![]() Sacrifice wasn't only made in blood nor was it demanded of unwilling captives. Several times during the tour people visiting the site through ship's excursions joined up with our group to hear a very different take on how and why the Mayan civilization disappeared.ĭavid was able to explain the practice of sacrifice in a way that diminishes the bloody image of the later Aztecs. His connection to the site and to the traditions of its people made this a truly memorable trip. He grew up literally in these ruins, having roamed the site since long before archaelogists began working there. He showed us chickle trees, the source of the resin that gives Chicklets gum its name. ![]() Tulum seemed rather sterile by comparison, if only because in opening it up you lose perspective on the fact that most people didn't live in giant temples but, rather, in simple wood and thatch huts vanished these past few thousand years.ĭavid was trained as a medicine man by his grandfather and several times rushed into the forest to reappear with some interesting plant for us to examine and sample. Traveling through the ruins with David gave us a real sense of how this was a living, breathing city. The raw nature of the site, however, provides plenty of shade and a good representation of the native flora. That alone was pretty exciting.ĭon't get me wrong, there are plenty of excavated temples, many in very good shape, available to view. Not only that, the fact that the Chacchoben ruins are still being excavated gave us a better idea of what these ruins would have looked like to the first explorers who rediscovered this ancient site. David informed us that Chacchoben was actually centuries older than the ruins at Tulum. The lack of shade trees makes it ideal for viewing iguanas but somewhat trying on someone from colder climes like myself. Tulum is almost entirely excavated with broad green lawns and a beautiful sea coast backdrop. Chacchoben was entirely unlike Tulum in so many ways. Two years earlier we had visited Tulum with a Carnival Triumph ship's tour so we thought we had an idea of what we were in store for. From there we gathered together and headed off into the jungle. We met David in Majahual just outside the Caty's Meow, a small beachfront Restaurant owned by a Canadian lady as I understand it. We all fit comfortably in one of Native Choice's comfy air conditioned vans. David was the tour leader for our particular group which consisted of myself, my wife and her parents and six other folks. ![]() We booked our excursion with Native Choice, a business owned by Ivan and David. My wife and I visted Chacchoben in January 2006. ![]()
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