While vacationing in Cancun, Mexico, my girlfriend and I took an excursion to Tulum. Tulum is the site of an ancient Mayan civilization, which still serves as the window to the beautiful Caribbean Sea. The tour guide shared background information about the site, people, culture, rituals, and beliefs of the ancient Mayans. One notable piece that struck me was how the Mayans celebrated the sun. Each morning, they would stand by the sea to celebrate the rising of the sun and the descent of the jaguar. To them, the spotted moon was a jaguar-- a devil in the night. The sun was a bird rising from the darkness and soaring to the highest heights of the sky to help with agriculture. The ascension of the sun meant that the bird once again triumphed over the jaguar, which is why the Mayans rejoiced.
I took this appreciation to heart while in Cancun. I, too, got up with the sun to celebrate. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we enjoyed the view.
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| El Castillo at Tulum |
