By Mari Pintkowski
If you have ever visited the eco-parks
in the Riviera Maya like Xcaret or Yal-ku or the magical cenotes near
the Coba ruins, you may have wondered how they were discovered,
excavated and are maintained.
On the days that I drive along the
Coba Road on the way to and from our boutique hotel, La Selva
Mariposa, I pass the brightly painted entrance to Hacienda San
Agustin at km. 6. I often wondered what was behind those yellow
hacienda walls. A few months ago a new sign appeared in front of the
entrance announcing “La Ruta de los Cenotes,” and this
intrigued me even more.
My husband and I decided it was time to
explore! We stopped recently on our way home and met Luis, one of
the workers and soon to be guides for this cultural attraction. He
was happy to stop mixing concrete and show us around. Luis said there
was no charge until the cenotes were open and ready to swim
in, but in the end, we could not resist giving him a tip for his time
and enthusiasm.
Our tour began with an explanation that
this was an authentic example of a colonial hacienda that was
dedicated to St. Augustine. The small chapel is dominated by an
altar, covered with delicately embroidered altar cloths and statues
of the saint and the famed Virgin of Guadelupe (often referred to as
Queen of Mexico), along with an old framed photo of an unknown young
woman from this historical period. A large wooden crucifix that
leaned against one of the side walls. It was unlike the typical Mayan
crosses that are often covered with a huipil. Luis let us know
that on August 28th, the Saint’s feast day, a procession
is held along the road and through the hacienda grounds before it
comes to an end at the chapel where a Mass is said by one of the
local Catholic priests. Participants attend from as far away as
Playa del Carmen. There is most always a meal that includes
cochinita pibil cooked in a pit fire, or the traditional saucy
one-dish meal, k’ool or relleno negro.
Adjacent to the chapel is the corrida
or bull fighting ring, also neatly trimmed in the hacienda colors of
yellow and white. With a gleam in his eye, Luis mentioned that there
would be a bull fight on that day. Like “bull fights” in all the
Mayan pueblos, the bull is only young local cattle and the
“fight” is nothing more than a tease and run. It is never meant
to be a bloody spectacle with a fight to the finish. Often the local
drunk decides to step into the ring and give it a try.
We then walked
over to look at the typical Mayan home with the walls made of thin
vertical sticks cut from developing jungle trees that are woven
together and bound with a few vines. Many of these same types of huts
still exist, but the vines have mostly been replaced by nails and the
sticks are not woven. The foundation and floor are made of broken
pieces of limestone covered with dirt that is pressed and smoothed.
The four pillars inside support the structure. The roof is sharply
pitched and covered with palm fronds. Window openings are covered
with criss-crossed sticks to allow for ventilation and some privacy
and security. Some of the items on display in the house (nah)
are antiques and others have been fabricated to show what tools were
used in the household for daily living. A fire pit is fashioned on
the dirt floor at one end of the house. This area is most commonly
used by the woman of the house. The fire is bordered by three large
stones, which support the griddle (xmach or comal) while
making tortillas (pak’ach), or pots when boiling water or
cooking. A net, woven of sisal or henequen, hangs from the
ceiling beams in this area and holds an
assortment of bowls made from
gourds. Luis pointed out a slanted stone instrument called ka
that was used with a rolling pin (k’ab) to grind the achiote
or annatto seeds that are used to season the food. The ancient
Maya used the ground-up seeds to color the plaster on their
structures. If you see this red color when you are visiting ruins
you will know of its enduring quality. A collection of other kitchen
and household tools are hanging or displayed around the house. The
hammock or k’aan that is used for sleeping and
lounging is strung at the opposite end of the house. This is
an excellent example of the early hammock that is woven of sisal
or henequen. Behind the house there is a raised wooden basin set
up next to a deeply carved stone bowl filled with water for washing
clothes.
Luis showed us a stone well about five
feet tall that did not have water in it, but he said something
similar to this was used to get water from the underground cenotes
for drinking and cooking. There was a larger concrete pond that
was connected to the windmill that was actually functioning and
bringing up water to feed the animals when there was enough wind
power. Many of the trees in the yard are labeled with signs, and
when I spotted the orange tree, I asked Luis if it was dulce
(sweet) and he replied, “No, agria (sour).” I
asked if there were any sweet oranges on the property and he said no,
because the soil was very poor and rocky, as it is all over this part
of the Yucatan Peninsula. I was curious to see the anona tree and its
fruit. I have heard that the anona is a host plant for some species
of butterflies. We planted one on our property in order to attract
these delicate-winged creatures. There were also wild papaya, lime,
and achiote trees.
I was anxious to venture over to the
animal pens that housed some of the domestic and bush animals that
are found in this part of the Yucatan. Most of them are still being
used by the Mayans in their homes or are living in the jungles just
beyond our reach. There were rabbits, turkeys, ducks, roosters,
chickens, peacocks, ornamental pigeons, colorful little parakeets, a
monkey and a family of peccaries (kitam). Just beyond this
area there are pens for the tiny horses that are typical of what was
used for transportation in the Colonial days in this area. They have
a tiny saddle for the horses, and one day when I took my grandson,
Kaidan, for a visit, the kind caretaker put a saddle on the one of
the horses and offered to take him for a ride. Even the cow was a
miniature species. The llama had just given birth, and one of the
three goats was expecting momentarily. The cages were clean and most
of the animals, besides the sad, lonely monkey, looked content. Louis
tried to explain how the municipal and state governments are helping
the project by loaning animal
partners for breeding rather than
donating the animals. A green field of shoulder high corn (xi’im)
called a milpa or in Maya, kol , glistened in the sunny
field behind the animal cages. The field is usually planted in the
rainy season, because the young plants need constant water in order
to grow. The milpa is considered a sacred place where the
farmer works very hard and feels secure. It is also quite dangerous.
The greatest danger is snakes (kano’ob). The ancient Maya
believed the milpa was guarded by sacred forest spirits (in
Spanish: aluxes or in Maya: aluxo’ob).
Now that we had
finished touring the area where the family and workers might have
lived, we proceeded down the yellow and white stone lined path
(sac-be) to investigate the cenotes. Luis said the
rocks had been painted yellow so that the route would be easy to
follow. He and I both agreed that this would have been better left au
natural.
To the right of
the path was a large rocky looking area that is part of a
reforestation project in which 1,000 cedar trees have been planted.
It was evident to see that this alone was no easy task. We passed an
area with high fences that was being cleared and prepared for deer to
soon inhabit. The workers carried the cut branches and leaves on
their back to an area where they would burn it at the end of the dry
season (May) in order to fertilize the soil.
The first
cenote,100 meters along the path, is called Tam Ha. A
sturdy set of steps leads down about thirty feet to the base of the
cave-type cenote. A pump is set up in the
water to remove the
silt and carry it in a tube to another part of the property. A woman
was dressed in a diving suit and tanks lay on the ground next to her.
Luis explained that she was exploring the underground cenote
system that connects to the other cenotes in the park. The
bank was lined with several layers of sand bags that had been placed
there for protection from flooding caused by sludge removal. Later
he showed us a cenote that had no water in it at this time
because it was all filtering into the first cenote that was
being dredged. They had been working on this area of the park for
four months; clearing the vines and unwanted plant growth, moving
rocks, building the steps and railings and cleaning the water. Luis
thought it would take a few more months to complete this part of the
project. I could see progress since I had been for my first visit a
few weeks earlier, but suspected that it would take way more than a
few months.
The next cenote,
Ich tunich, was located another 100 meters down the sac-be
(white road). The path leading to the cenote widened and
opened up as it led downward to a semi-circular, cave-like area that
had been cleaned. Observation benches and trash receptacles were
strategically placed along the sandy path. There are plans for a zip
line to cross this large indented section, and according to Luis the
equipment has already been ordered. Once inside the cave, we were
fascinated by the massive tree roots fighting their way through the
rock to reach water. Luis showed us an ancient carved stone serpent
that had been discovered since my last visit. The serpent-like
creature with teeth was recognizable and was now surrounded by a
small fence.
He led us to the
other side of the large cave and pointed out the stalactites and
stalagmites that were created when calcium deposits in the water
dripped through the rocks, creating magnificent rock formations.
Five childlike, carved round faces were discovered on the wall at the
entrance of the cave. When Lou asked their significance, Luis
explained that they were carved by Mayans who were entering the cave.
He showed us the remains of a rock formation that was believed to
collect rain water as it rolled down the hill into the cenote.
The terrain
started to get a bit rougher as we hiked up-hill to the next cenote.
I unexpectedly stepped into a hidden hole and got a minor
scratch, but no importa, we continued on our tour. Luis told
us that this part of the sac-be that led to at least ten more
cenotes would not be lined with yellow painted rocks, it would
be more natural. There was evidence of the original raised sac--bes
that connected this site to Tulum and Coba. Luis showed such pride as
he talked about the ancient Mayas who inhabited this site long before
the conquistadors invaded the area and turned these proud people into
slaves.
It is easy to
see that there is much work yet to be done and that each day, poco
a poco, the park will move a little closer to its goal. I do
think it is worth seeing a project like this in the process so that
you will appreciate the finished product even more, as well as grow
to appreciate how fragile this ecosystem is and how interconnected it
all is. If you are contemplating buying property in the Yucatan
Peninsula, this project will give you a good idea of the amount and
type of work that will need to be done before you can build
your home. For now, there are plants to water and weeds to pull back
at our own little piece of paradise, La Selva Mariposa, just up the
road at km 20.
Mari Pintkowski
lives with her husband Lou at their B&B, La Selva Mariposa, in
Macario Gomez. www.laselvamariposa.com.
Her book Embarking on the Mariposa Trail can be purchased
through www.amazon.com.
Her first children’s book about life at their B&B, Molly
the Gecko Hunter, is currently being published.
|
