During my recent trip to Mexico's Mayan Riviera I was listening to William Carlsen's Jungle of Stone: The True Story of Two Men. Their Extraordinary Journey, and the Discovery of the Lost Civilization of the Maya, published in 2016. Just a little light beach reading for the history traveler. I cannot imagine the conditions described during the initial 1839 journey into the jungles of Central America on the basis of rumors of ruins and lost civilizations, by American diplomat John Lloyd Stephens, and British artist Frederick Catherwood. I think my snake phobia would have ruled me out. But, both men had started their adventures in Egypt, Greece, Rome, and the Holy Land; and I remember my awe the first time I saw some of those same sites so I can imagine the drive to explore and discover. Their incredibly detailed travel journals and illustrations remain in print even today!
Aside from the draw of ancient sites, picturesque palm beaches, I have family that lives nearby. And, it had been a few Covid years since I'd been able to visit my brother. He has let me drag him around so many Mayan ruins over the years. Even when it means walking in the heat of the day. He is always a very good sport. This latest trip was no different unless you count that we only really deeply dove into two main sites. I think we did 6 on my last trip south.
Xaman-Ha, in the Playacar Community, Playa Del Carmen, Mexico
Situated right in the middle of the modern private housing community of Playacar, is Xaman-Ha, which mean “Water of the North” in Mayan. There were at least 8 structures historically, but only 3 clusters remain today, along with remnants of the outer enclosure walls.
From the beach, it was easy to get to the island of Cozumel where Mayan women made the pilgrimage to the shrine of Ixchel, the Mayan goddess of the moon and fertility. She protected women who visited her sacred island. The island of Cozumel is very close to Playa del Carmen, and we could even see it from the beach low on the horizon.
Scholars believe Xaman Ha was most likely abandoned in 1526 after the Spanish arrived in the area. It is believed that Xaman-Ha might have been the very first place the Spanish visited on the Mexican mainland.
Ek' Balam, Yucatan, Mexico
Our second trek was an all-day kind of adventure. Ekʼ Balam is a Yucatec-Maya archeological site in the municipality of Temozon, Yucatan, in the Northern Maya Lowlands, about 2 hrs away from the Tulum area. It was the seat of a Mayan kingdom from the Preclassical period thru until the Postclassic period. It's been on my list but my last trip I diverted to nearby Chichen Itza instead.
Northward view of Ek-Balam from the Oval Palace to the Acropolis in the North, with the "twins" showing at left in the foreground.
The ball court with the Acropolis peaking through the trees in the background.
At the top of this massive muti-tiered acropolis was this beautiful plaster work marking the tomb of Ukit Kan Lek Tokʼ, one of their kings. The level of preservation was amazing and there were multiple signs of current ongoing preservation work onsite. The plaster work is protected from the weather under the palm leaf roofs seen above. Only traces of the original paint remain, but most of these structures were fully covered in stucco and painted in tones of Red, Green, and Yellow. It must have been fantastic!
I didn't know if I was going to make it all the way to the top due to a sore knee, but I took a break at this gorgeous half way point, and next thing I knew I was at the top. The view was incredible! And very worth the slow trip back down.
Like all Mayan cities in the region there is a large Cenote (a naturally occurring limestone reservoir) nearby. After a quick shower to help ensure the water quality stays clear, we were finally able to cool off. At least until we got back out into the 100 degree heat.
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