the larger buildings, these carvings almost feel like 1000 year old snapshots.
And then there's Tzompantli (The Platform of the Skulls). With over 500 skulls etched into this structure, it speaks loudly and clearly of a violent and brutal past. Assuming the goal was to spark fear into the people and their enemies, I'd say they nailed it. A 1000 years may have past since this platform held beams topped with enemy skulls, but you can still feel the terrifying power of this location.
While my people abhor human sacrifice, the Torah has many episodes which conjure up images equally as violent as the Tzompantli. So modern Maya, like modern Jews, are left to reconcile with a violent past. I suppose that's part of having an extended history; you aren't just one thing.
Our guide tried to put the massive ball court on site into context. He explained it was less sport as we know it, and more a ritual practice. He walked us through the carvings on the court's edge and arrived at an unexpected outcome: it's quite possible that the winning team's captain was sacrificed, not the losing team. Whoa.
As an aside, Mishnah, Yoma, chapter two opens with a description of Jews flirting with using sport in their priestly procedures. The Mishnah reports that determining which priest should have the honor of removing ashes was done by foot race. But in what some might consider an act of biblical helicopter parenting, one priest pushed another and broke his leg and so the entire procedure was scrapped for the safer practice of drawing lots. Meanwhile, their Mayan cousins were playing to the death on ball courts. So yeah, the two cultures may have been interested in adding an element of chance to their rituals, but their implementations could not have been more different.
Seclusion and Swimming at a Cenote
From Chichen-Itza, we made our way to a cenote to experience this Yucatan phenomena. Leo explained that this region of Mexico sits on a base of limestone. You may recall from Earth Science class that carbon-dioxide reacts with and wears away limestone. When it rains, droplets pick up carbon-dioxide from the air allowing rainwater the super-power of dissolving away this type of rock. This chemical process and millions of years, has resulted in the Yucatan becoming chocked full of sinkholes. These caverns form impressive natural pools, which are known as cenotes.
All along our drive we saw sign after sign for cenotes. Every local has their go-to which strives for equal parts beauty and obscurity. Once a cenote becomes popular it will become a magnet for crowds and lose some of its appeal.
This was one of the advantages of having Leo lead (from the backseat) the way. He routed us to a secluded parking lot, where we changed into swimsuits. From there, we took a path to a wooden staircase that wound into the dark.
When our eyes adjusted we took in the remarkable sight: a pool of pristine water situated in a large underground cavern. There was a natural skylight were the earth had been worn away and sunlight streamed in. The scene felt more like a choreographed movie than a stop on a tour.
The water was a bit chilly, but we quickly adjusted to it. The cavern was marked with stalactites and stalagmites and it felt surreal to be paddling around in a cave.
We had the place almost to our ourselves: there was a couple leaving when we showed up, and another couple joined us at the end. Leo had nailed it: beauty without the crowds.
Us tourists weren't alone within the cenote: we shared it with a school of catfish. Leo explained that the catfish weren't stocked, but are natural residents. They are apparently a common sight in cenotes and demonstrates that many, if not all of the cenotes are connected. I find it fascinating that these catfish have adapted to living in the dark and cold of the cenote, but other fish are like, no thanks.
While exploring the cenote we had very surprised guest: an iguana plummeted from the surface and found himself unexpectedly in the dark underworld of the cenote. When I saw him last, he was doggy paddling towards the cave's edge. From my perspective, that poor fellow just had the worst day of his life: he was casually sunning himself when the Earth swallowed him up, sending him into an environment that will almost certainly kill him. The truth is far more optimistic: while I'm sure that the iguana was surprised, he's supposed to be an excellent swimmer with the ability to hold his breath for extended periods of time. He should be fine. Good for him.
Sweet! Let's Eat
From the cenote we made our way to a Mayan family for a delicious vegetarian lunch. Before sitting down to eat, they gave us a quick tour of their homestead. We saw chickens and a series of small alters, including those with Christian themes. One initially confusing sight on the tour was a section of a tree trunk lying on its side. There was a small hole, where insects were entering and exiting.
With a bit of explanation, we learned that the family was showing us their jobones: a Mayan style beehive. The insects flitting in and out of it were melipona bees. These stingless bees have been producing honey for the Mayans for thousands of years. The honey is used for food, medicine and for ritual purposes. Melipona honey is precious for a number of reasons, not the least of which is its slow rate of production. A melipona hive produces 2 to 3 liters of honey per year, whereas a European beehive outputs 50 liters in that same time period.
After lunch, we perused a small gift shop that the family runs and purchased honey as gifts for family and friends. As a splurge we bought a tiny vile of the family's most pure melipona honey. The woman who sold us the honey implored us not to eat it: use for medical purposes, which is what it's designed for.
While I plan to heed her advice (within reason), I also fully expect to have this small, anonymous bottle of honey appear on our Rosh Hashanah table, next to some freshly picked apples. Using honey in a religious context is right of the Mayan playbook, so I'm sure our host would have approved.
From lunch we headed back to Playa del Carmen to drop Leo off at his home. After about 5 hours of driving we had successfully completed the tour. We'd had an amazing day, but I wasn't quite ready to call it a night.
Kosher in Playa del Carmen
Before heading back to the hotel, we decided to duck into Playa del Carmen to explore the area and catch dinner. While Playa del Carmen has the usual tourist scene it has something most cities lack: a number of Kosher restaurants. Without intending to, we managed to find a parking spot across the street from Moshe Cube, a Kosher Mediterranean place. We then wandered around the city, and when we were ready to eat, found ourselves a block away from Platinum Kosher, another tasty looking restaurant option.
We settled on Platinum Kosher, and the place did not disappoint. I ordered what can only be described as a big 'ol pile of meat, and I left very, very full.
What an amazing day! We picked the luxury option, and it was more than worth it!
