Cenote #1 of 20,000

I have so much to tell you but I want to start with the cenotes. A cenote is a pit that results from the collapse of the limestone bedrock that covers the Yucatan peninsula. There are more than 20,000 cenotes in the Yucatan state and now that I’ve been to one, I aim to see them all, much to the worry of both Ron and our Lawson’s Yucatan guide, Daniel. Here is Cenote Zaci in Vallalodid. I refused to get out until Ron demanded I exit and Daniel promised a new cenote for tomorrow.

We also went to Casa de los Venados, which is a house owned by an American couple who fell in love with Mexico and Mexican folk art and, having lots of US dollars, came to Valladolid and built their dream home, which you can tour if you happen to be traveling with me, since, as you know, I will do anything to get myself into a large private home in a foreign country.

This is the entrance from just off the street. From a street vantage point, you would swear you were entering a parking garage, a hostel, maybe, or a very modest home. But inside is a palatial compound with 5 guest quarters, courtyards, pools and more more more folk art. There’s 18,000 square feet of house, displaying 3000 pieces of colorful folk art, gathered by John and Dorianne Venator, from Portland, OR, and Chicago, IL, quietly living out their lives in charming Vallalodid.

At some point, early in our day, Daniel drove us over to Convent San Bernardino, and, en route, I fell in love with Valladolid, Mexico, history and humanity and I finally got to re-experience that peace I feel, when I’m out in the world, covered in sweat, lost, walking through old buildings, living out of my 19 inch American Tourister.

Valladolid was the city I was most worried about on this trip. Ron has a threshold for the lesser-known cities – say, like Zagreb, Croatia – and once he determines a place falls short, you’re toast as a city, despite any charms I might find. (Lest you think that I’m more reasonable than Ron, know that I dismissed both London and Paris as not worth visiting for many years, and stand corrected on both.) But even Ron agrees that Valladolid is fabulous. Easy-going, friendly people, great main square and totally comfortable. Do not pass up a chance to visit.

Back to the convent, though. This was constructed in about 1552 and served as both a fortress and a church. Here’s the exterior:

Lovely, of course, but like everything else around here, the best stuff is hidden inside. Look at these courtyards and walkways.

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At some point, Daniel asked us if we wanted to take a drive with him to a little village called Uayma that has a gorgeous church, and as we had no need to stop for lunch due to the well-stocked van, off we went. Uayma was an important city for the Mayans (not sure why) and so when the Spanish took over, they felt it was important to build a significant church to mark their impact. Here’s the church, from 1642:

As we stood around admiring the church, we were approached by two young boys, who were extremely curious about us. I wandered off, taking photos like this:

And this:

And, all the while, Daniel was talking with the boys, asking questions, strolling around until, finally, Daniel asked if we wanted to go for a walk with those boys…through four “corners” to see a pottery studio and walk by a cenote. The only possible answer to a question like that is obviously YES and so off we went, with Roberto, 15, and Javier, 11.

Roberto has a dream of becoming a tour guide, and enterprising young man that he is, he’s working that idea diligently, hanging out on the main square of Uayma, population 2300, facilitating traffic flow to his grandfather’s artisanal Mayan pottery studio. Here’s a few shots from the studio, where three people were working, hand forming bowls and pots:

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Here’s the oven they use for firing, hand-built by the grandfather 36 years ago:

That’s it for our day. I’ll leave you with this photo. It’s from “downtown” Uayma, which, with young Robert’s help, will surely hit the tourist radar at some point soon.