Jon Roth’s blog

89 Days in Mexico: Reflections

2008-05-06T12:13:26Z

It has been weeks since I last looked at Vox, but it gave me time to reflect on all that I witnessed in southeast Mexico. Before coming here, I went to Acapulco in the southwestern state of Guerrero almost 9 years ago. Acapulco is a very touristy...

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Week 13: Palenque Rojo (4/2/08)

2008-05-06T12:12:39Z

On the night before flying back to the U.S. we went to a theatrical performance named Palenque Rojo. The tagline to the show was “Passion, music, dance and myth”, and the show blended these four elements phenomenally. This focused on the ruler Ka...

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Week 12: Modern Mayan Communities

2008-05-06T12:08:14Z

Chamula and Zinacantán (3/25/08) We visited the towns of Chamula and Zinacantán to see how the modern-day Mayans live. Chamula’s inhabitants mostly speak the Tzotzil dialect of the Mayan language, and they practice a mixture of Cathol...

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Week 11: Holy Week Festivities (Plus Easter)

2008-03-30T02:37:46Z

The Judases Shall Burn (3/22/08) There were a series of events during Holy Week, which takes place between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. I went to few due to various illnesses sustained since a rafting trip in La Selva Lacandón weeks...

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Week 10: Welcome to San Cristóbal de las Casas, aka Zapatista Territory

2008-03-15T18:24:23Z

After 12 days at Kiuic, six days at Puerto Morelos, four days in La Selva Lacandon, and eight days at five other hotels throughout four states (Yucatán, Quintana Roo, Campeche and Chiapas) since we left Mérida, we are finally in one p...

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Week 9: The Lost Cities of the Jungle Part II – Chiapas

2008-03-15T18:21:07Z

Palenque (3/5/08) A day after we arrived in the state of Chiapas, we wandered amongst the ruins of Palenque which are now surrounded by rainforest. The origins date back to the Early to Middle Pre-Classic, but little architectural evi...

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Weeks 8 and 9: The Lost Cities of the Jungle Part I – Campeche

2008-03-15T18:20:18Z

Becán and Chicanná (3/1/08) Today’s trip to Becán and Chicanná in the state of Campeche marked our first visit to a Chenes and Rio Bec-influenced zone. Becán means “moat” in Mayan, which coincides with the extensive 38-foot high moat ...

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Weeks 7 and 8: Quintana Roo

2008-03-15T18:19:43Z

Tulúm (2/22/08) Instead of visiting Cobá as planned, we traveled to the East Coast site of Tulúm in the state of Quintana Roo. In the Mayan language, Tulúm means “Stinky Dirt”, which refers to the smell from the mangrove wetlands. Whi...

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Weeks 6 and 7: Out of the City and into the Puuc

2008-03-15T18:18:47Z

Kaxil Kiuic (2/10/08 - 2/22/08) After driving through uneven terrain from Mérida, we arrived to the private biocultural reserve of Kaxil Kiuic in the Puuc region on February 10. The next day consisted of an orientation hike of the area with the e...

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Week 5: The Final Days in Mérida

2008-03-15T18:16:30Z

February 5: Acanceh, Tecoh, and Mayapán To begin the day, our class arrived with Hugo to the city of Acanceh, which in Mayan means “Moan of the Deer” as indicated by the hieroglyphic texts deciphered here. This city was founded by the Franciscans...

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