Hello, I'm a tourist.: Dzibilchaltun

Dzibilchaltun, Mexico, February 13th 2018

I felt guilty for still haven't visited any Mayan historical sites in Yucatan, and at the same time wondering what would be the handiest way to travel from Mérida to Progreso. Deus ex machina, I found an excursion online, departing from Mérida, with two destinations: a visit to Dzibilchaltun Mayan ruins and then Progreso beach. Door to door transportation. One trip per week, on the day I needed it. Problem solved.

Dzibilchaltun is not the most impressive Mayan site, but it is good enough for a lazy person such as myself. There was a no-cave cenote, with no iffy fauna like in Valladolid, a couple of Mayan temples and a sacrilegious catholic chapel, built by the conquistadors in the 16th century. A real out of place object, that one, which reminds me of the catholic chapel in the great mosque of Cordoba in Spain, tossed in the middle of the beautiful, simple hall of columns like a bubble gum to a mandala, by the so called reconquistadors.

The Mayan and Finnish cultures a quite apart, but I did find some familiar things in this supposedly unknown to me place. Well, my mother's name is pronounced the same way as Maya, so I could say that I'm of Maijan origin. My cousins name is Inka, but let's not go there quite yet.

The water in the cenote was beautiful,
Just like in a Finnish lake. With maybe some added Curaçao liqueur.

If you like this kind of scenery, you should visit
Suomenlinna fortress island in Helsinki

Guess what. I did not climb to the top.
Just like I never did climb the Pispala Stairs.

The Temple of the seven dolls was named after small effigies
the archeologist first stumbled upon when entering the temple.
Nowadays it would probably be named The Temple of
the Forgotten Ladder.

Anyone who has worked in an archaeological museum,
recognizes instantly the blend of dust, smell and atmosphere
of a musealised dwelling. The Mayan outdoor kitchen took
me back to the summers in Seurasaari outdoor museum,
the best summer job ever!

After a compact museum we headed out via a sculpture park, with Mayan statues from more or less thousand years ago sprinkled around. And oh my golf cart, that was so Finnish I just cannot! Every small village in Finland have their own outdoor summer art exhibition, with emphasis on naivistic, often chubby characters. I felt right at home!