Traditional Mayan homes are oval-shaped huts made of sticks bound together to form walls. With exceptions, the lifestyle of modern Mayans has not strayed from their ancestors’ of the last millennia. Thatched hut dwellings were the predominant local housing we saw from highway 180. Starting in April, humidity levels rose and the temperature hovered over 100 degrees. Raúl said that the average year-round temperature on the peninsula was 93 degrees Fahrenheit. The huts were made of sticks which we were told kept dwellers cool and comfortable year-round. One such dwelling could last almost 20 years. The entire Yucatán peninsula is sparsley populated with only a fraction (about 4%) of Mexico’s total population.įrancisco told us that the thatched-roof dwellings were durable. Outside, dogs slinked around and small farm animals sometimes shared the road. Along the route there were thatched-roof dwellings which held patterned hammocks inside. The bus climbed onto south highway 180 and followed it through villages such as Cocoyol, Catzin, Chemax, Xalaú, and others. Highway 180: Route From Cancún to Valladolid Yucatán’s South 180. Guided tours are recommended for an extensive and remarkably safe visit into these interesting backwater places. Important archeological sites in the Yucatán still await reclamation from the jungle today –such as smaller Cobá in Quintana Roo. We would reach Chichén-Itzá out of Valladolid, the Mayan/Spanish colonial city which is sometimes called the most colorful town in Mexico.Ĭhichén-Itzá’s famous complex of Mayan ruins dates from the Classic period of 600 CE to 1200 CE. On arrow-straight highway 180 we drove into small local communities along the two-lane road.
They took us out of Quintana Roo’s Cancún to Yucatán’s Chichén-Itzá about 125 miles away. Francisco drove the air-conditioned 40-seater as Raúl toted a microphone and told the group about some of the things we were seeing along the way. I left the hotel and met the bus in Cancún town at 8:00 a.m. We frequently saw black-headed, blue-bodied birds called Yucatán jays. The ancient Mayan cities and later Spanish colonial ones that sit on top of them are a stark contrast to the touristy jet-set beaches of Cancún.Īn extensive jungle stretches across the Yucatán’s three states of Quintana Roo, Campeche, and Yucatán that are inhabited by human communities as well as wild animals such as jaguars. Setting out from Cancún into the Yucatán jungle Iguana With its mysterious, virtually-intact looming pyramids and temples as well as startling tales of human sacrifice and one of the world’s most accurate cosmic calendar systems-all over 1,000 years old-I was excited to adventure out of the comfort of Cancún’s “Zona Hotelera” into the Yucatán jungle interior. The destination was to one of the most famous sites on the Yucatán peninsula and the world: the ancient Mayan archeological site of Chichén-Itzá. Though the tourist board in Cancún was telling of more resort development by the mid-1990s, it already boasted of 85 hotels and about 9,000 guest rooms during my trip.Īfter two days acclimating myself nicely to the Caribbean climate and working my way un poco with the Spanish language, I signed up with a local tour operator for a 12-hour bus tour.
I visited the Yucatán from Chicago for a few days in May 1988. Today, oozing like wet plaster into the Caribbean sea, the beaches are a new jet-age resort.
It was trodden by the conquistadores and used by pirates as a hide-out. Author’s photograph.Ĭancún’s sandy spit of land at the northern tip of the Yucatán peninsula was uninhabited by the ancient Mayans. Walsh Serpent head at the base of El Castillo. In some cases the glue did not hold, in which case Forbidden Island offered to replace the mugs, but in most cases all that was required was re-gluing the two pieces back together with a stronger glue such as Liquid Nails.FEATURE image: Chichén-Itzá serpent head sculptures guard a staircase. *NOTE: These mugs were cast in two pieces (the main tiki as one piece and the arms of the tiki and the woman as a second piece) and then glued together after having been cast and fired. The tiki is meant to resemble the 1956 film poster's Robbie the Robot and the hula girl resembles the unconscious woman he is holding. The mug was based on one of Tiki Shark's most admired paintings, "Forbidden Island" which in turn was based on the classic 1956 science fiction film, "Forbidden Planet". The back features a skull with a "15", bones, and tropical leaves. It comes in two glaze variations, including one where the woman is wearing a red dress and one where she is wearing a black dress. The mug was designed by Tiki Shark (Brad Parker) and manufactured by Munktiki Imports. This mug features a brown standing tiki carrying a woman in a dress.
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