Other Week: Day 3

Original Post: Street Food in Chetumal
Date:February 22, 2009 at 4:23 PM

 

The city of Chetumal in Quintana Roo, Mexico is the entry point to the Selva Maya (see Selva Maya, Selva Maya II, Selva Maya III, and Selva Maya Interrupted).  Lot of delicious food available on the street at night.  The elotes smeared with mayonaise, queso fresco, and chili powder are my favorites. [NOTE: In spite of what the lady said, the chili habanero powder was - of course - killer hot.]

On The Road to NohBec

This seen in Quintana Roo, Mexico on the road to NohBec (see Radiator Cap, Patriarch, and Selva Maya II). Small Mayan pyramid carefully excavated, re-constructed, and incorporated into village life. [NOTE: What a great place to graze your horse].

Is That a Pyramid?

The forests of Quintana Roo contain hundreds of unexcavated Mayan pyramids (see The Pyramid at Tres Garantias). The image above shows what these pyramids look like when you are walking through the forest reading tree bands (see Reading the Bands) and look over and see some abrupt topography in what is essentially a flat, limestone shield.

If you stop what you are doing and climb to the top of this little mountain (highly recommended), noticing all of the precisely-cut, square stones during the ascent, when you get to the top  and look out toward Guatemala, what you see - is a flat limestone shield and hundreds and hundreds of hectares of tropical forest. [NOTE: The Selva Maya is the second largest expanse of tropical forest in the New World after Amazonia].

Kohunlich

Kohunlich is an elaborate complex of Early Classic Period Mayan structures located in southern Quintana Roo, to the west of Chetumal. The image above was taken next to the staircase at the Pyramid of the Masks; the giant masks are said to represent the Sun God, or "Sun-eyed Lord", Kinich Ahau. I took a break from my work with the forestry ejidos in Quintana Roo (see Selva Maya, Selva Maya II, and Selva Maya III) and spent a wonderful morning at this archeological site in 2006. [NOTE: There were originally eight masks at the Pyramid of the Masks, but three were looted in the late 1960's. Wonder where they are now?]  

Street Food in Chetumal

The city of Chetumal in Quintana Roo, Mexico is the entry point to the Selva Maya (see Selva Maya, Selva Maya II, Selva Maya III, and Selva Maya Interrupted).  Lot of delicious food available on the street at night.  The elotes smeared with mayonaise, queso fresco, and chili powder are my favorites. [NOTE: In spite of what the lady said, the chili habanero powder was - of course - killer hot.]