Izamal, Center of the Maya World

The yellow walls of Izamal

We spent the month of February in Izamal, the "Yellow City" in the northern Yucatan, that once was a Mayan Mecca. For centuries people traveled great distances to come to this holiest of sites. When the conquistadores arrived, the infamous Spanish priest, Bishop Diego de Landa, thought it would be easier to convert the Mayans to Christianity by snagging folks on pilgrimage rather than his having to travel all over the countryside. Let the people come to him. It worked.

The great temple of Izamal was converted into a Cathedral. The base of the pyramid was so large that the church covers only a section of it, and the rest of the pyramid was leveled into a courtyard that is bigger than any church's in the world, including the Vatican.

Base of Kinich Kak Mo Pyramid

Although Bishop de Landa systematically destroyed the sacred Mayan codices, he lived to regret it. His book, written in 1566, was an attempt to salvage and record the religion, language, culture, and writing system of the indigenous people.

What is amazing about this city of 15,000 today, outside of the enormous cathedral, is the abundance of archeologically significant sites. Kinich Kak Mo, one of the largest pyramids in Mexico, dominates the northern section, and on any number of streets, there are heaps of rubble that were once buildings. Cooking fires where women are making fresh corn tortillas as we stroll by sit cozily next to stones that once were pyramid steps or walls. 

Our casita at Macanche B&B

We rented a cottage at Macanche bed and breakfast. It served as a wonderful base to explore areas of the Yucatan that we had been wanting to see for years. Beverly McFarland joined us for some of these forays, including a morning at Luum Ayni, the amazing biodynamic farm and yoga center of Lisa and Cesar Chavez (see our blog post "A Mayan Dream"; an afternoon at Genesis Retreat, an eco-cultural-resort within walking distance of the Ek Balam archeological site; and a day at a Caribbean beach near Tulum to rest up.

Becky and Beverly on the bus

Buses are cheap and frequent. For example, for about $3.50, we took a comfortable local bus to Merida, the capital city of the Yucatan state, for a few wild days of Mardi Gras, supposedly the largest carnival outside of Brazil. We watched the dazzling parades for hours, walked the streets for miles, ate and drank more than we should have, and stayed up until all hours of the . . . well, until midnight. Splendid.