July 5th Loltun and Ticul

We will probably remember the rain most. And the thunder and running up the stairs of the cave, Lol-tun ,to seek shelter, but that was really not the original plan for the day. But then it was a day in which original plans were not meant to be. Let’s go back. It did not take long to realize that our reliable bus driver Benito was not here at his scheduled time. So it’s 9:30 and we are for the most part ready and sitting in the lobby- but no Benito. When I first see him, he is dripping with sweat; the problem: a broken down bus. The solution: ( after some finagling) are mini vans to transport the lot of us to Ticul. So off we go. To market, to market to buy a fine pig, or chicken or corn of huipils. The ride of an hour and a half finally finds us in the market. The ride must have been somewhat torturous for Jorge who was deprived of a seat and was cramped between the door and a seat.

The market at Ticul gave a view of how the population of that city survives. Stands with bananas, guineps (chenett), guanabanas, limes and many other fruits crowded the stands. Most interesting was the corn roasted in the pibil. Pibils are ground ovens; a style to cooking still used by today’s Maya. Carol B. was fascinated by a pig head and the vendor who was selling it. As he prepared it for sale, he shaved the head with a razor. She asked and found out that the age of the pig was six months. She explained that she does not usually see such sights in Washington, D.C. The vendor seemed unimpressed with life in the United States, referring to it only as alla. His partner’s features were reminiscent of many of the Maya sculptures we saw. Like many we saw( the woman flower vendor, the vendor who sold hardware such as chicken coups, machete cases and other essential tool) , he willingly let us take his picture.
A walk through the town yielded a view of one that is not tourist ridden and one with people who were very willing to share a smile and a hello. The impression was also of a town going about its daily business: carting goods to and from, adult tricycles with large spaces in the front for carrying packages and vendors selling to their community. Examples of the ancient Maya were seen in the statues that were seen on some corners or on islands in the street.

A trip to Los Almendras restaurant satisfied our thirst for Yucatan food. The food was plentiful and tasty, though the flan was disappointing. And then to the caves,Lol-tun our Mayan guide Bernardo walked us through the caves and told stories of how the Maya used this ancient structure. The use of the caves as a place for sacrifices was not new. I am intrigued by the Caste War and the role of the Maya in that war. This topic that will take up a lot of my interest for a while especially since I was given two sources for information by a visiting professor from Allegheny University.

We end, of course, where our story began, with the rain. We had not seen such a downpour since we arrived. We could have stayed in the comforts of the cave until it subsided, but then I suppose our guides would have been asked to spend more time with us than expected. So... we ran up the steep steps and into the torrent. As we ran to shelter someone suggested that this would be an ideal time for a group photo. The perfect end to a perfectly planned day.

Antoinette - Brooklyn, fifth grade teacher