YUCATAN: Chichen Itza Sacred Cenotes

Day 8 / March 8 – Chichen Itza, the most famous of the Yucatan Mayan ruins, beckoned us with stories of a mysterious astronomical calendar, a gruesome ball court and children’s bones inexplicably piled inside a pyramid.  David, our local guide and expert in Mayan archeology, described these wonders of Chichen Itza, and much more.

As usual, we began our day early and met David for breakfast at an upscale hotel.  We birded the lush grounds for an hour, seeing Green-breasted Mango, Yellow-faced Grassquit, Masked Tityra, Black-headed Saltator, Yellow-throated Euphonias, Social Flycatcher, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Red-billed Pigeon, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Summer Tanager and Turquoise-browed Motmots (above).

We walked to the nearby ruins, where David explained that Chichen Itza means “holy mouth of the well” as evidenced by several fascinating cenotes (above).  These giant limestone holes extend deep into the ground, partially-filled with water and rimmed by lush vegetation. 

Turquoise-browed Motmots flitted from perch to perch, checking out suitable places from which to excavate their nest holes right out of the limestone.  Black-cowled, Hooded, Baltimore and Altamira Orioles posed in the sunny treetops, and a Gartered Trogon flew into view for several minutes. Gray Crackers (above), the most common butterfly at this site, posed nicely on tree trunks.

David led us around the site, explaining about the fascinating frescoes of the restored structures, and the numerology behind the pyramid steps and tiers.  We saw Yellow-throated Warbler, Yellow-winged Tanager and Bat Falcons. El Castillo (below), the centerpiece pyramid of Chichen Itza, rises impressively over 25 meters high, featuring plumed serpents cascading down each of the 4 stairways.  These illuminate perfectly during the vernal and autumnal equinoxes, supporting theories about the pyramid serving as a Mayan calender.

We walked pass hundreds of local villagers who were selling jewelry, masks, carvings (below), pottery, blankets and crafts from tables they had set-up along the path.  We thought they added color, culture and life to this ancient archeological site that features so largely in the modern tourism economy of Mexico.  We left Chichen Itza just as many tourists were arriving from Cancun, a 2-hour bus ride away.

After lunch in Valladolid, we headed back east to catch the Cozumel ferry from the south side of Playa del Carmen.  We were told to arrive early to get on line, giving us plenty of time to muse about how the giant tractor trailers next to us were possibly going to fit onto the vehicle ferry.  Indeed, the process was amazing.  All passenger cars were called to drive onto the ship, following a circular track that led us up a steep incline onto the second deck.  We scrambled out of our car and climbed to a higher level, from where we watched an amazing number of 18-wheelers and cargo trucks drive onto the ferry.  We didn’t know how they would all fit, but our ferry swallowed every one of them, including a pick-up truck loaded with live llamas.  It was after dark when the ferry pushed off and crossed the channel to Isla Cozumel in about 1.5 hours.  The disembarking was equally efficient, and soon we had driven through the main city of the island and were checking into our hotel.  We had enjoyed a wide variety of sights and experiences today, from the ancient wonders of Chichen Itza, to the bustling streets of Cozumel.