What to See in Yucatán, Mexico One of the oldest cathedrals in the Americas may be found in Mérida, Mexico. Known as the Cathedral of San Ildefonso, the cathedral dates back to 1598. Commissioned by Pope Pius IV, the cathedral was built on the Mayan site known as T’hó. Construction began in 1561. (The Cathedral…
Tag: Mayan
Tis the Season for Reflection
Another year, not enough travel! I’d hit the road all the time if my checkbook would let me. But I am grateful for all of the places I have been so far and to have goals about where I want to go in the future. For the present, I am grateful to be able to…
Unexpected Treasures of Lubaantun
On the first full day of our stay at the Cotton Tree Lodge on the Moho River in the Toledo District of Belize, we haven’t yet learned which plant leaves to rub on our skin so the mosquitos won’t bite us. We have heard the howler monkeys but haven’t yet seen one. We’ve not gotten…
The Contrasts of Isla Mujeres
Expecting a day of tequila sunrises and snorkeling, the Brawny Sherpa and I set off by catamaran from Cancun to Isla Mujeres. The water was too rough for playing in, though, so, once on the island, we rented a golf cart for about $20 and tootled toward the Mayan ruins at the tip of it…
Cancun Tours: How Good Is the Gray Line?
Three times on my recent trip to Cancun I wound up on a Gray Line tour, and my experiences ranged from “highly recommend—would sign up again” to a less-than-entirely-enthusiastic “you get what you pay for.” Working in 700 locations around the planet, this is an outfit with some depth and experience. Professionalism and quality were…
Chichen Itza, Top to Bottom
Even as my lawyerly side contemplated liability, I relished climbing the monuments at the Mayan city of Chichen Itza on my first visit there 24 years ago. I remember hearing stories of high-heeled women falling to their deaths on the narrow steps of El Castillo, the pyramid on which the Mayan serpent god appears in…
Mayan Bloodletting at Chichen Itza: Any Worse than Ours?
On our way from Cancun to the ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza, our tour guide takes care to note that the Maya should not be seen as savages. That he feels obligated to say that makes me think that other tourists must have referred to them as such, most likely because of their tradition…
Escaped from the Shackles: Happy Independence Day, Belize!
Belize finally escaped British colonization 31 years ago and became independent on September 21, 1981. The “new” nation had earned its name (a change from British Honduras) in 1973, but its freedom would take a bit longer, tangled as it was in Central American politics (most notably, Guatemala’s claim for a chunk of Belize) and…
Why Belize? Why Not?
“How did you choose Belize?” is the question I most commonly hear, especially after I’ve been telling stories about my visit: the howler monkeys, jaguar prints, a jungle survival tour, bats at the window, a scorpion on the door, a snake in the bed, possums in the rafters, an “American crocodile” (A.K.A. alligator) by my…