Wanting to make the most out of our time in Mexico, Val and I dedicated a whole day to getting immersed in one of the seven wonders of the modern world: Chichén-Itzá! By way of an air-conditioned charter bus, we journeyed westward to the infamous ruins of the Yucatan Peninsula. Knowledgeable culture bearers who identified as descendants of Mayans accompanied us throughout the day to help translate and educate us on the history of a storied civilization through the lore of Mayan mathematics and their belief systems.
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| Soaking in the energy emanating from the Temple of Kukulcán. |
When we arrived and passed through the security gates at Chichén Itza, we were instantly awed by the precision and architecture of the structure. A serpentine pattern would sprawl across the pyramid on special occasions of the year. Clapping at the right spots in front of the temple would reverberate back the chirp of their resplendent quetzal. We soaked in the stories involving sacrifice to the gods and walked through carefully engineered stadia that utilized echoes to transmit sounds from one side of the games area to the other.
We were next taken to a cenote (Spanish for sinkhole) to cool off from the beating sun’s rays. The lagoon-like scene offered a refreshing spot for our entire tour bus to take a quick swim. We then were whisked to an authentically prepared lunch buffet accompanied by a Mayan dance performance. To support local craftsmanship, I bought a miniature representation of the Chichén-Itzá pyramid carved out of obsidian—a local shaman performed a ritual to bless it alongside Val and me for protection immediately upon purchase. Our final pitstop at our day-long excursion was grabbing local desserts at a booming park.
We booked a guided tour through the company Ekinox, and highly recommend them for their curated list of activities. Val and I aim to continuously support the conservation and sustainable management of natural resources and cultural preservation in our travels.
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