Ruins, Hacienda, and a Cow’s head??!!

 

We woke up to the beautiful scenery in Progreso this morning.  Progreso is in the Yucatan Peninsula and is a sleepy fisherman’s town.  We had plans to meet our tour guide, Pablo, who I found through the cruise critic boards (an excellent resource by the way).  We booked Pablo in August, and were excited the day had finally approached.  Our plans were to visit Uxmal Mayan ruins and experience Progreso like locals.   

Entrance to the church in Uman

local market

The view is astounding.  It was worth the long climb to the top!

 Pablo

We met Pablo and set off on our journey.  Having a personal tour guide sure beats getting hurdled like cattle in one of those tourist traps.  Our first stop was the small city of Uman; Pablo took us to a local church and gave us the history of the Mayans.  Mayan history is very similar to African American history; the Mayans worked as slaves and built the church.  At one point, the church was a fortress.  

We visited a local market and Yaxcopoil hacienda, which used to be a plantation that housed Mayan slaves.  The hacienda just took our breath away. 

 Entrance to Yaxcopoil

We then went to Uxmal and visited the ruins.  Fortunately, the weather was great!  The breeze was light and it was not HOT.  All of the natives were cold LOL, but we were just fine.

A cow's head

At the local meat market

Pablo gave us a ton of history everywhere we went.  Legend has is it that Uxmal was built in one day by a dwarf magician.  We saw the Temple of the Phallus, Nun’s Quadrangle, Temple of the Magician, and many other sites, and were provided detailed information on each.  How Pablo retains this information is beyond me, but he is just that good.  Having a knowledgeable tour guide that was concerned about our interests was a highlight of our trip.  

After Uxmal, we visited an authentic Mayan restaurant and ate.  The restaurant was beautiful and all of the servers were dressed in white linen pants and long sleeved shirts.  The food was okay—I think it’s because the Mayan’s season food differently.  However, the experience was wonderful and truly memorable.  

Isn't this restaurant gorgeous?

 
Nun's Quadrangle
 

The salsa was made with habanero peppers and it was HOT!

 the hacienda

 so much fun

 we climbed a lot of steps, but were too afraid (and tired) to reach the top!

Travelin Sistahs & Pablo