Returning home to Yucatan

Mark Gleason

The Gleason family of Costa Mesa, parents Rebecca and Mark and

teenagers Ryan and Bridget, recently visited Yucatan, Mexico.

Rebecca was born in Merida, the capital city of the state of

Yucatan, but grew up in Southern California and has lived almost all

her life here. Rebecca still has a large family in Merida, but Ryan

and Bridget had not been to Yucatan since they were little kids. Now

that they’re old enough to have some real appreciation for their

roots, Mark and Rebecca felt that it was important to get the kids in

touch with their cultural heritage. The kids barely recognize that

they’re not just half Mexican, but that they’re half Yucateca,

descended from Mayans and Spaniards.

Based in Merida, a city more than 500 years old and one of the

first in the New World, the Gleasons caught up with family and set

out to explore the incredible archeology of Yucatan. First was a

quick trip to Dzibilchaltun, a “small” Mayan ruin just outside Merida

that covers 10 square miles with more than 8,000 structures. Just up

the road is a place that makes even 2,500-year-old cities like

Dzibilchaltun seem young -- Chicxulub, where a giant meteor struck

the earth 65 million years ago and ended the age of dinosaurs.

Chicxulub today doesn’t look like much, just a very large swamp

populated by thousands of flamingos, but one can feel the eerie power

of the place.

Next up were longer road trips to the two major Mayan ruins,

Chichen Itza and Uxmal. Chichen Itza was the center of Mayan

civilization and its huge El Castillo pyramid is probably the most

recognizable icon of Maya culture. Uxmal was a Mayan provincial

capital and is another amazing site with soaring pyramids and

precise, complex architecture. The Gleasons hiked to the top of all

the pyramids and the kids offered to throw each other into the

cenotes, which are the deep wells used for human sacrifices.

As with Egyptian pyramids, it’s hard to believe that ancient

people could have built structures of the size and mathematical

precision of Chichen Itza and Uxmal. Both Chichen Itza and Uxmal have

supposedly been made more tourist-friendly with the addition of

evening light shows, museums and shops, but in reality nothing needs

to be added to appreciate what those places represent.

As a result of this great trip, Ryan and Bridget gained a real

sense of where they really came from, Mark gained a fresh respect for

the power of Habanero chiles and Rebecca was happy to have connected

her Costa Mesa family with her Yucateca family.