I discovered this morning that to speed things at breakfast one can pre-order the night before. Needed to remember that for my last breakfast here.
I joined a foursome from my hotel and a Spanish couple from a posh hotel for today's long excursion. To my amazement the trip was taken by my guide Israel of yesterday. It was rather hot and a little cramped in the white minibus, I prised open a back window but it was only effective when we were really moving. When stuck in traffic jams in the streets of Merida not so much. The road numbering in Merida confused me at first but I did work out even streets go north to south, odd streets east to west.
We were first taken to the cemetery to see a large expanse of sometimes colourful homes for the dead. Dead interesting. The place becomes busy later during the Day of the Dead (for this was the time of the year) as people go to tend to their ancestors with their favourite snacks and tipples. The indigenous people in some areas dig up the dead and wash their bones. A quick shopping stop for water and snacks (cheaper Israel said than at a tourist site). Then onto a Hacienda where they used to produce sisal (henequen).
Or rather the Spanish overlords produced sisal and cruelly abused their Maya slaves in so doing. As badly as the powerful in the Mayan cities abused their slaves. We saw the industrial revolution engines used as part of the process to convert the sisal plant (related to aloes) into thread. We saw also the European style accommodation of the Spanish overlords, which wouldn't have been out of place in a European stately home. The place did have problems with rising damp as limestone was the building material. On the way out we saw local Maya cooking food underground, pollo pibil is chicken in banana leaves cooked buried in earth.
Next we stepped much further back in time by going to see the Maya site of Uxmal (which means thrice built). Besides adding new buildings over time the Maya also grew their impressive pyramids by adding new steps and carvings on top of an existing pyramid to make it even more impressive and closer to the heavens. Uxmal was busy as it was a public holiday. Getting in was fun as you had to buy two separate tickets to please the country and state governments.
Compared with Chichen Itza the carvings at Uxmal have been more restored so it is easier to see the snakes and jaguars and repeated patterns standing for the morning star Venus. Impressive were the Mayan arches for which each side was self-supporting, in places you had half an arch still standing by itself. There were iguanas roaming and one of our party managed to get bitten by one. Israel prevented a bullet ant from attacking our party, the pain from its bite is worse than taking a bullet apparently. The insect life didn't bother me really this trip.
Uxmal relied on rainwater which was funnelled into a cistern to be doled out by the rulers to keep control. There weren't cenotes unlike Chichen Itza.
Lunch was more lime soup and tortillas but had to ask for lemonade several times. Daylight did penetrate the toilet facilities but no toilet seat. We were taken to a cenote which was underground - like going into a mysterious cave. At that site there was a kind of altar by the cafe.
It was late when we returned to the hotel, partly because we had to stop by the office so the others could pay. I ate in Saint Lucia plaza at a place which had wooden stands by each table to hang bags etc on. Walked around down to the Plaza Grande and saw a passage way between two civic buildings which had floral displays. I also took some pictures of a large altar set up in the plaza for people to admire.
During the Day of the Dead people traditionally tend to their ancestors' graves, offer the ancestors their favourite food and drinks. The shops etc get adorned with a Day of the Dead theme. There are civic displays. Some people wear masks or makeup to look the part.