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Posted July 15, 2009
In the jungles of the Yucatan, before the development began . . . The jungles of the Yucatan are hot, dry, scrub forest, full of bugs that bite, scorpions and snakes that bite, trees full of fire ants that will rain down on you if you chop one with your machete. No chainsaws here, strictly machete chopping, sweat dripping, bug swatting, dust and dirt in your eyes fun. I guess that is archaeology. Fortunately for me the 88th Mexican infantry showed up to put us under house arrest. Someone in Mexico City found out we were doing mapping near the Caribbean coast. This was a very sensitive area apparently, with gun running on those beaches, smugglers shot when caught - the jungle justice system at work. Mayans consider the Spanish to be invaders, and the man on the street can tell you to the year and month how long they have occupied their lands, and it is now 500+ years after the Spanish conquered the Mayans. They must still harbor some hope the Spanish will leave one day? Unfortunately, once under house arrest we were no longer allowed to go into the sweltering jungle to sweat buckets, chop scrub forest trees by machete with blistered hands, swat biting bugs, stinging bees, fire ants, posionous snakes, scorpions, oh my. We were confined to the Acumal compound, forced to lie in our hammocks under thatched roofs, on sugar sand beaches, looking out over the azure and turquoise waters of the Caribbean, witih little to do but walk the beaches or go snorkeling for hours on end, collecting creatures of the sea and shore, shells, chitons and more. Damn. Did I mention that Brent had said there would be girls on this expedition? He was right.
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