We decided to do what every American does in the Riviera Maya and went to Xcaret. It is a beautiful place filled with lots to see and it is enormous, too. We walked and walked all day which is okay since that is what we have been doing everyday.
There are tons of animal habitats to see everywhere like deer, crocodiles, turtles, butterflies. Here are some of Sydney's favorites: flamingos.
Looking at the little quail eggs and hatchlings.
Danza de los Voladores de Papantla. This troup of Totonac dancers at Xcaret performed their traditional dance which, according to legend, was performed to ask the gods to end a severe drought. The 5 men climb a 30 meter pole and then four of them hang from ropes and circle the pole 13 times on their way down for a total of 52 (which is a significant number in the Mayan calendar cycle). Their costumes were beautiful and you wouldn't believe how high 30 meters is! This was one of Natalie's favorite parts of the park.
This is Sydney with her new role model, Miguel. He is going to teach her to climb the pole and go down the ropes.
The lagoon at Xcaret. It is a pretty little inlet where the kids enjoyed snorkling. We saw some huge fish and sea urchents.
The Strong side of the family getting out of the lagoon.
Okay. How many photos do you need of some turtles, anyway?! We just thought these hatchlings were just too cute to walk past without taking a gazillion pictures. Every time we thought we had gotten past all the turtles, there would be another pond with even more.
This turtle is about 8 inches from head to toe.
We loved these tiny ones the most. This guy was just hanging out, letting the water current take him where ever.
Sydney was checking out this big ray. The walkways were pretty narrow in some spots. I'm really surprised one of our kids didn't end up in the shark tank or turtle ponds.
One of the Mayan ruin sites. Xcaret used to be a Maya seaport before it was a eco-tourist trap.
The cathedral at Xcaret.
This rock is a relic at the cathedral. It is from the hill where Saint Juan Diego is said to have met the Virgin of Guadalupe (one of Natalie's favorite stories in Mexican history).
Two of Natalie's favorite Mexican artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo.
Agave fields.
Jay's favorite part of Xcaret was probably the Mayan ball court. This one was surrounded by the most beautiful yellow flowers.
In the butterfly pavillion. We got to the building just at closing time so we didn't have much time to look around. Here we thought the waterfall would be a perfect place for a family photo.
The pumas/jaguares.
One of the Mayan characters standing outside the arena where the famous Xcaret cultural program took place.
A recreation of the Juego de Pelota.
Different areas of Mexico where represented in the program with typical music, dances and costumes.
1 comment:
Who knew there was so much to see and do at Xcaret. The only thing I remember was floating down the underground river and the evening program. Hmmm, we must have missed a lot.
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