On Monday Kongo visited some cenotes in the middle of the Yucatan peninsula. Cenotes (pronounced SIN-oh-te) are sink holes where the limestone crust of the earth has collapsed to uncover the fresh groundwater below. They are all over the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico and are quite beautiful. Continue reading “Cenotes and Valladolid”
Kongo made it to Chichén Itzá yesterday on a 10-hour adventure that involved excursions into Mayan culture, home remedies, thunderstorms, and a discourse in the Mayan language complete with lectures on the alphabet and a bit of the linguistic background of the Maya language. Erik Martinez, a cultural anthropologist and Kongo’s tour guide, was the adventure master for this excursion.
Tulum is a magical place. Situated atop high bluffs on the east coast of the Yucatan peninsula facing the Caribbean Sea, it played an important role as a port for the large Mayan city complex at Coba. When the Spanish explorer Juan de Grijalva first sighted Tulum in 1518 he would have been astonished by the vibrant blue and red hues that covered its walls. Tulum was one of the last Mayan cities and flourished for 200 years before the Spanish and survived about 70 years after the conquest of Yucatan.
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