Rediscovering The Mayan World

2010-01-23T14:28:00.003-06:00

Mayan Art part 3

2007-09-20T07:39:00.000-05:00

Here we have the final version of the mural.

I also got a brief description of their meaning which, in words of the author, is:

“A representation of the transition between the Mayan world and the tech world”, including references to Felipe Carrillo Puerto, and the "Santuario de la Cruz Parlante" (talking cross sanctuary) in the left side of the mural, as central parts of the Mayan history in the state of Quintana Roo, and references to Instituto Tecnologico Superior de Felipe Carrillo Puerto (technology institute) and information technology in general, in the right side of the painting.

In my opinion it is a beautiful piece of Mayan art. ¿What do you think?

Mayan Art Part 2

2007-09-18T20:23:00.000-05:00

Here we can see how the mural is taking form.

Today it was revealed for the painter but, unfortunately, I still don’t have a picture of the final version. I’m planning to take a shot of it in one or two days and immediately post it.

The painter gave us his point of view of the picture and, interestingly, suggested that it was only “one” of the multiple interpretations of the picture as any one of us is capable to generate a personal interpretation that, and the end of the day, is equally valid.

Mayan Art Part 1

2007-09-10T08:16:00.000-05:00

The last days I have watched very closely the process of development of an artistic painting made for authentic Mayan hands.

This painting represents the importance of education and the role that public educative institutions play in the process of helping poor societies to overcome social injustices particularly in the context of the Mayan society. The painting is been made for Jose Armando Jimenez who is a professor and well known artistic painter in Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Quintana Roo. Armando is a genuine Mayan descendant born in here in Quintana Roo who has dedicated his life to retreat the Mayan life through his work.

This piece is a mural which is a kind of painting that arose in Mexico in the middle of the past century and had some of their most important exponents in Mexican painters among we can mention Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros for example. This technique consists of big paintings made in public building’s walls offering mostly political or social points of view from the painter. This kind of art expression was thought to be used as an educative mean and to be accessible for all people independently of their economical or educative background.

In these two pictures we can appreciate the wall previously cleaned and the first outlines of the mural; in some days I will post the partial advances of the work and final version of the painting.

Riviera and Costa Maya after hurricane Dean

2007-08-27T23:16:00.000-05:00

In case you were wondering about the damages suffered by the Riviera and Costa Maya after the hurricane Dean, here I give you some links were you can check several touristic attractions that are either in maintence and temporaryly closed or functioning normaly.

Of course this is not a complete list of the places disposable in Riviera Maya (were most of them are located), but can help you get a sense of the effects of the huricane Dean and also, in case you have a reservation for one of them, may help you to verify if your reservation is still manteined.

This links are courtesy from our friends of Loco Gringo. Below I pasted one part of the original message sent by them:

“ The Riviera Maya had minimal damage from Hurricane Dean. With some
clean up and minor repairs, all our rental properties and resorts will be
back functioning fully if they are not already.

To follow are valuable links to resources in regards to how the coast
is, how properties are, and photos of the coast.

Hurricane Dean Vacation Status update :
http://www.locogringo.com/hurricane/dean/status.html

Loco Gringo Property Status update:
http://www.locogringo.com/research/hurricaneStatus.cfm

Photo Essays of Beaches of Akumal, Jade Bay, South Akumal, Aventuras
Akumal, Puerto Aventuras, Playa del Carmen, Tankah, Soliman bay and Xpu
ha.
http://www.locogringo.com/hurricane/dean/rivieramayabeachpictures.html ”

As you will notice most of the places remain working normally as the damage was minimal.

VERY IMPORTANT:

In respect of the touristic places in Costa Maya the situation is the opposite because suffered the destruction of many places including poeple’s homes. If you would like to help or make a donation please send me an email to

willygru(at)gmail(dot)com

and I will do my best to help you connect with the rigth person or organization. Just make sure to explain the nature of your message in the "subject".

I survived hurricane Dean

2007-08-25T20:16:00.000-05:00

Is amazing how people in Mexico and other countries size any opportunity to make money even when there is people suffering from natural disasters just like hurricane Dean

Today I saw a note from TV Azteca (Mexico) mentioning that less than one week after the effects of the hurricane ended there are people selling T-shirts with stamps of "I survived hurricane Dean!" and the like.

I made a rapid search for this note and the first page I found was this one from a guy in the USA selling them. I hope people who buy this shirts decide also to donate some money to help the people who lost their material properties in the Costa Maya or the rest on Mexico.

At the moment I could not find the T-shirts from the guys in Mexico.

Hurricane Dean hits Quintana Roo! (distance orange alert now)

2007-08-21T20:24:00.000-05:00

Image source: Por Esto! news

It is a little bit disturbing to think that just a couple of weeks ago I went to the Bacalar Lagoon to have a break with my family (check the post of 8.07.2007) and just some days after that (today) it had been hit by the forces of the hurricane “Dean”.

I spent the weekend plus yesterday and today in Merida, Yucatan, hundreds of kilometers far from the place where I work (which is Felipe Carrillo Puerto located in the center of the state) so me and my family feel almost none of the effects of the hurricane, but I have information based on the national informative services and from telephone talks with friends that have to stay there, that Chetumal, Bacalar Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Tulum and any place in between were hit a level 5 hurricane Dean, which is the strongest level that a hurricane can reach.

Even when I like to invite people to visit the Riviera and Costa Maya in my posts I would not suggest you to do this in this opportunity because they are in the process of evaluating damages and defining the safeness of the different geographical areas.

Going to the places affected could not be completely safe for an stranger not familiar with the area as all public corporations like police, fireman force, etc. are mostly dedicated to attend issues related to the possible destruction generated by Dean. For places north of Tulum please double check in advance because even when they where not hit directly by the hurricane the hotels and tourist services may not be working normally and, additionally, the Cancun Airport may be a mess. The good news is that, in words of the governor of the state of Quinata Roo, there are no reports of any death people including temporal workers and visitors in the state.

I will travel to Felipe Carrillo Puerto in order to help to evaluate damages there and to be available for help in any place where it could be required.

More news to come…

Discover Holbox (another option near Cancun)

2007-08-17T09:27:00.000-05:00

Isla Holbox or just “Holbox” (pronounced Hol-bosh) as referred by locals is an island that belongs to the state of Quintana Roo and whose name means “Black-hole” in the Mayan language. This island was previously known as “Polbox” and today some people also call it Isla de los Tiburones (Shark’s island).

Holbox is located in the north side of the Peninsula de Yucatan and a good way to get there is going first to Cancun and then renting a car and then get there driving. This is because, as most of the places I write about, Holbox is off the mainstream tourist tours offered in Cancun so it maybe difficult to find an agency that could offer it to you.

Here you can read an excellent review of the place in Ricardo’s Blog and some valuable driving tips.

This are some reasons I could mention to visit Holbox:

You can visit an island practically unknown and with a minimum affluence of international visitors (that maybe a completely new experience).

You can take a tour to go fishing with authentic local (not tourist guides with a costume).

You can visit a place that once was inhabited by authentic pirates!

You can walk about 34 kilometers of white-sand virgin beaches.

You can see pink flamingos (among other uncommon and protected bird species).

You can eat lobster, snail and exotic dishes like squid or “mantarralla empanadas” for just a fraction of the price you would have to pay in a restaurant in your home place (if you can find them there).

I could mention some more but I will let you discover them by yourself.

More pics from Zac-Ha...

2007-08-08T18:02:00.000-05:00

Here I posted more pictures of my visit to Zac-Ha. Is not beautiful?

I went to Zac-Ha!

2007-08-07T19:31:00.000-05:00

The name “Zac-Ha” means “white water” in Mayan language. This place is part of the very very big Laguna de Bacalar (Bacalar Lagoon) and is one of many almost unknown places around the main town. Around 30 kilometers from Chetumal, Zac-Ha is a small “entrada” (believe me, you wont find it in any brochure) that finishes in a particularly calm side of the lagoon.

For an “entrada” (I think it can be literally translated as “entrance”), in this context, you may normally understand an off road from the highway that finishes in a very small town or private property. Zac-Ha is the second case.

I decided to go because a friend of mine recommended the place, so after a couple of weeks I finally went with my family and a friend on weekend. I have to say that I enjoyed it A LOT!

To get in to, you have to pay the ridiculous amount of 3 Mexican pesos (around US .30). When you are there, you have the option of renting one of the six “palapas” to cover from the sun and to hang your hammock. If you do so, you can stay for hours as long as you brought your food and drinks.

As we brought neither food nor drinks, we decided to stay in the small restaurant area (around 6 tables) where we tried a huge “boquinete” and a medium “pargo” fishes for around 150 pesos (around US 15.00) and beers for 15 pesos each one.

We also rented a kayak which was big enough to keep to me and my wife and son pleasantly floating over the calm water. We paid 40 pesos for one hour.

NOTICE: The water close to the “beach” (it is not properly a beach as it is made manly of grass) is pretty safe for small children (my son is 4) to stay. It is not deep at all for the first 20 meters and after that you can guide yourself for the marks with signs delimiting the medium deep and deep water. Additionally, even if it sounds obvious: never leave your children in the water without supervision.

Cancun is still in the top

2007-07-25T13:03:00.000-05:00

Today I found this interesting "Top Lists" that include Mexico and Cancun in a community mostly of people from the US.

The first one is for Mexico as a cheap place to visit:

"The top results for Cheapest Places to Visit on Vacation according to the UnSpun community are:
the beach
Mexico
Las Vegas
National Park
A Campground
See the full list at http://unspun.amazon.com/Cheapest-Places-to-Visit-on-Vacation/list/show/2623 "

The second one about the best places in Mexico for tourists:

"The top results for Top Places to Visit in Mexico according to the UnSpun community are:
Cancun
Mexico City
Puerto Vallarta
Cozumel
Tijuana
See the full list at http://unspun.amazon.com/Top-Places-to-Visit-in-Mexico/list/show/4184"

And the third (that confirms the image that Cancun has):

"The top results for Favorite Destinations for Spring Break according to the UnSpun community are:
Cancun
Daytona Beach FL
Florida Miami FL
Mexico
See the full list at http://unspun.amazon.com/Favorite-Destinations-for-Spring-Break/list/show/1967"

The last one is a little bit concerning for me, because I would prefer that Cancun may have a reputation of a place to rest as well as to party at.

Is Cancun a City, a state or a country?

2007-07-17T20:52:00.000-05:00

A common mistake that I have found among foreign people who want to travel to the southeast of Mexico, is that they have several problems to differentiate between (and this is funny for people living in the Peninsula de Yucatan) let's say Mexico, Yucatan, Peninsula de Yucatan, Quintana Roo and Cancun.

I spent the last academic semester of 2006 living with people from different countries in Washington DC and I intentionally ran the experiment of asking those people about the word "Cancun". I have to say that I was amazed by the amount of people that was aware of the word. I would say that more or less 80% of the people I talked to knew what I was talking about and may be 40% (mostly American) had been there at least once.

Among the people that knew the word around 70%-80% had problems identifying if Cancun was a state of Mexico, a city or even a different country! Even people who had been in Cancun and The Riviera Maya were a little bit confused with the topic.

In order to give a little help with this I would dedicate a group of posts to give geographical reference to Cancun and after that I will give more detailed information about where the Riviera Maya and the Costa Maya are located always in reference to Cancun.

Finally, I would talk in the near future about… guess what? Oh yeah Chinchen Itza (some people have asked me about it and I thing is a very good topic to talk about).

For the moment I just want to start saying that Cancun is a CITY (more precisely a port) located in the north area of the state of Quintana Roo which is located in the Peninsula de Yucatan which in turn also includes the sates of Yucatan and Campeche. The Peninsula de Yucatan, of course belongs to Mexico. Please remember it.

Chichen Itza in the definitive new 7 wonders list...

2007-07-10T14:46:00.000-05:00

Chichen Itza in the definitive new 7 wonders list...

Mayan World is more than Cancun!

2007-07-08T15:19:00.000-05:00

Mayan World is more than Cancun!

The Mayan World: Riviera and Costa Maya

2007-06-27T07:07:00.000-05:00

Hi! Mi Name is William Gruintal and I'll share with you my personal experience of rediscovering the secrets of The Mayan World, a paradise that you must visit in your next vacation. In this blog I'll talk about the options that are available for tourists looking for an ecofriendly and exiting experience far from the concrete of the big cities.

This kind of information is not very easy to find in the internet specially coming from a neutral source as most of it comes from corporate web sites, and they limit the information provided only to their own hotels and services. Here you'll be able to find information from many places and services, every thing in one place!

I use the word "rediscovering" because the Mayan culture has been one of the most important cultures in America (the continent) but nowadays, in my opinion, most of the information about it has been lost as companies and even the government use the word "Mayan" only for marketing (principally of Cancun); but there is not a deep commitment to inform the international tourist about the roots of the culture and tradition of this marvelous people. I want to share with you all this lost information about the Mayan World as I live in the heart of it and I'm experiencing it every day.