How the Mayan Ruins helped me find Tranquility

Option 1: Uzmal Mayan Ruins

 What’s Included:

• Lunch Box: Ham and cheese sandwich, chips, a piece of fruit, and 1 bottled water

Option 2: All inclusive Beach Resort Getaway

What’s Included:

• Mexican Buffet: Chicken fajitas, nachos, salad, chilaquiles, burgers, hot dogs, french fries, fried tacos, rice, fried beans, Mexican salsas and fresh fruit.
• Domestic Open Bar: A variety of ice-cold drinks, margaritas, beer, piña colada, tequila sunrise, sodas and other alcoholic beverages.
• Beach chairs.
• Activities throughout the day.
• Kayaks.
• Lockers and showers.
• Towel Service.

Now on this trip, there were at least 16 of us. Guess who didn’t choose the all-inclusive resort getaway where he could get drunk?  That’s right, one of the few college kids on the trip. Let’s be honest, none of you are surprised by this, you’re reading my Mayan ruins post. I, clearly, chose that one. 

However, at the time, I was 100% sure that the entire family would be choosing the Mayan ruins -- A chance to see a wonder of the world! No way anyone wants to go to another beach resort. Boy, was I wrong! There was a grand total of 3 from our group of 16 that chose the ruins. And I have to say, in hindsight, it was a real Who’s Who of Family Nerds. 

So my uncle, my cousin, and I went all to see the ruins, while the rest of my family started their own journey towards blacking-out from alcohol at the resort. [It may seem like I’m bashing my family a bit here, but let me be clear, if not for those ruins, I would have been right there with them.]

Now, my exact memories of the Uxmal ruins are, admittedly, a bit foggy. I would love to quote the tour guide and his explanation about each structure and the history behind it, unfortunately, I’m no Mike Ross. [I’ll be willing to bet you didn’t see a Suits reference coming while reading about Mayan ruins.]

The trip was years ago and, at the time, I was not a great photographer nor writing about my experiences. While looking through old pictures, that don’t do the trip justice, it did give me some memories to share.  I’ll do my best to tell you what I remember; but more so, I can tell you how it made me feel and what thoughts entered my mind & soul while exploring the ruins.

Among the first of those memories is the sight of the western-facing Pyramid of the Magician. It’s the first thing you notice when you walk up to the ruins at the start of the tour. [Aside from the enormous iguanas you pass on your way to the pyramid. Seriously, whatever image popped into your head for iguana - they are Bigger. Bigger than most dogs. Don’t believe what google shows as their size. I’m telling you, they are Scary Big.] 

My vague memory of the tour guide prompts me to say I remember talk of ceremonies and priests and what was on the inside of the pyramid. Mostly though, I remember being in awe at the site of it. I centered myself with the pyramid and just took time to observe the construction. It was awesome.

I did a bit of recent research, because I wanted to be able to share with you some facts about this impressive pyramid. I did some googling about the height and width of it. I found answers ranging from 93 feet to over 130 feet. Instead of citing details from unreliable sources for you…I can tell you this. It was pretty damn big. It looked like a giant layered cake.

The base of the pyramid was fairly simple. It was just a wide base with the steepest staircase I’ve ever seen – and, constructed of small stones. That impressed me most. We have all seen pictures of the Pyramids of Giza. In my head, pyramids were made of giant stones;  but here this was, built little-by-little. And, they weren’t exactly cut precisely. It was just thousands of stones elegantly arranged to create a pyramid base. It did its job, extending above all the nearby jungle, displaying detailed temples, visible from essentially any point among the ruins. Literally, a Wonder.

For the next couple hours, my life consisted of being escorted around by a tour guide listening to fact-after-fact about the structures and history of the Mayan people. My best explanation for why my retention of all the impressive information sent my way that day is lacking, is I was in deep thought the entire time I was near these structures. I was unable to process the visual impressions bombarding my mind and soul and still absorb the facts I was being told. It was true sensory overload.

I got to see homes of the Mayan, common areas for gatherings, and the arena for Pok-a-Tok. [That game where the Mayan kicked a ball through a hoop.] It wasn’t just the impressive engineering that made me marvel at each of these structures. It was, also, the craftsmanship and devotion in which it was done. Some structures were built in alignment with stars and planets, to help identify rainy seasons. Everything seemed to be adorned with glyphs and illustrations of various gods and stories. Intent, purpose, dedication, unity…thrilling.

Eventually, I found myself at the base of yet another pyramid. We were allowed to ascend this one to the top. However, that climb came with a warning from the tour guide. “Those not physically fit may want to consider not climbing the pyramid.” The tour guide proved to be dead-on correct. 

You can’t tell when looking at these pyramids, but the steps are treacherous. There wasn’t much depth. Each step had enough room for the ball of my foot, while my heels hung off. In addition to this small-but-important detail, these stairs were incredibly steep and uneven. I remember being halfway up and realizing a small slip would send me into a dive with the guarantee of, at least, one broken bone. 

Once at the top, I looked over at my uncle. We hadn’t said much to one another the entire time, what with the tour guide talking and our minds being saturated with the genius of what we were experiencing. He smiled and laughed, asking if I thought we would ever be allowed to climb something like this in America. I told him he had a point, and if so, there’d be handrails taking away from the experience. He said the tradeoff is everyone would get to see it. At this point, we both glanced at an elderly couple that had made it about 10 steps up and was sitting, because they knew they couldn’t get to the top.

At this moment, sitting atop a pyramid over a thousand years old, with a view of ruins we had just explored, I started to ponder (as, often, I do). This was the first time I can remember experiencing true Tranquility. My mind was flooded with thoughts. I looked down at that elderly couple, saddened that they couldn’t share the view and experience I was absorbing. And, though I did wish for an escalator to allow them this moment, I was torn. 

The overwhelming experience of getting to the top felt real. I did not feel like a tourist in that moment. Instead, I thought of explorers who had found this exact spot. They had scaled this pyramid, same as I…only with the added burden of contending with an overgrown jungle and unknown dangers.

I looked up and it dawned on me that I was, in fact, in the middle of the jungle. I was actually hours away from a significant town, and that was by car. Less than 24 hours before that moment, I was on a cruise ship soaking up sun - margarita in one hand, pizza in the other - all the while with a beautiful view of the open ocean. I considered how lucky I was. It was so easy for me to get here. I began imagining the adventure of trekking through the jungle without any knowledge of what lay ahead. The rush it must have been to come across this structure (let alone, an entire ancient city), scale to the top, and witness the spectacle. Breath-taking.

I stood up, for the first time, and took time to soak in the wonder of the ruins again, before turning around to see the view from the other side. To my surprise, there was more to explore.  Jungle as far as the eye could see, with tops of pyramids and ancient structures projecting from the tops of the canopy. Euphoria flowed through my body and, like a Victorian explorer, I instinctively shouted “There’s More to Discover!”

I took a moment to rest before scaling back down the stairs. I pondered further. It occurred to me the whole reason I was there was because an ancient civilization had created this city. What had everyday life been for them? We laugh at the idea of rain gods or any religion of an ancient civilization, for that matter. Yet, intricate designs and details on the grand structures told the story of a united people that believed in something greater than themselves. The unity of those people created something wondrous and enduring for all to see and, maybe, be moved to belief and tranquility.

These are the moments I live for. Why I created this page. The accumulation of over 1000 years of factors to create this moment for me. Makes me realize how little time I have…that we all have. Makes me want to explore the world. Makes me want to make a difference.  Makes me want to continue to search for tranquility and share it with others.

If you enjoyed this post, I encourage you to explore the website. Check out other posts, sign up for updates, leave a message, support the website – Or Not. It’s strictly up to you. My wish is that you were inspired or had a sense of tranquility for yourself.