VIDEOS - CHICHEN ITZA & EL BALAM + CENOTE

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The computer gremlin erased the previous post for me, jajaja!  Our Maya-Atlantis Tour group went to Chichen Itza at dawn on March 21, Spring Equinox which is a big day in Mexico for many traditional pre-hispanic-spiritual people.  It is not only the first day of Spring (which is almost a moot point in the lovely climate of most of Mexico) but both equinoxes are the halfway points between winter and summer solstices, meaning that the amount of daylight and dark are equal.  On a higher plane, it is a point of balance of many universal energies, a good time to connect with the higher realms.  Balance is the key to harmony.

So this particular day attracts thousands of visitors to Chichen Itza to see a unique pattern of sunlight between 4-5pm which casts a shadow on the edges of the "steps" of the pyramid which creates an image of the Plumed Serpent (Kul Kul Kan in Mayan or Quezalcoatl) whose sculptured head is at the bottom of the "stairs".  The huge crowd was divided into trendy, noisy young people, almost giving an ambience of a rock concert without the bands.  Lots of yelling.  The other types were mostly dressed in white, there for the spiritual significance of the day.  Personally, I would suggest going there on the 22nd, you could see the same shadow without all the crowds.  The shadow of the sun only moves about 1 inch per day, I don't think that would be noticeable on a huge pyramid.

We had time early in the cool, fresh morning to look around the huge complex with many buildings, one of which had an observatory (!).  It was a long but great day!  All of these pyramid sites were once large thriving communities.

On another day, we went to a lesser known site called Ek Balam where the traditional elders told of "visitors from the stars" at this special place of the Jaguar-Star Maya Ceremonial Center."  The theme of connection to "star beings" is woven through all Maya traditions that have been handed down through the families from the elders.  The academics who dig up ruins and try to interpret the meanings of the picto-graph stellae are mostly only guessing.  Much of Mayan cosmology just doesn't translate into modern languages which don't already have these concepts and words.

Later that day, we went swimming in a cenote, which is a large underground cavern with fresh, cool water flowing from streams above or underground, depending.  They are found all over the Yucatan.  Most are very deep, and some are so deep that modern radar equipment can't find the bottom.  Some are connected to others by underground streams which can be navigated by swimming with scuba equipment.  The water was blissfully cool after a day in the hot Yucatan.  The place we went to was open to the public with wooden stairs leading down the steep sides to the water.  All were required to wear sturdy life jackets because once you step into the water there is no touching the bottom.  A couple of people on the tour had waterproof cameras with them but have not sent me their footage.  I swam but had to take fotos from the sidelines.  Our guide said that the cenotes contain minerals from outer space after a large meteor crashed in the area hundreds of thousands of years ago.  I knew I felt very far out when I got out of that water!   

Check out my UTube channel for videos of local Ajijic fiestas as well as my travels in many places around Mexico, going back to 2016.