Onion River Exploration Project: Living the Mayan Life (Tulum)

Living the Mayan Life

Day 1 (3/28/16)

Last year we had planned on meeting our friend Roger in Mexico for spring break but things just didn’t work out so we ended up going to meet friends in New Mexico instead. This year however things worked out better and Roger was going to be traveling around the Yucatan peninsula for his spring break. We agreed to meet in Cancun and so the deal was made. We had a couple of days on our own before he would be arriving so we set up a pair of excursions. We were told to that taking early tours was worth the early rising because we would beat the crowds and the heat. It turns out that was a very good suggestion. Our first tour was to Tulum, a Mayan ruin south of Cancun, so we were up before the sun and off to find adventure. We were slightly tired after getting in to Cancun late so the bus ride and the waiting for other people was a bit of a challenge but we survived. Our guide had started giving us the background of the area on the way down but a bad sound system made it somewhat hard to hear. After getting to the ruins it was all worthwhile however and we were glad that we did the early expedition. The buildings themselves at Tulum are not perhaps the most impressive of the Mayan ruins in Mexico but, located on the coast overlooking the Mexican Caribbean with its white sand beaches and turquoise to azure waters; it certainly has to be one of the most scenic. Our guide proved to be very knowledgeable and kept our interest through the guided part of the tour. To add to the curiosity factor, Iguanas were everywhere ranging in size from small to quite large out sunning themselves on the rocks and buildings. Unlike Chichen Itza, which seems to be developed more around human sacrifice, Tulum seems to be more about worship of the sun, stars and the environment in general. It is amazing to see how advanced the Mayan civilization really was. All of the buildings seem to be set up as mechanisms for measuring some movement of the sun and/or stars. One of my favorite structures was a dolmen that was set up in such a way as to be an early warning system for an approaching hurricane and would start whistling when one was forthcoming. It turns out that there is even a Viking connection to Tulum. On the frieze of one of the buildings is a long haired bearded man who does not fit in with what is known of the indigenous people. It is theorized that long before Columbus or the Conquistadors set foot on Mexican soil Vikings had already been there and that this figure represents one of these northern visitors. On our way back to the bus we perused the markets and were talked into having our picture taken with traditional Mayans and their snake. I have never been a big fan of snakes but surprised myself by donning the snake for the picture. By now the crowds were starting to pour in and it was getting very warm and we were extremely happy that we had come early.