Static Zombie

Lost City

At the end of February, the gf and I spent ten days in Mexico. We spent the first four days driving around the Yucatan peninsula, visiting the ruins at Chichen Itza, Uxmal, and along the Puuc Trail, and wandering around Merida. The last six days were spent at a beach resort in Playa del Carmen (south of Cancun), where we relaxed on beach chairs under palapas, snorkeled and swam in the spectacular Carribean water, and read in the comfort of the hammocks on our patio.

I've traveled all around Europe, and all the archeological sites I've seen there have been barren, dusty, or scrubby. The ground is typically bare earth or rocky, with little shade other than that provided by reconstructed stone columns. The Mayan ruins of the Yucatan were therefore a pleasant surprise, situated as they are in the midst of a verdant jungle. El Castillo, the giant pyramid at Chichen Itza, looms at the center of a lush green field. The juxtaposition of ancient stone and living grass, especially on that scale, had a surreal quality. Sadly, visitors are no longer allowed to climb El Castillo, so we had to content ourselves with feeling insignificant from its base. Perhaps it's just as well, though-- as we found out at other Mayan sites, size 14 shoes were not a design concern of the Mayan architects who designed their temples' stairs.

El Castillo is an impressive structure, but Chichen Itza's reknown stems largely from its proximity to Cancun, where daytripping cruise passengers and frat boys can hop on a bus, see the legacy of an ancient civilization, and still be back in time for debauched karaoke on the beach. The ruins at Uxmal, farther west and therefore less visited, felt grander and more inspiring. At Uxmal there was a greater sense of what the community might have been like, and the site itself felt like a hidden refuge in the jungle. I couldn't pass up the chance for the photo at right, perhaps the beginning of a "games in situ" series. Had I been really on the ball and had the luggage space, I'd have brought Yucata or Maya along, but Lost Cities seemed perfectly appropriate and, more importantly, portable.

Before I return to Mexico, I'd appreciate it if the country would adopt the following new rules: