Please welcome Don Ward, our first guest blogger ever! We first met Don in 2001 at Town Creek Marina in Beaufort, N. Carolina, one of favorite stops along the Intracoastal Waterway. Since then, he had cruised on his boat Mine All Mine, and later roamed around in his motorcoach. He's a great writer and photographer, and we love to hear his fascinating stories. Here's his latest adventure - a shore excursion during a 30-day cruise aboard the Silver Wind. Enjoy!
It all started in the fourth grade.
Mrs. Johnson barely mentioned the Mayan Civilization as she gave her
students a brief lesson about Mexico. But this was enough to send
me running to the library after school in search of more information
about these strange and mysterious people. There wasn't a lot of information about
Mayans in Asheville, NC in 1956. From what little was available,
I promised myself that, one day, I would visit a Mayan city.
Then on to
Lamanai Temples in Belize. The High
Temple at Lamanai was a thrill to climb at 280 feet above ground
level.
Most Mayan ruins are far inland. Up in
the high mountains of the rain forests. Fortunately, Silversea Cruises provided first class excursions from the Silver Wind
to all three sites. It took about two hours for our driver to take us from Playa del Carmen, Mexico, North up the Yucatan
Peninsula, to the Quintana Roo Province. Our guide was a direct
descendant and a very proud Mayan man. He produced a steady stream
of information about the civilization as we drove towards
Chichen Itza.
From the parking area, it's almost a
mile hike to the actual site. This was my first glimpse of El
Castillo, the tallest temple of Chichen Itza.
Also
known as the Temple of Kukulcan this temple is huge. Visitors could
climb to the alter on top until 2011. After four falls produced significant injuries, no one is allowed to climb El
Castillo now.
Detail high on the Temple of The Jaguar. Four Jaguars at the top
and one each side of the entrance.
The “Wall of
Skulls” representing those sacrificed on the various alters atop
the multiple temples at Chichen Itza.
This small alter
once rested atop the Lower Temple of The Jaguar. The Mayan rulers sometimes even sacrificed babies to the various Gods. Our guide
thought the red stains on this alter to be blood.
The Great Ball
Court at Chichen Itza is huge. Mayans played with a solid rubber
ball that weighed
8 lbs. and was 10
inches in diameter. Look closely, you can spot the stone rings that
served as “goals” about 20 ft. above the court floor. The games
sometimes lasted a full day. The winners were often sacrificed to
the Gods in the belief there could be no higher honor for the players
as the Gods would only desire the “best” in Mayan “heaven”.
The tour of the
most important temples, the ball court, and minor structures took
about two hours and we had walked three miles or so. I was still
fascinated by a glimpse of the observatory I had seen from the
parking lot and asked our guide if I could visit it. With permission
granted, I walked about half a mile down a narrow path through the forest.
The
El Caracol Observatory. Like so many things Mayan, is perfectly
aligned with Venus.
Few venture out to
see this small section of ruins near the observatory. This area showcases the
fine detail work by the Mayans.
In fact, I was the
only person present at this amazing spot. I looked up on a broken
wall and spotted this young Iguana taking in the late sun of Chichen
Itza. I thought this a fitting end to a day that had fulfilled a
dream and a promise from 62 years earlier in my life.
Do you have a favorite site Mayan site?
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Through My Lens.
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