The Soul of Travel Magazine
TRAVEL JOURNALISM WITH SOUL *** Spring & Summer 2008
A Traveller's Last Crusade: To The Land Of The Maya
by Neil Dearberg
I first flew into Cancun in the eastern Yucatan Peninsular of Mexico, 27 years ago. What would it be like now I wondered? Last time I was a scuba diving instructor with Club Med for a season. An Australian, I was the only non-French diver on a seven-man team of instructors. Because I was foreign but spoke English, I was instantly adopted by the 600 Americans who came to play for a week at the village.
My current trip started in Cancun and Playa del Carmen which have now been given-over to American style neon tourism. It’s the same everywhere, just the core language and the nature of the trinkets change.
But this trip was to explore what is yet an almost-untouched-by-tourists bonanza of history, culture and a virginal eco system still in existence. But I had to go south in the Yucatan. Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. To the land of the Maya. I had gone there before, at the end of the Club Med season, but superficially, with little appreciation. Now though, I had done more research.
The Maya region is one of the few remaining parts of the planet yet to be despoiled. There are colored waters, clean beaches, tropical jungles, hundreds of bird species, wild animals – even a scorpion in my shower! – and wild roads with smiling local guides.
The opportunity to revisit the land of the Maya Empire had me bouncing, the way a child anticipates opening Christmas presents. After a 27 year absence from the Yucatan, I knew there was a cultural and historical land of color and excitement as diverse as the artist’s palette.
How did a civilization exist where fertile land didn’t and even today water can’t be drunk without modern purification? Yet, the Museo de la Cultura Maya in Chetumal in the State of Quintana Roo extols a flourishing Maya period from 2500 BC until after the Spanish conquest from 1514, then it faded away for reasons not totally understood.
From the Empire’s infancy the Maya developed an accurate calendar, more advanced mathematics than my college education, an astrological knowledge from naked eye observation that could match Galileo centuries later, a sophisticated glyph written language, detailed pictorials to record their history and a wide trade economy.
Their construction of stone pyramids, temples and living areas rivaled the works of the Romans, Greeks and better known empires - without the wheel or beasts of burden.
Five centuries after their de-habitation, but still significantly preserved, two things effervesce from the structures at the Maya ruins. One is the style variations from the northern lowlands, to the central and highland plains and the plains of the Pacific coast; each one provides new fascination for visitors. And second, the ruins are slowly being unearthed from rainforest engulfment through satellite imagery, centuries after their evacuation.
Today’s Maya are no longer an empire – simply scattered villages, clinging to a gossamer thread of ancient language and customs. But these are fast disappearing “as today’s children achieve university education and move to modern employment” said Susanna Starr, a 35 year resident of the Yucatan and co-owner of the Rancho Encantado eco-resort.
Today there is a growing push for eco-tourism and geo-tourism (purportedly the designation for tourism that is a mix of culture and environment). “We are promoting this in Europe and the US” says Joaquin Aragon, Operations Manager at the Chicanna Ecovillage Resort in Campeche State “and the Italians are coming a lot. They are good as they play a lot” he said in broken English and a giggling grin.
The village of 20th November also in Campeche State, is opening up its old-world, charming lifestyle to tourism. A traveler here can immerse in one room houses, free roaming pigs oinking and turkeys gobbling, hammock makers laboring at home where his daughter treats guests to the biggest smiles, an embroider on an old Singer, bee hive makers milling timer and fine tuning the hives by belting with a machete; are all on display.
Maya tourism today “is based on nature and bungalows, not like the high rise and madness of Cancun” said Harley Guerra, the Admin Officer at the Chetumal Tourism Office.
So the Maya Empire may have gone and its descendants may need to change their lifestyle, but there is the gestation of a new tourism taking over from ancient agriculture. Now is the time to see it, while there still exists a calm and gentle people, so far little affected by cavalcades of tour busses, colonies of camera toting invaders and the new version of pyramids with a Hyatt or McDonalds label splattered across them.
Neil is an Australian based travel writer and photographer but a global gypsy, having commenced international travels in 1980. He has also travelled extensively in Australia, courtesy a large extent to an early military career, followed by business ventures over 20 years.
Some of his works can be viewed at www.lifetimelifestyle.com
He has spoken and written widely on financial and investment matters over the years but is now turning to travel and its adventures with his interests in surfing, diving, collection of quotes and general outdoor activities.