calakmul and becan january 2007

Four intrepid adventurers set off from Merida, arguing about the routing south, but sure of having an adventure. We anticipated rainforest-style jungles complete with hordes of mosquitoes, mud, and red eyes staring at us from just beyond the pathways. We were sure our accommodations would be seedy. And we knew we’d be exhausted just from all the driving. HOWEVER….
The drive south from Uxmal (just go right past it and keep going south until you get to Xpuhil and then turn right) took 4-5 hours. The roads are paved and fine, although not much in the way of shoulders. However, there is hardly any traffic and very few towns so you are not burdened by double-tandem trucks or too many topes. There is one checkpoint where we were asked to get out and allow the car to be searched. Otherwise, it’s just driving.
We arrived at our “inn” called Rio Bec Dreams (near the kilometer marker 142 on highway 186) and settled in to two cabins in the woods, complete with plenty of screens, full baths, unnecessary mosquito netting, and lovely wooden terraces. There is a covered dining area where we ate our breakfasts and dinners and took away the sandwiches they made us for our picnic lunches. And of course, there is a bar, where they make wonderful margaritas.. One night, we’d asked them to set a fire for us and we sat outside late into the night enjoying a crackling fire and telling tall tales. (And yes, all of you from Merida, it was delightfully cool enough to sit around a fire at night in January, however the down comforters on the beds were almost too much.) The second night, we stayed in the jungalows which are half the price, have only a room with a bed, and require a separate bath house. There is the occasional bug but we were not troubled at all by mosquitoes.
Setting off the next morning for Calakmul, we had about a 30 minute drive down the highway to the turn-off for the ruins (around km 97 but it’s marked). There you pay a toll of 40 pesos per passenger and 40 pesos for the car (we were advised that the driver does not count as a passenger) and begin an almost two hour drive into the wilderness. The road is narrow, well-paved, and was surrounded by beautiful, yellow, daisy-like weeds when we were there (January 2007).
You arrive at the parking lot and then walk in to the site – along a sacbé with uneven terrain and then more of a road and then paths. We were amazed simply by the patterns on the trees along the route, but it is about a half hour walk before you see more than “jungle” which really is trees and underbrush. The ground you walk is uneven. There are three options as you walk around – long, medium, and short – and we followed the medium route. The long one would include more of the residential areas, which we did not see.
Calakmul is definitely under construction and is being renovated to expand its size and scope. There is speculation that this is the largest Maya site outside of Tikal and they have already found beautiful jade masks (3-4 meters tall), ceramics, and murals, none of which is visible since INAH has taken the masks and ceramics to a museum in Campeche and the murals are behind barbed wire. However, there is still plenty to see. We got directions and advice from Rick at Rio Bec Dreams, who can also act as a guide. There are markers describing the ruins, but we would have liked additional information. There is a Grand Acropolis which is barely visible over the tree tops of structure XIII (billed as a “must climb” structure-- and it is climbable with some boosts from your companions) and an amazing Grand Plaza or Central Plaza with magnificent structures every way you turn. The Grand Acropolis (structure II) can also be climbed and we’d recommend this if you’re only going to climb one. This is the largest pyramid structure around, at around 33 meters it’s taller than Chicen Itza. AND there are monkeys!! We saw families of black monkeys and some brown with grey bellied ones. Look up in the trees if you hear them moving. We also some amazing wild turkeys (called opalescent for their feathers).
Although you are quite near to Balanku once you’ve driven back out to the road, we found that a day of walking around and through Calakmul was very satisfying.
As we were leaving the area, we stopped at Becan (which is the one with the moat for those of you who’ve been studying your Maya ruins). We would say this is a must-see with fabulous buildings and carvings, ball court, residences AND a glass-encased frieze showing some gods. Easy walking, too, and pyramids you could climb (tallest at 32 meters is structure IX). Occupied as early as 600 BC, it reached its peek between 600 and 1000 AD and was deserted by 1450.

here are some of our photos of the trip http://picasaweb.google.com/necshs1/CalakmulandbecanJan2007

We did not see Balanku or Chicana, although we understand they are worth visiting, as is Rio Bec which requires a four-wheel drive vehicle. However, we’ll go back and do that!!