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25, January 2005 Mundo Maya
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View
our accompanying slideshow |
I first traveled to the Yucatan in 1980, joining a friend (Peter Scott) as he continued his studies of Cave Swallows nesting in the Maya ruins that dot the Yucatan landscape. Jim Morgan and Kelly Bryan joined me for the trip, and we birded from "kin to kaint" across the peninsula as far inland as Palenque. I have returned to the Yucatan on a number of occasions during the ensuing years, and my passion for Mexico, the Maya, and the Yucatan has only intensified.
Barbara sweetened the pot by making arrangements for us to stay at the Hacienda Chichen. The Hacienda is the property of Barbara’s friend, Isabel Barbachano. Isabel has worked miracles in refashioning the hacienda as a nature lodge. Located immediately adjacent to Chichen Itza, the lodge offered us the opportunity to bird the area in splendid comfort and convenience.
The Hacienda Chichen originally operated as a cattle ranch, later evolving into a henequen plantation. In the early 20th Century, the hacienda became the home of Edward Thompson, vice-consul for the United States. Helped by a team of Maya natives, he uncovered many of the temples and pyramids of Chichen Itza. Thompson led the dredging of the Sacred Well, known in Spanish as the Cenote Sagrado, where gold ornaments, human bones, copal incense, sacrificial knives, and other pre-Columbian artifacts were discovered. Some believe the Cenote served as a sacrificial well of Maya virgins to "Chaac," their rain god.
The Carnegie Institute established its Maya Archaeological Expedition headquarters at the Hacienda Chichen in 1923. Rustic cottages were built within the hacienda's main garden to house, for over 20 years, the Institute's archaeologists and research team. In addition to Thompson’s botanical gardens, the Institute planted palms, flowering shrubs and fruit trees, many of which are part of the gardens today. Virginia and I stayed in one of these historic guest rooms, nestled among the tropical gardens that still surround the hacienda.
For three days we wandered the grounds of the hacienda and Chichen Itza. We accompanied a guide to "old Chichen" (see http://www.locogringo.com/past_spotlights/may2004.cfm). These ruins are still being restored, and we felt privileged to see these sacred sites in situ. We walked the grounds of Chichen Itza each day, climbing to the top of The Pyramid of Kukúlcan to glance across to the grounds to the Temple of the Warriors and the statue of Chac Mool. And (predictably) we spent most of our time enjoying the birds of the Yucatan.
During the three days at Hacienda Chichen we found 78 species, including a few unexpected in the region in winter (Black-throated Blue Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush). During a day trip to Izamal we also found Blue-gray and Western Tanagers, both a surprise for this area. Each morning we awoke to the whistled tones of the Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl and the jarring notes of Black-headed Saltators and Melodius Blackbirds. More importantly, the grounds of the Hacienda Chichen teemed with an abundance of birds and other wildlife, a island of verdant richness in the midst of a harsh landscape.
For those interested in contacting Hacienda Chichen about accommodations see the following website: http://www.haciendachichen.com/ I have also posted a list of the birds that we found during our stay. For those wishing to experience the Mundo Maya, I can think of no better a combination than Chichen Itza and the Hacienda Chichen.
Ted Eubanks
24 Jan 2005
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