Thursday, December 21, 2017

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Tonight's picture was taken in December of 2004. Mattie was two and a half years old and by that point understood more about Christmas. He also got the fact that when taking a photo he had to sit still. Smiling came the next year! This photo was featured on the cover of our 2004 Christmas card.



Quote of the day: He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree. ~ Roy L. Smith

We visited Cozumel, Mexico today. There were 7 other large cruise ships in port, which means about 40,000 passengers in total transcended onto Cozumel. 

Cozumel, a mostly undeveloped Mexican island in the Caribbean Sea, is a popular cruise ship port of call famed for its scuba diving. Specifically around 35 cruise ships visit Cozumel, and we were told that tourism and tips fuel the economy. 

People visit Cozumel for its resorts, scuba diving, and snorkeling. 

The name Cozumel was derived from the Mayan "Cuzamil" or "Ah Cuzamil Peten" in full, which means the island of swallows (the birds). 

We visited the Mayan ruins of San Gervasio. Look who greeted us upon entrance into the ruins.... do you see the large iguana?

Iguana are prolific! I don't know if you can see this, but there are two lying in this tree. They perch on the branches. 

I did not mention this but in Belize (where we visited yesterday), we learned that they eat iguana and gibnuts. What is a gibnut? Try a rat!

Another view of the greeting iguana! He absolutely blended into the limestone!!!

San Gervasio's pre-Hispanic name was Tantun Cuzamil, Mayan for Flat Rock in the place of the Swallows. 

The ruins were once a hub of worship of the goddess Ix Chel (pictured here), an aged deity of childbirth, fertility, medicine, and weaving. Pre-Columbian Maya women would try to travel to San Gervasio and make offerings at least once in their lives. 

The goddess features many symbols in her illustration. There is a snake on her head which symbolizes water, her body the earth, and the vessel she is holding illustrates water trickling from the snake to the earth. So basically there is a connection between the earth and water, and the goddess was the necessary instrument to provide for the growth within the soil (which was also a form of fertility). 

In 1560, the Spanish historian, Diego Lopez de Cogolludo, wrote: "The pilgrims arrive at Cozumel for the fulfillment of their vows to offer their sacrifices, to ask help for their needs, and for the mistaken adoration of their false gods." The bishop of Yucatán, Diego de Landa, wrote in 1549 that the Maya "held Cozumel in the same veneration as we have for pilgrimages to Jerusalem and Rome, and so they used to go to visit and offer presents there, as we do to holy places; and if they did not go themselves, they always sent their offerings. The thatched roof was considered the temple were human sacrifices were made to the goddess.

If fact this flattened ruin is where they suspect humans were chained and organs removed while they were still alive, so that they could be offered in the temple to the goddess.

My mom and me at the ruins!

This arch is the main entrance from the north and west to San Gervasio’s  Central Plaza. It is a simple arch about seven feet tall that straddles the main religious pathways. The pathway apparently went on for seven miles. 

At one time around 10,000 Mayans lived at this ruin site. We asked what happened to these people! It is thought that they contracted small pox when Spanish explorers came to Cozumel, whipping out the population. The Mayan's have both a very progressive side (developed an 18 month calendar, were known for astrology, and medicine) and a more savage side (as they made human sacrifices to multiple gods). 

From the ruins, we went to a tequila distillery. These are blue agave plants! Beautiful no? Tequila is made from these plants, specifically the fruit under the earth. 

This is Ryan. His family owns this distillery called, Regalo de Dios. Ryan is an excellent salesman and truly is passionate about tequila and his family's success. Literally all of us on the tour got to sample at least 7 types of tequila. I am not a hard alcohol drinker, so I tasted each, but then passed my sample cup off to Peter. Tequila when aged is not clear. Some of the Tequila's we tasted today were aged 10-22 years! Unfortunately it was wasted on me, as I can't say I am a fan. Yet it was definitely a fascinating experience.

I would have to say many beautiful hand made products are made in Mexico. They are proud of this fact, and told us nothing was made in China! Unlike in the USA. They have beautiful silver jewelry of black coral, turquoise, and other lovely gems. 

Personally it is the bottles themselves that truly caught my eye. To me they look like big perfume bottles.