Mexique

On the west is the Mexico Gulf and on the East, the Caribbean sea. The Yucatan Peninsula is crossed by El Rio Candelaria getting to The Mexico Gulf as well as El Rio Hondo. Yucatan Peninsula 175.000 km² spreads to Belize and Guatemala. Huge limestone made up with large plain, Yucatan is low having coral reefs on the East, mangroves and swamp lands on the North and West. The North West remains arid. The South territories benefit from important rainfalls and have dense forests.

The Yucatan Peninsula is home to the brilliant Maya and Tolteca civilizations leaving behind so many wonderful incomparable archeological sites as Chichen-Itza, Uxmal, Labna, Sayil, Tulum etc.. The Indians already pretty hostile to a Maya Empire (Mayapan league 1240-1244) is more upset regarding the conquistadors installation and makes everything in their power not to surrender until 1697. Mainly populated with rebels Indians, far away from Mexico and not blessed by mother nature, the Yucatan is attached to Mexico later than others.

The Indian population, refusing to work in sugar cane plantations, leads to a revolt (war caste) from 1847 to 1853 to which the Mexican army answers violently.

The Yucatán come out of this armed conflict totally weakened and unable to oppose to the Campeche state creation in 1862 which reduce the Yucatan's land. From 1878 the Yucatan is prosperous again, due to the economical growth of the Hennequen plantations, used to make ropes. Railways and roads are built bringing the Yucatan out of its remoteness.

In 1902, Mexico decides to create another state, the Quintana-Roo state, which once again reduce the Yucatan State. Yucatan's economical growth is on which lead to a more independant mentality of the country. 1930 brings extreme poverty to Yucatan through the Hennequen Crisis. Today Hennequen is still 30% of the governmental agricultural production.

In spite of new crops as fruits, limes or coconuts, Yucatan remains underdeveloped. Cost of living of the 50% Indian population is still very low. On the other hand, Campeche and its harbor's activities gained from the Shrimp fisheries. The offshore petroleum industry increase its activities. Cancun, Isla Mujeres and Cozumel offering new resorts and tourism destination, Chetumal Duty free harbor and the commercial activity of Merida are bringing Yucatan onto a new economical era!

Yucatán has 1 320 700 inhabitants, 900 000 of them are Indians speaking Maya.

250 miles away from Belize we enjoy a cool navigation, without tropical wave to make our watch difficult. The weather is nice as well as the sea. We pass Cozumel without stopping and reach Isla Mujeres at 5 pm. Most of the sailboats are in marinas, we prefer to anchor as the anchorage looks quiet, calm and less crowded.

Sunset en Isla Mujeres - Isla Mujeres - Shrimp fishermen in Cancun

Once the shuttle going to Cancun stops, calm is equal to transparent waters and the beauty of the sunset. We wait a few days before clearing in and discover that laws just changed! Every formality is done on the island, immigration and payment, port authority too, but payment's port authority must be done in Cancun! Just have to take a shuttle, a bus, queue and come back with the receipt to the port authority to get your clearance done! Same shit if you clear out! Corruption was probably too bad and they tried to change it. We have been told that in the next months you'll be required a credit card payment to avoid such a long procedure! Never mind as we do not know Cancun we take it for a tourism "balade"! In fact there is not much to be seen there! The shuttle was great, over flying the pristine waters!!

Our neighbors Daniel and Suzanne aboard "la Louisette" a Spountz, invite us to visit them. They've been here for a few years now. Life here is pretty good, cost low and the sea beautiful! We could also forget the time in this little cozy island. They tell us everything about Merida and we decide to go for a little tour ashore, living Iritis under their friendly and welcome watch.

From Cancun we just have to take a bus to Merida. Trains in Mexico have nearly completely vanished and replaced with luxurious, comfortable buses and air conditioned, traveling throughout the whole country using, unfortunately, unattractive roads!.

Every evening at 6 pm the police forces brings the colors down and a few officers carry the flag open up to the town hall.

In Merida you can visit one of the most ancient cathedral in the continental New World, built from 1561 and 1598. Another beautiful church is to be visited "la Iglesia de Jesus" a Jesuite church built in 1618. In every corner of Merida, life is going on, nice shaded gardens, streets with lovely cafés or restaurants settled in beautiful colonial houses invite you to sit down and enjoy a little Mexican moment.

Merida University- La Iglésia de Jesus - The town hall

Merida is quite far away from the sea and no sea breeze is refreshing the hot and heavy air in the daytime as it is incredibly oppressive. The evenings are the only quiet moment where ladies using their fans can relax!

Ruta Puuc is one of the many historical route Mexico offers. This is also the one bringing you up to ceremonial Maya temples from Puuc style dated from 600 to 900 AD. All built on one of the only elevated point of the peninsula in hidden low forests, where birds are millions as well as mosquitoes!!!!

Kabah, "the chiseling hand", just aside of the road is made up of one palace, a kodz poop and an arch. The palace architecture is a typical example of the early Puuc style. Design is simple and light, not too elaborated. A frieze is made up of three columns separated with smooth bands.

Kodz Poop, "the rolled mat", is fascinating and has its importance because of its front, one of the most ornate of the Puuc area, covered with almost 260 stones masks representing Chaac, the Maya god of the rain, main belief of the Puuc inhabitants. 260 masks theoretically means the 260 days of the Maya calendar.

details of the freazze- Warriors statues- Kodz Poop fresco

Kabah's Arch is located on the crossroad of the "Sacbe" leading to the 18 kilometers trail to Uxmal and has no specific ornament.

Sayil, north of Kabah, is a huge three levels palace accessible through the main sacbe passing throughout a lush vegetation. Having 90 rooms and a monumental stairway to get to each level. The front is a marvelous work of balance in the forms and doors decorated with flowers and masks of Chaac. The Mirador is built up on tof of a 5 meters pyramid carrying a little building crenellated with ornamental apertures.

Sayil's palace- le Mirador

Xlapak, 5 kilometers of Sayil, is a little place of interest which probably reached its apogee in years 600 to 1000 AD. The main palace is the only building standing with an ornate front carrying 3 ranges of Chaac masks superimposed.

The main frieze of Xlapak's palace

Labna, is 4 kilometers away from Xlapak, similar to Sayil, the position of the main buildings is a fascinating example of the late Puuc urban Maya architecture. The Palace located on the north side of the archeological site, has two different levels and is forming a L.

Labna's arch, is also an exceptional architectonic building of pure Puuc style. It might have been use to reach another monument. The arch was probably higher than it is nowadays and topped with three ranges of crests. The front design is however quite sober as the other side of the arch is highly decorated with a bas-relief ornamented with huts. Two open doors leading to sanctuaries can also be seen on this side.

The Mirador is built upon a pyramidal elevation. A spectacular sky pops out from the crenellation topping. Sculptures might have been standing on each corner where pedestals can still be seen.

Uxmal, "three times rebuilt", is a real splendor. One of the most important monumental group of Maya buildings in Yucatan, located in a lush forest and a hilly land. Considered as an important religious center, almost everything characterize the Puuc architecture is observed in Uxmal.

The seer temple, also named the dwarf house, was built in several stages. Its oval shape is relatively unusual in the Maya architecture. Its main axis is 85 meters long on 50 meters wide and 39 meters high. The whole pyramid standing on a 1,50 m high basement.

The Nuns quadrilateral, is an exceptional building in a perfect state of preservation. The fronts are mainly decorated on their upper levels, the lower parts remaining smooth and showing no sign of design. Once passing through the arch, you get to the center of a platform surrounded with 4 different buildings 74 doors showing. It is given to be a convent for the Maya priestesses, but nothing can confirm this hypothesis until now and the real use it had.

The arch giving access to the Nuns Quadrilateral.

One of the 4 buildings is 80 meters long, 9 meters wide and measuring 6 meters high. On its front an admirable architrave can be seen, on which a series of a trapezoid made up with eight parallel bands and snakes heads figuring the extremities.

Details of snakes trapezoid

The governor's platform and the governor's palace are established on a 12 meters hill overlooking the archeological site and offering an excellent view of the ball game, the nuns quadrilateral, and the pyramid. Facing the Governor's palace and on the platform stands a two-headed jaguar throne or sacrificial hotel, here again interpretations differ.

The pyramid and the ball game from the Governor's palace - Jaguar two-headed Throne or ...!

The Governor's palace is fascinating by its size, measuring 100 meters long, 12 meters wide and 9 meters high. Its main front covered with a frieze suggesting snakes scales and other serpentine or animal representations symbolize the earth fertility and abundance of water, completed with astronomical elements. The magnificent frieze of The Governor's palace is covered with 103 masks of Chaac.

Details of the gigantic frieze of the Governor's palace

Established in 600 A.D., Chichen also known as "the mouth of the well" reached its apogee in 7th and 9th century. 900 A.D. is Chichen first decline as well as for the rest of the Maya country without leading to abandonment of the city. From the beginning of 1000 A.D. Chichen is gaining from the cultural bringing of the Tolteque enhancing the first maya art.

The Itzas, originally Mayas-Chontales from Campeche and also named "wizzards of water", arrived in Chichen around 918 AD. The Itzas were hybrid people receiving various influences because of their trade relations.

A new Tolteca wave brought population to Chichen Itza, led by the King-priest Kukulcan (named Quetzalcoatl in Azteca) evicted from Tula in 980 AD. The worship of the Plumed serpent and human sacrifices enter the maya culture as well as a theocratic military order. Chichen-Itza kept growing and new buildings mainly built around the Kukulcan pyramid appeared.

Chichen-itza archeological site is one of the most remarkable of all Yucatan, because of the perfect preservation of a site spread over 300 hectares. The Maya-Tolteca architecture of the buildings majestically dominate a chalky plain so characteristic in Yucatan. The buildings are established upon a very specific order on a 3 kilometers long and 1,5 kilometers wide territory. The archeological searches in Chichen-Itza only began in 1924 and still continue today.

The Kukulcan's pyramid is the higher in the whole Maya architecture. 24 meters high standing over a 55 meters wide platform. Composed of nine levels, symbol of the Maya's Underworld, kingdom of death and Hell. Composed 4 stairways having each 91 steps, make 364 steps. Once you add the upper platform on the top of the pyramid, you get 365 steps, which correspond to the solar calendar. At the base of the pyramid a door opens to a very narrow staircase leading to an inside temple and a sculpted jaguar painted in red with jade stones. Climbing up the pyramid is giving a fascinating point of view of the whole Chichen-Itza. A high and difficult climb, but above all unforgettable.

Indiana Jones and the 1000 column temple- Kukulcan's pyramid- From the top view of the ball game

Inside the temple located on top of the Pyramid are still some visible painted fresco, giving a good idea of the high quality of the detailed maya design.

The Pok-ta-Pok or game ball, is an impressive work of 168 meters long, 70 meters wide, with two vertical wall of 95 meters long on each side, each of them carrying a stone ring placed at 8 meters above the ground. This game had a ritual, cosmogony and sacrificial meaning although barbarian. The main stake was : life! Two teams of 12 people facing each other. The game was played with an heavy and large, 15 to 20 centimeters diameter ball made of Latex coming from the Chicle tree. The ball has to successfully pass through the stone ring, the players only using their hips, elbows, knees and the top of their hands. The ball, due to its heavy weight, could cause terrible wounds. All the Bas-Reliefs illustrate the terrible cruelty of such a game!.

The stone ring placed at 8 meters high. Details (bas relief of the ball game).

Temple of the Jaguars offers a beautiful example of carved snakes and a magnificent fresco describing a fire can be seen in the temple.

Tzompantli "wall covered with cranes", is carved with cranes. On top of this temple where shown the cut off heads after the game ball ended. Supreme honor given to the gods, even though nowadays we still have no idea who from the two teams, winner or loser, was sacrificed.

The sacred Cenote, or Dzonot, a gigantic natural well of water, 30 meters deep and 65 meters circumference was a high place of sacrifice to Chaac, also known as an access to the underworld were young people covered with treasures were thrown in the water. Archeological searches put out a lot of treasures now visible in a very famous American museum.

The warriors temple and the 1000 columns temple, as well as the market belong to the same group of buildings. The warriors temple is ornate with many Chaac masks and also has a mask of Kukulcan. The stairway is leading to the upper level of the building where a beautiful warrior sculpture stands. Unfortunately no one is allowed to climb it today. Shame!

The 1000 temple is adjoining the Warriors temple. A roof certainly covered the columns established onto a 150 meters square. Behind the 1000 columns lay a market set on top of an 80 meters long and 15 meters wide platform.

The warrior temple and the group of 1000 columns

The Caracol or observatory, is set on a 60 meters long, 52 meters wide and 6 meters high platform. A stairway leads to what looks like an observatory with a cylindric 13 meters high tower. Inside the building are 4 rooms from the center of which a spiral staircase lead to the top. From there, windows are opened, propitious to observe astronomy events.

Thz Akab Dzlb, is an 18 rooms building. The doors located on the front are embellished with lintels and stones jambs. Red printed hands can be seen in the inside of the Aka Dzlb, symbol of the celestial hand of the divine Kabul, maya goddess of the Heaven.

The Nuns'House, close to the Caracol, is a massive rectangular building. The important number of rooms let think it was used as convent. In fact, this was probably used as a civic and ceremonial center before Kukulcan's arrival. This is a pure Puuc style architecture, with profusion of Chaac masks and jalousie. It is one of the most ornate monument in Chichen-Itza.

Impossible to tell which one of Chichen Itza, Uxmal or Ruta Puuc is the most beautiful. They are all different and fascinating. Civil wars, astronomy signs of bad augurs, or intensive culture of the lands, lack of water or everything together, no one can determine what causes the abandonment of such incredible and marvellous pre-Columbian cities and their prodigious architecture.

Weather you are sailing or traveling by plane, if you are given the opportunity to get to Mexico, believe me you'd better get a good pair of shoes, and a lot of courage. The pyramids are high, the stairs tiring, the visits are sometimes long, but so many wonderful things to discover await you! And even if some sites are crowded with tourists like you, just choose to go in the morning, rare are the courageous people ! But go! before everything disappear, pollution and erosion keeps doing their bad job! It was astonishingly gorgeous, we loved it !