Back Home

After two uneventful bus rides, and two short flights, we are now back home in Raleigh - trip over. Once again our house survived months without us (thanks Karen and Yates!), and our friends and neighbors have been most helpful getting us back in the swing of Carolina living.
-john and sun-ling

Valladolid

Our last night in Mexico was spent in Valladolid strategically for us located about halfway between Merida and Cancun, and just a 3 hour bus ride to the Cancun airport. By having a beautiful colonial city center, and being less than an hour from the most famous Mayan ruin, Chichen-Itza, Valladolid gets many overnight and tour-grouping-day-tripping tourists - more than we expected to see.

And another tasty noon-time breakfast.


One other attraction of Valladolid is the many cenotes (sinkholes).


The Cathedral.


Late afternoon tour groups.


Murals in a city government building.


Iglesia de la Candelaria


Convent de San Bernardino de Siena.

The Pyramids of Izamal

Izamal is located on the Yucatan Peninsula, about 45 kms east of Merida and uniquely has Mayan pyramids right in the town center, two of which are very large. Also, the Franciscan church and monastery are built on top of a the ruins of a pyramid. Izamal is definitely worth a day-trip from Merida, or an overnight stay (which we did), and it is being considered for UNESCO World Heritage status. The write up for that is here.

Nothing like a tasty breakfast at noon to get one going for the day.


The streets of Izamal.


Convento de San Antonio de Padua was built on top of the destroyed Mayan Acropolis called Ppap Hol Chak.




The view from the top of Pyramid Itzamatul, looking northwest to Pyramid KinichKakMo, the largest of the pyramids.


The view from the top of the great pyramid KinichKakMo. The grassy area below is part of the pyramid which extends to the yellow buildings in the distance. The building with the yellow tower and large courtyard is the Convento of San Antonio de Padua.


And more views of and from KinichKakMo.


The lower grassy area is part of the pyramid.




Our hotel was built on top of and in pyramid Hun Pik Tok.


Pyramid Chaltun Ha is a few blocks outside town.


Sunset view from the Monastery walls.


And the rising moon.


Convento de San Antonio de Padua plus roosting birds.

Outing from Merida: Acanceh

In 2003 we went to a few of the Mayan sites near Merida (Uxmal, Kabah, Labnah, Sayil). Given the 100 degree heat, we decided to limit our outing to a nearby small town of Acanceh where a ruined pyramid stands on the same square as the church. The town turned out to be only mildly interesting, but we were fascinated with the local rickshaw taxis (see video below). We had thought we would have seen all possible permutations of the 3-wheeled rickshaw. Here it was, a new variation: rear wheel, drive train and steering from a motorcycle; front 2 wheels of a 3-wheeled, front-loading bicycle. And the popularity of it; it seems that one either owns one, or works one, or rides in one. They are as ubiquitous as the car in Raleigh.

The plaza in Acanceh with main church center and small chapel at left.


The plaza with pyramid ruins at left, the market at near right with the church behind.


The plaza with the market to the right and the pyramid ruins to the center back. The main church is out-of-view right.




View from ruins back to the plaza.


Inside the church.


Here's the video of the rickshaw taxis.


A couple more taxi photos.

Merida - Architecture

I had too many 20th-Century modern architecture photos from Merida to put in the previous post, so here they are.

Several Art Deco and Modernist buildings in Centro.


Cine Teatro Merida - Art Deco - 1949.




Edifico La Nacional - Carlos Castillo Montes de Oca - 1936.


Edifio Las Monjas - 1948.


The former Cine Alcázar is now a parking garage.


Tropicalista!.


And another cluster to the west near Parque de la Paz.

Facultad de Medicina.






The old 1880's train station has recently been renovated and houses the Escuela Superior de Artes de Yucatán


The Mayan Revivalist Monumento a la Patria - Manuel Amábilis - 1950's


The Bellas Artes Primary School in Barrio Santiago - circa 1909.


And the Cine Rex across the square.