Adventures in Yucatan, Mexico

We spent our last day of the trip out on the coast, soaking up the sun! We began at Ria Lagartos, a biosphere reserve We saw flamingos and pelicans which are 2 of the 106 species of birds found in the reserve as well as 3 types of mangroves and multiple reptiles and mammals who call this amazing salt and fresh water ecosystem their home We even spent some time with a horseshoe crab! Our guide told us that the Mayans would use them for head massages It seemed like it would be a good idea... So we tried it out! The group in front of las coloradas , the salt flats Piles of salt in the distance, the ancient Mayans used to trade salt with peoples from present day Guatemala and Belize for cacao, obsidian and jade Headed back on the boat On the way back we stopped to harvest some arcilla, or mineralized clay that is most commonly found in spas to soften and revitalize skin Then we met a crocodile! He was big... but he seemed

At 7a.m. everyone said "adios"  to their host families in Merida, and then we settled in for a long drive to Ek Balam. The first thing we did when we got there was to get coconuts! We biked and walked to the cenote Xcanche , a freshwater swimming hole And then it was time for a dip!     After swimming we had a delicious lunch of poc chuc,  handmade tortillas and tamarind juice Trying out the hammocks After lunch we visited the Mayan ruins Ek Balam means "black jaguar" in Mayan and was one of the most important cities in the region It is the only ruin to contain a kings tomb that was found intact with stucco and paintings when part of a wall fell away during restoration A view of the false arch and the observatory  The ceiba , the sacred tree of the Mayans. It was thought to reach the 13 levels of heaven and the 9 levels of the underworld After a long morning, we made our way to U'najil ecocabins in t

Yesterday was quite the adventure! We started off in Uxmal... Uxmal comes from "Ox mal" meaning three times constructed Pyramid of the sorcerer or Pyramid of the dwarf is a perfect example of the ornate style of Uxmal Mouth of the Beast of the underworld Facing the Quadrangle of the Birds The rain god "Chaak" is found in many different forms Excited about the arco falso an architectural invention of the Mayans Documenting the Quadrangle of the Nuns Smile! Our beloved teachers Learning about the juego de pelota , or Mayan ball game Heading to see the House of the Turtles Rafael sharing his knowledge The Mayan calendar was based on 52 year cycles, and each cycle a new ruler would come to power and build over the existing pyramids, here you can see a representation of Chaak that was covered in the most recent remodelation Taking a break at the Governors Palace Made it to the top! Coming back