carlosrosado.com/blog

Yaxuna with Dad and Tio Craig

2012-01-19T05:46:00.006-08:00

Well well. It sure has been a long time since I last posted, a mixture of holiday laziness and the fact that we did not have the internet hooked up to our place in Merida are mostly to blame, but alas here we are no in January 2012. I hope to be posting a few entries over the next week or so regarding the happenings of the past couple of months or so... so lets get started.
A couple weeks ago I headed over to the town of Yaxcaba and archaeological site of Yaxuna with my dad and my uncle Craig who had been visiting us all down in sunny Yucatan. We explored a litte around town, got some munchies and then make our way to the archaeological site of Yaxuna. I have been to this particular site quite a few times but on this ocassion the weeds had grown quite high and it was a bit of challenge to make our way through the bush, but still we preserved (although I got some weird bug bites on my legs that are still kinda with me). In any case we had a really nice day which we topped off with a big Yucatecan lunch . Hope you enjoy the photos.

November Update!

2011-11-28T11:48:00.003-08:00

Well I know I have not been exactly great at keeping up my goal of posting every week, but in my defence I have been quite busy! Anyway things here in Norway are going quite well... I am really quite happy with my Masters program and the weather has been incredibly mild for this time of year; here we are in the last few days of November and still no snow! Jeanette and I will be travelling with her family to Merida in just under two weeks to attend my sisters wedding so we are of course psyched about that... but for now we are just enjoying the mild weather and all the pre-christmas excitement. Anyway I hope you enjoy the photos!

Good times in Norwegian Cabin country

2011-10-22T00:50:00.003-07:00

This week my classmates and I made a little trip up to a nice cabin in the woods near Oslo... it was really quite fun and it was of course great to get out of the city and get some nice hiking done. I really hope the opportunity to do more of this kind of thing and maybe take a week long trip up in to the mountains or something like that. Other than that this week has not been particularly eventful, I have been doing tons of coursework (mostly readings) but I really cant complain as I am enjoying it. The first couple pictures are obviously not taken out in the forest, but rather just around my apartment.
Hope you enjoy the photos.

Feeling nostalgic: Rome 2003 - My most self indulgent blog post ever

2011-10-13T23:46:00.005-07:00

Since 2005 I have been documenting my adventures my adventures on this blog, some have been really exciting and life changing, others mundane at best. However I have not until this point made a post about something which happened more than a week or so in the past... I guess there is a first time for everything. Now, I do not consider myself a particularly nostalgic person but listening to the fantastic History of Rome Podcast (Thanks Eivind for the recommendation) I have been feeling quite nostalgic indeed.

There is no real way to describe what the 2003 UNB intersession in Rome meant to me. I have since often thought that the first place you ever really travel to as a young adult (excluding non exotic countries like those in your immediate region) is often remembers as a first love. As with lovers, your first trip is unlikely to be your last but it will have always been your first and you are always likely to think fondly of it. During this time I also met many friends, some of whom I still keep in touch with fairly regularly and feel fortunate to be able to share memories with.

Keeping this blog has been very cool in that it allows me to easily go back and see what I was doing years ago, and although due to its public nature I tend to self censure quite a bit... it still activates memory triggers in my mind which allow me in some way or another to "relive" all these great and sometimes not so great times in my life. Also it is fun to see how I have (hopefully) gotten better as a photographer =)

Well enough of this self indulgence, I hope you enjoy the photos!

More Fall Colors!

2011-10-04T23:02:00.004-07:00

The past week or so has had some fairly decent weather, so its given me a few opportunities to run outside and take a few shots. As you can see, the fall is in full swing and the days are getting shorter... but oh well. I have finished the first course of my Masters and I think that things with school are progressing fairly well... I am quite happy with my program and am looking forward to figuring out what exactly do to about my thesis. Anyway I hope you enjoy the photos!

Autumn is here!

2011-09-25T05:44:00.003-07:00

Well today we seem to have gotten a much needed reprieve from the rain! Jeanette and I made our way outside and decided to go out for a nice walk down by the river and to have some nice waffles for brunch. Hopefully this nice weather will keep up for a little while longer! Hope you enjoy the photos.

Long time no post!

2011-08-31T23:13:00.004-07:00

Wow, it has been ages since I have made a post... but in my defence I really have had quite a bit going on in my life. As some of you know last Aug 6th Jeanette and I got married here in Norway! The wedding was wonderful and many of our good friends came from all around the world to share it with us, so that was really special. We took a short honeymoon in Dublin at a really cute B&B for three days, which was really nice and relaxing. The day after we got back I started graduate school at the University of Oslo where I am doing a Masters in Culture, Sustainability. I am really happy with the program and the people all seem to be very nice, interesting and diverse. The weather has already started to change and it is getting a bit darker and colder every day... it seems like we are in autumn already... but at least Jeanette and I get to go to Merida in December for my sisters wedding and some fun in the sun.

(Wedding Photos Copyright of Zane Culliton)

A sad day...

2011-07-22T22:36:00.005-07:00

As you surely are aware, Norway has suffered two separate gruesome tragedies in the past day. The nation is in shock as are people around the world. The comment that seems to be echoed the most is "why Norway?".

When people think of Norway they think of wide open spaces, a free and open society, a prosperous and generous people... and all of those things are still true. While it is still not entirely clear who committed these deplorable acts the sad truth is that many people lost their lives and many others where gravely injured.

The contrast between what Norway has experienced and the national psyche is at this moment simply not reconcilable but Norwegians are a strong and stoic people who are sure to get over this great tragedy. I have strong ties to this wonderful country through my soon to be wife Jeanette and am blessed to live in a city as free and wonderful as Oslo.

The coming days and weeks will shed light on the authors and so called justifications of these deplorable crimes and while the scars of July 22nd will live on, the people of Norway will remain strong.

Jeg elsker Norge!

Dzilam Gonzalez

2011-07-14T03:03:00.002-07:00

A few weeks ago I made my way out to Dzilam Gonzalez with my dad to see some of the remains of a few Mayan structures which are located in this little town near the northern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. The structures although severely damaged over the centuries (by those looking to use them as sources for building materials) still remain quite large and interesting. Sadly few real architectural features reamin... however if I had to make a guess I would think the oval shape of the bases and megalithic style would indicate a city comparable to Ake.
Hope you enjoy the photos!

Sierra Papakal

2011-06-05T15:32:00.004-07:00

Today I joined a group of birders lead by David Salas to the "Sierra Papakal" to take in some birding and try to get some photos. We got an early start and left Merida by 5.3o and got to it. For much of the day the lighting was quite unfavourable and I did not manage get quite as many nice shots as I would have liked , but still... I was more than satisfied! If you are in the Yucatan and are interested in taking part in these sort of activities send me an email and I will happily forward you the contacts.
Hope you enjoy the photos!

Canada Spring 2011 Pt. 2

2011-05-31T16:50:00.002-07:00

Here are some nice photos I took while walking about Montreal with my good friend Michael, as you can see the Quebecois take their gardening quite seriously!
Happy spring (although a tad belated!)

Canada Spring 2011 Pt. 1

2011-05-31T16:40:00.005-07:00

Hi everyone!
As you have probably noticed I have not posted anything here for about a month. Things have been quite crazy... I took a last minute trip up to Canada to get my papers sorted out for my Norwegian student visa and to take care of some banking... but fortunately everything went well and things are getting back to normal. I will be in Merida for about one more month to finish up the semester and then I am off to Europe!
During my time in Canada I of course got out to do some shooting... although the weather really was not that good for most of the time I was there. I think I got a few nice shots and itt was great to get to visit with friends in Toronto and Montreal... so all and all it was a successful trip. Anyway I hope you enjoy the photos!

Muyil (Chunyaxché)

2011-04-10T19:44:00.002-07:00

After spending a few hours at the Archaeological site of Xel-Ha I made my way south to the ancient city of Muyil. The site is located about 25 km south of Playa del Carmen on the road to Felipe Carillo puerto. The signage up to the site is not great but it is very easy to take a van or "colectivo" to the site from Tulum. The city is fairly large and possess some fairly large structures, especially for coastal Quintana Roo. The city is divided in to two sections which are refered to as Muyil A, and Muyil B. Muyil A houses aproximately 40 structures and is the only one of the two areas to be open to the public. It is beleived that Muyil mas first occupied in the third century B.C. and Archaeological evidence seems to suggest that due to its location on the then remote eastern coast of the Yucatan peninsula it was ocupied untill the XVI century.
I hope you enjoy the photos!

Xel-Ha (Archaeological Site)

2011-04-04T18:42:00.004-07:00

If you google Xel-Ha you will probably find several hundred results for the extremely over pirced "eco park" Disney land experience that is located just south of Playa del Carmen. There is however just a few kilometres south of the park and on the other side of the highway a post-classic Maya ruin which goes by the same name. The city of Xel-ha located along the coastline of the modern Mexican state of Quintana Roo flourished in the post-classic and was known for amongst other things as an exporter of quality coloured dies and very fine crushed shells which where used in the fabrication of some tipes of stucco. It is then not surprising that in Xel-ha we find several structures with stucco remains and examples (although fairly eroded) of mural art. The structures in the site are of mostly moderate to small sizes which is of-course consistent with Mayan Costal Architecture... however the site has much to offer. It is possible to follow a Sac-be (mayan road) to the cities Cenote which is teaming with iguanas and birds (such as Cheles & Trogons) just gorgeous! I hope you enjoy the photos!

Mexico City Weekend Gettaway!

2011-03-21T14:16:00.004-07:00

This past Friday I made my way up to Mexico city for the weekend to attend a Iron Maiden concert with my friend Oscar. We decided to stay for a couple more nights and take in some laid back sight-seeing and nice food. On this occasion I took it fairly easy and stuck mostly to the downtown area... no major archaeological sites this time. All and all it was quite a nice and relaxing time! Hope you enjoy the photos!

30 Second Exposure of "Palacio de Bellas Artes"

Long exposure (5 seconds) at "Los Azulejos"

He is going to wash your windshield whether you want him to or not... path of less resistance comes to mind

El Zocalo (filter used, obviously)

A monument to Juarez in the Centro Historico

Shot from the Airplane

"El Angel" on Reforma

"Monumento a La Revolucion"

Shot of people cooling down at the fountain out in front of the "Monumento a la Revolucion"

Shot from a top the monument

That´s all for now!

Dzibilnocac & Iturbide

2011-03-08T18:27:00.012-08:00

After our visit to El Tabasqueño and Hochob, my dad and I made our way to the ruins of the city of Dzibilnocac which is located on the outskirts of the village of Iturbide. Evidence for the ocupation of Dzibilnocac goes as far back to the preclassic (about 500 to 50 BC), however the monumental structures now visalbe are placed firmly in the classic peridod (600 to 800 DC). It is clear to any visitor to this ancient ruin that Dzibilnocac was a city of great importance and beautify... however it is important to keep in mind that the ruins which are now visable represent but a fraction of the original city, since most of the centre was located in what is now the town of iturbide. It is interesting that several of the ruined prehispanic structures where used in the 1850s for materials in the construction of forts and bastions during the terrible conflict knows and the "Caste War". Several of these forts are still standing to this day.

El Tabasqueño & Hochob

2011-03-08T15:17:00.008-08:00

A couple of days ago I made my way south to Campeche with my dad with the purpose of finally getting around to explore some Chenes Maya Archaeological sites which we had been wanting to visit for quite some time. The main reason we had not been out there before is that the roads in this inland area of Campeche are notoriously bad and have only recently been rehabilitated by the state goverment. The roads have gotten infinately better... however travel in this region is not without dificulty since the infrastructure is sparse... their are very few gas stations and the signage to places of intereste is spoty at best. Anyway we did manage to visit the Mayan prehispanic cities of El Tabasqueño, Hochob and Dzibilnocac as well as take a look arround several small towns and villages in the region.

Both El Tabasqueño and Hochob present a type of architecutre refered to as Chenes. Chenes arquitecture is characterized by the presnce of enourmous "Monstruos de la tierra" (Monster of the Earth) masks which cover the enitre facades of complete structures or altars. The presence of rain god masks is ubiquitous in Chenes architecture, however such feature s are usualy more commonly asociated with the Puuc style. Many elements from Rio-Bec architecture are also found in Chenes which leads many Mayists to consider Chenes architecutre more of a transitional style than a style in itself.

I hope you enjoy the photos of El Tabasqueño & Hochob!

El Tabasqueño:

Hochob:

Thanks for reading and check back soon for more from the Chenes region!

Chiapas Feb 2011 Pt.1 II

2011-02-18T00:44:00.009-08:00

After three days in the mountains of Chiapas we made our way down from the Sierra Madre back in to the Yucatan. On our way we stoped in Ocosingo to visit the Archaeological site of Tonina and spent a night in Palenque to visit the Archaeological site of the same name. As I have photographed and blogged about these archaeological times several times already I decided to concentrate on wildlife and portraits for this post (the last few photos are actually from the Sumidero Canyon and San Cristobal).
Anyway I hope you enjoy the photos!

Chiapas Maya Higlands! (Chiapas Feb 2011 Pt.1 I)

2011-02-15T17:25:00.006-08:00

This week I have made it up to the highlands of Chiapas for work... and as always it has been a pleasure. Spending a few nights in San Cristobal de las Casas never gets old... I have been there well over a dozen times and every time I arrive I am always happy and excited (although exausted, since the mountain city is a good 16 hours away from Merida). We also visted the Mayan towns of San Juan Chaumla and Zinacantan wich where as colorful and lively as alwys! I hope you enjoy the pics!

Birding at Uxmal!

2011-02-06T15:58:00.004-08:00

Today I made my way to Uxmal for work and of course took the chance to do some birding and get some shots. February is peek birding season here in the Yucatan since the migrations from the North are at their height. I spoted The Yucatan Woodpecker (Melanerpes pygmaeus), The Orange Oriole (Icterus auratus) and several "Pajaros Tho" or "Mot mot" (Eumomota superciliosa) as well as one other species of Woodpecker and several little swallows. There also were a huge amount of iguanas out enjoying the sun and warming up their cold blood! Hope you enjoy the photos!

Celestun Weekend and Birding Gallore!

2011-02-01T22:02:00.007-08:00

This weekend I went out to Celestun with my friend Daniel who is down here in the Yucatan visiting from Hamburg. The weather was pretty much perfect and we basically just lied around, drank beer and ate sea food, not to bad a life eh? I of course brought along my camera to get some shots of the wonderful wildlife of the area... and I was not disappointed. for the time of year there where many Flamingos as well as just about every species of Egret you could imagine (including the Tiger Egret) and even some little gators. I hope you enjoy the pics!

Parrots, Centotes and Hawks... oh my!

2011-01-23T16:21:00.004-08:00

This was a fairly laid back week... I have been working quite a bit so I have not had to much time to get out and shoot, but I have at least been able to catch a few interesting images in the back yard... fortunately I live in Yucatan and my backyard is quite an interesting place :)
As you can see by the first couple pics I have been stalking the neighborhood parrots again... these guys are really loud and a bit hard to photograph, but fortunately this week I landed a few decent pics. Also I got a couple photos of a Sparrowhawk, but they seemed came out quite over exposed... oh well, was still fun to see the little guy. I have also thrown in a few photos from Cuzama... which I have always found particularly difficult to photograph... I will actualy be back there next week with my friend Daniel who will be visiting from Germany and since I hope to go on a Monday... I will probably have more of a chance to get some nice wide shots without having to worry about other people (fingers crossed!).

n

Urban Archaeology: Parque Ecoarqueologico de Poniente

2011-01-05T23:05:00.005-08:00

A couple days ago my dad and I made our way to the "Parque Ecoarqueologico Poniente" which is a Eco-Archaeological park located in the western edge of the city (Merida). The park is a project similar to the one know as the "Parque Ecoarqueologico de Oriente", however although they are both within the city in large residential areas... this particular park is much less landscaped and wild, so it is very easy to forget that you are in the city (for the most part) and just enjoy the archaeology and birds! The area of the park is of about 300 square meters and has a few dozen observable structures which range from barely describable mounds to a couple pyramidal structures between 7 and 8 meters in high. There is also an aguada (artificial water reservoir) and Sacbe (pre-hispanic elevated road) which communicated the outpost with other urban centres in the region. There has been some restoration done at the site, however the structures have suffered a lot of damage since they where obviously pillaged for construction of newer structures in decades and centuries past. Anyway I hope you enjoy the photos!

Starting 2011 Off On The Right Foot!

2011-01-02T19:01:00.004-08:00

For better of for worse the holidays are over! There is much to look forward to, so its time to start thinking about new shooting opportunities and adventures for the new year. I will be guiding a couple photography trips this year in South eastern Mexico and Central America, so if you are interested get in touch with me ASAP... there are only a few spots left and they are filling up fast! All the best and have an awesome 2011!

And now for some more Yucatecan wildlife!

2010-12-29T00:03:00.007-08:00

Yesterday (Tuesday) Roque, Raul and I got back in to the car for another day in the Yucatecan countryside. This time we visited Yaxuna, as well as a couple cenotes :) It was a productive day... I got this wonderful photo of the Mut Mut (Pajaro Toh) you see bellow. Also noteworthy (and fairly rare) is the photo of the Geococcyx velox (AKA Road Runner, but sorry no Coyote!) and a little brown bat :) Hope you enjoy the photos!

One of many un excavated pre-hispanic structures surrounding Xtogil cenote.

Cenote Xtogil

Chacmultun!

2010-12-28T21:48:00.008-08:00

Yesterday I made my way with Roque and Raul (a couple old friends from grade school) to the Mayan archaeological site of Chacmultun. The site is located in the municipality of Tecax, on the foothills of the Puuc valley and is truly impressive for its architectural beauty and gorgeous landscape. Chacmultun is representative of Puuc style architecture and is comparable to other sites in the area such as Kabah and Labna, however perhaps due to its out of the way location it is seldom visited by anyone... perhaps in great part due also to the fact that it is not an official part of the "Puuc route". If you ever want to take a daytrip to this wonderful site feel free to hit me up for some more info, hope you enjoy the pics.

There is no place like home!

2010-12-19T01:58:00.005-08:00

After a 30 some hour trip without a wink of sleep I finally arrived in Merida last Tuesday! It always really wonderful to come home, but this time seemed extra sweet... although perhaps bittersweet as Jeanette was not able to join me. I have not gotten much sleep this week since my jet-lag has been compounded with that fact that I am now working nights... but I will get the hand of it soon I think... and besides I quite like my job and really like that its portable :)
Anyway here are two very different batches of photos I took this week... the first is obviously from Norway (near Jeanettes house) and the second are from Santa Elena and a hacienda called Yaxcopoil. Anyway I hope you enjoy the photos!

Godt av for nå Norge (Good bye for now Norway)

2010-12-08T05:31:00.002-08:00

Well this will be my last post from Norway for a while. As you probably know if you follow this blog, I have been living in Norway with my wonderful girlfriend Jeanette and her family for the past six months... but now I will be returning to Merida for a while and getting some stuff sorted out. I will hopefully be back in Norway with Jeanette before to long but for now I am happy to be going home, seing my family and escpaing the bitter scandinavian winter! Anyway, enjoy the snowy pics! brrrrrr!

More woods arround Østfold

2010-11-21T08:42:00.004-08:00

Here are some photos I took this week in the woods here in good ol Østfold commune. The weather has been getting a lot colder lately and the snow has really started to drop down... although I guess its not really that bad yet... and after all I will be back in the Yucatan fairly soon... so I guess I should enjoy the winter while I can! Hope you enjoy the photos :)

Wow it actually stopped raining!

2010-11-14T08:17:00.006-08:00

The weather here in Norway has been quite abysmal lately... but fortunately today was quite decent... not in the hey lets go swim in the lake kinda way, but nice in that overcast foggy days can make for neat photos! We even saw some deer running along the fields... although sadly those photos did not turn out all that hot... hopefully I will spot them again soon and get some nice shots of them. Hope you enjoy the photos!

Daytrip to Oslo!

2010-10-13T00:39:00.007-07:00

Last Sunday Jeanette and I made our way to Oslo to attend a Science Fiction conference at the University of Oslo! (guess whose idea that was). Anyway the con was really not what we expected... it was more of a series of movies with discussion panels, but still it was quite fun... although we only stayed for one movie. It was quite nice to see the UiO campus... I really hope that I can go there next fall! Anyway after we were done on campus we decided to walk to the Vigeland Sculpture park in downtown Oslo and check out some other sites such as the Royal Palace. We had fantastic weather which was great since its been raining pretty much non stop for most of October... so every little ray of sunshine is much apreciated!
Thats all for now!

Kings Palace in Oslo

One of the Kings guards

Fall colors!

The Nobel institute, no Chinese dissidents hiding in here!

This sculpture just screams "happy fathers day!"

Nice sunset taken from the train back to Moss

Dublin!

2010-09-03T21:42:00.005-07:00

I really really enjoyed my time in Dublin... I honestly don't have a single negative thing to say about it. The city itself is vibrant and exciting (but not to big), the people are really nice (ridiculously so) and although food/drink was a little expensive it was generally fairly good. Even the trip in to town using public transit from the airport was good. I hope to get the chance to make it back to Ireland soon and maybe next time do some exploring in the North!

My Canadianess won out and insisted on Tim Hortons (yes they have it in Ireland, crazy eh?)

Hope you enjoyed the photos!

Western Ireland!

2010-09-02T00:20:00.007-07:00

Last week I made my way to Ireland to meet up with my cousin James who is working for a few months in Amsterdam. In all honesty we chose Ireland as a place to meet because the flights there were quite cheap... it ended up being a really was a good decision, Ireland was truly spectacular. I spend most of my time in Dublin (next post) but I did manage to get out of the city and go for a day trip to the Western coast of the tiny island nation. It takes about 4 hours of non-stop driving to get across the country, but its really really worth it. The Cliffs of Moher were the clear highlight of the day, and are really something special... and the weather was perfect to, could not really ask for anything better. The tour was really nice, I usually do not often endorse specific tours... but I guess I will make an exception for this one, their website is http://www.maccooletours.com/
Anyway check back soon for the Dublin pics!

FINALY some decent weather!

2010-08-22T14:44:00.004-07:00

Norway is a beautiful country, unfortunately the weather this summer has not been exactly ideal, as a matter of fact it feels like ages since we last had a sunny day. Anyway as luck would have it today was gorgeous and Jeanette and I got invited to join her sister and boyfriend (along with another couple of their friends) to boat along the coast and do some fishing and mushroom collecting. Unfortunately we did not catch any fish, but we did manage to find bucket-loads of mushrooms and a few interesting little critters and plants. Hope you enjoy the photos (And thank you Lone and Bård for the invite).

What a handsome fellow!

These beautiful little flowers seems to be all over the place in the shallow waters along the coast

Clouds looming (it did rain but only as we were pulling up to the dock!)

I know it does not look it, but this is actually a color photograph... no BWGrayskailing

I realize this is a bit random, but remember how I mentioned mushroom picking? well yea. The variety of mushrooms on this one little inlet was crazy... there must have been at least a good 30 distinct species on a 80 square meter stretch... evolution sure is wonderful! Anyway here are some photos of a few of these fungi I found the most interesting.

That's all for now!

And it looks like we are finaly back online!

2010-08-01T14:32:00.003-07:00

For the past month or so my access to the internet has been quite limited... but thankfully the situation has been remedied. Anyway, big news... I am engaged! Yup... Jeanette and I got engaged in Paris (well Versalles actualy). We are really happy and excited and it looks like the wedding will be in Norway in August 2011... here is our first photo as an engaged couple!

The next couple photos are from a couple iron age stone circles... they are pre-viking era but it is my understanding that at one point there was also a temple to the Norse God Thor nearby! neat!

Yea... this guy is just adorable (Take in Frederikstad)

Nice butterfly shot

The European Magpie (Skjære in Norwegian) is a member of the crow family and is very common in Scandinavia... I like to call them Oreos (you know... because of the black and white)

Shot of tranquil lake near the Oslo Fjords

Göteborg!

2010-07-06T14:49:00.003-07:00

This week I made my way by train to Swedens second city, Goteborg! I was in town to visit with my good friend Daniel who came to Scandinavia to attend a conference for work. At just under a million inhabitants,Goteborg is one of the bigest cities in Scandinavia and also one of the most vibrant. Goteborg has some similarities with Amsterdam or Copenhagen in that it is incredibly clean and surrounded by canals, interesting shops, and cafes! Daniel and I also made our way out of town to a little island 40 minutes from the mainland by ferry (part of the public transit network)... which I must say was incredibly beautiful and effcient (this is Scandinavia after all).
In general I was very impressed by the city and really enjoyed myself... although it is quite an expensive place (but, not as bad a most Norwegian cities).
Anyway I hope you enjoy the photos!

Greetings from Scandinavia!

2010-07-06T12:56:00.003-07:00

So as some of you may know; a couple weeks ago I made my way up to Norway to be with my wonderful girlfriend Jeanette. I have been here for a couple of weeks but my internet access has been somewhat limited thus making posting quite dificult. Since I have been here I have had many wonderful photographic oportunities... here are a couple shots from the past couple of weeks... this is just a first post and there is much more to come! Most of this batch of photos are of coastal birds (big suprise eh?) however you will also notice the awesome viking paintings! That is all for now!

A day at the beach! (Progreso, Yucatan)

2010-06-11T20:55:00.005-07:00

Well, it was more like a late afternoon. Today I headed out to Progreso (about 30k north of Merida) and took some time to get down to the coastline and snap some photos of the birds and whatnot! The light was quite nice for most of the time and I am fairly happy with the shots, even though I was not there for all that long on this occasion.

Oh... one more thing!
As you may notice I have added a watermark to the images. I really care about my photographs and like to share them in at high resolutions... the downside of course is that some people have been ripping them off and using them for profit... this, is not cool. I realize that to edit the watermarks out is insanely easy, but I hope that people will be reasonable about this. I spend a lot of time and money on my photography and if someone wants to use my photos for a commercial purposes its only fair that I be see something for my efforts. If you would like to use any of my images for education/personal/non-profit projects, I am happy to make them available to you... but please let me know! OK that's that!

Belizean Wildlife!

2010-06-01T08:23:00.010-07:00

Although tiny, Belize boasts some of the most impressive biodiversity in all of Central America... tapirs, spider monkeys, exotic birds, reptiles and insects make up what is truly a wonderful refuge for wildlife. This is not to say that Belize does not have its fair share of ecological woes, Macaws for example are nearly extinct due to the exotic bird trade and poor water management has threatened many areas of the tiny nation... however even with all this said, due to its low population density and low level of industry there are still sizable regions of the country which remain practically pristine. I hope you enjoy the photos, they are not particularly technically excellent but I still feel they give a good feel for the biodiversity which can be found!

Couple small species of lizard which seem to be much more prominent than the large Toloc Iguanas found in Yucatan.

A couplephotos of the same Keel Billed Toucan from Xunantunich (the national bird of Belize!)

Gorgeous little Toucanet... one of my favorite tropical birds

The Montezuma Oropendola and its enormous nests!

Howler Monkeys, a true staple of Central American rain forests.

The Tapir is affectionately known in Belize as River Cow (it is Belizes national animal) They are fairly easy to spot due to their large size, however once they have spotted you they tend to just run straight in to the bush (I suspect they are very good at turning with those masively dense bodies).

The amazingly agile and always welcome Spider Monkey!

Little flycatcher munching on some nice little red fruit.

Anyway that is all for now, I hope you enjoyed the photos!

Belize Archaeology Adventure 2010 Pt. 3 Caracol)

2010-05-30T10:27:00.010-07:00

Caracol is an anciet Maya city located in the Cayo district of Belize and is about 2 hours away from the town of San Ignacio. Archaeological evidence suggests that Caracol was first inhabited as early as 1200 BC, making it one of the earliest power centers in mesoamerica. For centuries at a time Caracol fought and forged alliances with other mighty cities such as Calackmul (in present day Mexico) and Tikal (in nearby Guatemala). Caracol's influence was also strongly felt in cities it dominated such as El Naranjo, El Pilar, Xinantunich etc. Caracol's greatest expansion came in the fifth century during what is known as the Mayan classic period; it is during this time that many of the sites most iconic structures were constructed.

Caracol is not really a site you can get to on your own. Even agencies which plan trips to the site from San Ignacio go in convoys since if you were to get stuck there is a good chance that there would be nobody on that road to help you for at least a few days. The terrain is treacherous and during the rainy season access is often made impossible by flooding... however do not let any of this dissuade you from going, its well worth the difficulty!

View from atop Caana pyramid (the largest in Belize)

Ancient toomb

One of the many vaulted structures at the site

Nicely preserved hieroglyphs on stelae.

Beautiful stone and stucco mask!

A ballgame marker covered in glyphs

One of the two excavated ball courts at Caracol.

Interesting ramp which leads up to large ceremonial center (perhaps built to aid construction or to make it easier for elderly priests to gain access to the temple).

Stunning acropolis.

Very typical architecture at Caracol.

Wonderful little pyramid across from Caana.

Beautiful hieroglyphs on said pyramid.

Wow wow wow, just wow!

The ground level platform of Caana (Sky Palace) to this day one of the largest man made structures in Belize!

More to come!

Belize Archaeology Adventure 2010 Pt. 2 (Cahal Pech)

2010-05-30T09:40:00.004-07:00

After my visit to Xunantunich I made my way to the nearby archaeological site of Cahal Pech. Unfortunately the weather took a turn for the worse and by the time I got to the site it was raining cats and dogs! (not literally of course). My main concern was for my cameras, and although I had my little water resist point and shoot, I knew I would want to bring out an SLR. I eventualy decided to brave the weather, put a big garbage back over my camera back which is already weatherproof and just shoot with the little point and shoot. Eventually the rain calmed down to the point were I could bring out the big canon, but the light was still quite terrible... oh well, at least I got to visit and photograph the site.

Cahal Pech is built on a hill on the outskirts of the town of San Ignacio. You can walk from the bus station of the town to the site in about 15 to 20 minutes, but keep in mind that the entire walk is uphill... so if you are feeling lazy you could always get a cab up to the site for about a buck or two. The site features arround 30 structures, the largest measuring 25 meters in height. There are several small pyramids and platforms as well as a ball court. The main palace complex is the most impressive structure on the site, it features a beautiful courtyard, some very interesting staircases and odd looking archways as well as fairly wide corridors.
Hope you enjoy the photos (and sorry for the poor lighting, I did what I could considering the weather!). Check back soon for photos of Belize's archaeological crown jewel, the famed city (and great rival of Tikal and Calakmul) of Caracol!

Belize Archaeology Adventure 2010 Pt. 1 (Xunantunich)

2010-05-30T04:13:00.006-07:00

This week I decided to take a few days and travel from Merida to the Belizean interior to visit some archaeological sites which have alluded me so far. Belize is a great little country with several interesting ruins to visit; it is also teaming with wildlife due in great part to its low population density of about 250,000 in a territory about the size of Belgium. Belize is however not without its challenges... transportation can be difficult and unreliable, it is important to always have a plan B!

Anyway for this first post I will share some photographs I took of the ancient city of Xunantunich. This third century site is found on the Mopan river about 150 km west of Belize city and near the towns of Benque Viejo and San Ignacio. Xunantunich means "Stone Woman" in the Yucatec Maya dialect, however the original name of the site is not known. The site is dominated by "El Castillo" which is decorated with beautiful stucco masks and other adornments. The structure stands as Belize's second largest pyramid after "Caan" in Caracol. The site also features many other smaller pyramids, courtyards, ceremonial platforms and a ball court.

River crossing on the Mopan.

Storm clouds looming over Xunantunich

One of the several beautiful stucco masks

Stairway up "El Castillo".

View through the ruins of a structure in the southern plaza.

View of the main acropolis.

El Castillo

Xunantunich ball court.

One of Xunantunich's current inhabitants, how beautiful, what a treat!

One of the many unrestored structures at the site.

Hope you enjoyed the post, come back soon for more on Belizean archeaology!

Mayan Ruins at X'oot (and some neat orchids)

2010-05-21T13:06:00.006-07:00

Last week I made my way to Santa Elena with my dad and sister to go visit the archaeological site of X'oot (I have found tons of different ways of spelling this site). X'oot is about 10km from the town of Santa Elena in what is known as the Puuc valley. There has been virtually no restoration work done although there are now some cleared paths which allow visitors to visit the site without the need of a machete (always appreciated!). There are several significant visible structures along with 2 large pyramids. One interesting thing about the site is that from the top of the larger pyramid you can see Uxmal (about 10km away). Unfortunately the day I was there it was quite hazy... so hopefully next time I will get some better photos of uxmal from X'oot.

Abel, Our guide through the milpa (if you need a guide to access remote sites in the area this is your man, send me a message if you would like his contact info).

Uxmal as seen from X'oot

Atop a pyramid

Pyramid at X'oot

The site is surrounded by corn fiels

The landscape is quite rigid and there are many forks in the road, unless you know exactly were you are going you need a guide.

And for dessert... some orchids from my moms garden!

Final installmet of southern Ontario's wildlife (I promise)

2010-05-13T06:54:00.005-07:00

Well after a couple wonderful months in southern Ontario I am back in Merida for a little until I head over to Europe! Despite the crippling May heat, it is great to be home enjoying all the wonderful food, sights and sounds... as well as being back for mothers day and my moms birthday. Here are a few more photos I took in Ontario to wrap up my little series of posts on the area!

That is all for now!

Yet even more wildlife!

2010-04-28T18:20:00.004-07:00

With the ever warmer and warmer weather more and more little (and not so little) critters are making their way out in to the trails, parks and forests of southern Ontario. And of course now with my new Tamaron 400mm lens I have been having even more fun than ever! I am really thinking about upgrading my camera body to a 7d since I have really been feeling the limitations of my current body ... but oh well, we will see. Anyway here are some of my favorite shots from this week, hope you enjoy them!

More Southern Ontario Wildlife!

2010-04-19T15:18:00.008-07:00

I have been getting out and having quite a bit of fun chasing birds around with my new 400mm along the paths here in Kitchener. I really want to make my way more in to the wilderness to shoot some more exotic species... but for now the suburban birds will just have to do!

Mallard Duck

Red-winged Blackbird (and female bellow following photo... sure are different)

Wild Rabbit

Common Muskrat

American Robin

Red Tulip

Northern Cardianal

Common Grackle

Northern Finch

Southern Onatrio Countryside

2010-04-13T13:56:00.003-07:00

After getting our fill of beagles and coffee Zane and I decided to get out in to the countryside and take some photos. The area (Kitchener-Waterloo) is quite nice and with the arrival of spring so have many nice photographic opportunities! Hope you enjoy the photos!

This turtle unique to southern Ontario is apparently quite rare and has only started to make a comeback (Midland Painted Turtle, please feel free to correct me on this)

These little guys were all over place, saw at least 20 or so of them (Western Painted Turtle)

Neat water wheel in New Hamburg... its to bad it was not operational

That's all for now!

Oh Canada!

2010-04-11T11:46:00.003-07:00

Well I have now been in Canada for a couple of weeks and things are coming along quite well. I have been out shooting quite a bit, although I have not really been posting all that much. I am currently in Kitchener Ontario, although I have also had the chance to hang out a bit in Montreal and Toronto. There is much beauty here, although it is very different to what I am used to in the Yucatan... but oh well, its all an adventure! hope you enjoy this first batch of photos.

Kantunil Kin Maya ruins (bye bye to Yucatan... for now!)

2010-03-22T08:33:00.005-07:00

Well as you may or may not know I will be spending the next few months in southern Ontario working with a buddy of mine... however before leaving the Yucatan I decided to make my way over to the ruins of Kantunil Kin. This site seems to have never seen any restoration despite the fact that it is located very close to the Merida-Cancun (toll free) highway. There are no signs to mark the location of the site but if you are interested in visiting just go about 50km past Merida on the highway and when you see the pyramids on the distance turn in to the milpa. There are no roads so you better have a Jeep or somekind of sturdy vehicle. To be honest I am not even sure about the name of the ancient city... however Kantunil Kin (kin=sun) sounds about right since it is located just to the south of the town of kantunil. I have not found any useful info on the site, but because of the location and architecture I feel fairly confident in my claim that it was at one time a dominion of Izamal sometime in the late classic (Please feel free to correct me on this!). Anyway there are several structures, with about 7 of them being of substantial dimensions and 3 fairly large pyramids... including a double pyramid similar (although smaller) than the one found in Becan.

That is all for now, hope you keep following the blog (although there will not be much in the way of archaeology for the next few months!)

Templo Mayor Archaeological Site = Good Times!

2010-03-09T16:58:00.010-08:00

No trip is complete without a good archaeology fix. Fortunately I had the oportunity to visit the ruins of "El Templo Mayor" in Mexico city. The ruins of what was once an enormous temple in the city of Tenochtitlan (The capital of the Aztec empire) is now reduced to a relatively small area after its destruction in the XVI century... however this once great temple still has many goodies for us to enjoy! As you can see from the photo below, the site is directly behind the Metropolitan Cathedral... thus placing it dead center in Mexico city (as was the rest of Tenochtitlan, which at the time of the arrival of the Europeans was one of the largest cities on earth).

Model of the temple (within the sites museum)

A very common motif in Aztec architecture... also seen in sites in the south east such as Chichen Itza (which was ofcourse very heavily influence by the peoples of central Mexico).

Remains of beautiful carvings

Eagle head

Chac Mool (you find these all over Meso America!)

Totlec like statues

Beautiful frog adornments (associated with the Rain god Tlaloc)

Feathered serpent head

A few photos of some buskers performing a Pre-Hispanic dance (ofcourse put on for silly tourists, but its still neat)

I wan nothing to do with any religion in which I will find these guys in the afterlife!!!

Mexico city!

2010-03-09T16:22:00.006-08:00

This week I spend four wonderful days in the worlds largest city... Mexico City. Everything people say about Mexico City is true... yes there is crime, yes the pollution can be terrible... but it is also one of the most exciting places on earth and if you keep you wits about yourself... chances are you are going to have a wonderful time. On this trip I decided to take it easy and stick around the Centro Historico area instead of venturing off to far in the direction of Polanco, Santa Fe or what ever.

Downton Mexico city looking uncharacteristically calm

Moon rising over the Metropolitan Cathedral

Shot of alley off Tacuba

Metropolitan Cathedral

Latin American Tower (Built in the 50s is one of Mexico cities first sky scrapers... most of the newer and more modern ones are now in the Santa Fe area).

National art gallery

Palacio de Bellas Artes

Some wonderful artwork painted on to scafolding on the side of the Palacio de Bellas Artes, the style reminds me a bit of some of the art found on the Berlin wall, just wonderful!

Hope you enjoyed the photos, check back soon for more! (next time photos of "El Templo Mayor" archaeological site.

A day at the beach! (Celestun)

2010-02-28T18:10:00.005-08:00

Yesterday Chris, Baiba, my uncle Craig and myself got out to Celestun for a day of mangroves, bird watching and eating/drinking on the beach. its a rough life eh? We took a cool little trip through the mangroves on a little canoe and then moved along to the beach for a little further R&R... making sure ofcourse we made it back in time for the Olympic hockey final. GO CANADA!!! All and all it was a great day! Hope you enjoy the photos!

Chiapas 02/2010: Bonampak & Tres Lagunas

2010-02-28T17:20:00.006-08:00

After our wonderful day at Yaxilan we spent the night in some very spartan but comfortable cabins in the Lacandon jungle. After a wonderful night of staring at the stars and getting some well deserved R&R we awoke early to visit the famous Mayan Archaeological site of Bonampak. Bonampak is ofcourse famous for its beautiful painted rooms, you can check out some more detailed shots of said murals on this previous post. After visiting the site we made our way to "Tres Lagunas" which is a wonderful jungle trail in the middle of the Lacandon rain Forrest.
Well that is it for this trip, thank you very much to everyone who came along, it was truly a wonderful experience... you were all fantastic and I truly hope to have the chance to go on more adventures with you all.

Chiapas 02/2010: Yaxilan

2010-02-28T16:50:00.005-08:00

Well after a wonderful day at Palenque we all got to bed early so that we start early on our journey to Yaxilan. After a 3 hour drive we took a beautiful 45 minute boat ride down the Usumacinta to the site. The Usumacinta river serves as a natural border between Mexico and Guatemala and is littered with wonderful archaeological sites on both sides. As with my entry on Palenque I will be focusing this time more on wildlife than archaeology, but I have previous blog posts on that if you are interested.

Chiapas 02/2010: Palenque

2010-02-24T07:25:00.009-08:00

I had the chance to visit Palenque twice last week (with two different groups) and as always I was going photo crazy. I have posted photos of Palenque quite a few times on this blog, but it is never hard to find new/interesting things to show. On this occasion however lets concentrate on the exuberant wild life! (with the exception of the first two images of course).

Beautiful detail of a stelae depicting Pacal (found on a monument complex around the corner of the temple of the foliate cross)

Nice panoramic view of Palenque taken from the temple of the cross

Hey there buddy! looking good

Do you think you could please come a little closer? there is some pineapple in it for you!

HOLY @#~@|! - at this point the howler is to close for me to be able to focus with my telephoto... I actually have to take several steps back to continue shooting (no time to change lenses in this kind of situation)

Sometimes you just get lucky and nature gives you a wonderful gift like this!

Beautiful little guy

I actually shot this hawk in the parking lot

Hope you enjoyed the photos, there are more on the way!

Chiapas 02/2010: Tonina

2010-02-24T06:19:00.005-08:00

After coming down from the majestic Chiapanecan mountains, we made our way to the ruins of the ancient Maya city of Tonina ( house of stone in Tzeltal Maya). I had been wanting to return to Tonina for quite a while because of the amazing discoveries which have been recently made... and I will tell you, I was not disappointed, not at all! Tonina is Masive, the main acropolis with its seven levels is nearly 80 meters tall and is adorned with some of the most impressive stucco work I have ever seen (and not to toot my own horn, but that is a lot). The structure also offers some incredible views, a labyrinth and truly amazing stelae. Just to give you an idea of how crazy these guys at Tonina were... these were the people who took down Palenque (no easy feat by any strech of the imagination).

What is visible in this photo is only about one third of this amazing acropolis complex, I will post some panoramics soon.

View from the top (reminds me a bit of Mixco Viejo, but on steroids)

Facade of the Labyrinth

Stelae of Jaguar Bird Peccary (6 century)

Recently uncover tomb on the 5th terrace

A shot of some of the hallways of the 4th level

Ballplayer preforming the chicken dance? a bit confusing... he does seem to be wearing the elbow pads and everything, but he is depicted with another 3 characters (not enough to depict a team)... beautiful but a bit bizarre.

Stucco representation of an anthropomorphic jaguar! (HELL YEA!)

I call this guy the break dance, not very scientific I know... but just look at him, Wonderful!

This is so dam cool, A life size stucco representation of Lord Ah Puch (ruler of the underworld) performing a ceremonial decapitation). Notice the upside down sun disk to his left... just amazing.

There is just so much to see at Tonina, and photographs really do not do it justice... it is now more than ever a must see!

Chiapas 02/2010: The Higlands

2010-02-15T17:35:00.008-08:00

For the past few days I have been enjoying myself immensely in the Chiapas highlands taking photos, eating pasteries and just relaxing. I consider myself fortunate to have had the chance to travel to this region on so many occasions and I really must say that I don't think I will ever get sick of coming here. Here are some of my favorite shots from the past few days... almost all are portraits, hopefuly I will be able to drag myself out of bed early tomorrow morning to get some nice architectural/landscape shots before the town springs to life.

Chiapas 02/2010: Cañon del Sumidero

2010-02-15T17:25:00.005-08:00

After a night in Villa Hermosa I had the chance to visit the "Cañon del Sumidero". Although I have visited this place quite a few times, it is always fun to go and photograph the wildlife and take in the impressive size of this massive canyon. The area is full of life; birds, reptiles, primates... you name it, they are all at the canyon just waiting to be photographed... its really a great spot.

For the birds! (birding in Chichen-Itza and Ek-Balam)

2010-02-07T16:33:00.006-08:00

This weekend I was running around the jungle arround Chichen-Itza and Ek-Balam looking for birds to photograph. Well, I got my wish! I saw a bunch of little guys, not as many as last week in Uxmal.. but the weather was better and I managed to get what I think are better photos. As always many fly catchers and orioles, but also a hawk feeding on a dead chicken (at least I think that is what it is, what do you think?), some nice closeups of woodpeckers, some nice shots of woodpeckers and fly catchers together... and others. hope you like the nice high res photos!

A wet day of birding at Uxmal!

2010-01-31T14:25:00.006-08:00

Today (despite what started out as a light drizzle) I headed out to Uxmal. However the focus of the day was not on archaeology but rather on birds... and wow did I ever get my wish. With the rain came a truly spectacular amount of wood peckers, mut muts (pajaro T´ho), humming birds, ravens, Cheles (at least that we call them here) you name it! Since the weather was not great it was sometimes quite difficult to get the shots, but oh well!
Anyway here are the photos, hope you enjoy them!

Sihunchen Eco-Archaeological Park

2010-01-30T16:48:00.004-08:00

Today I went out with my dad to the Sihunchen Eco-Archaeological Park located in the municipality of Ucu . The park is actually the ruins of the ancient Mayan city of Sihiaunchen. The archaeological site has not been restored at all... so you really have to use your imagination. My dad and I counted 14 stone structures ranging in height from 2-10 meters... most of them being ceremonial platforms or parts of residential complexes and two being proper pyramidal buildings. The two most notable features where an enormous observatory and the main artificial platform on top of which the ceremonial center is located. The Eco-park is inhabited by many different birds, however we got there a bit late and thus missed most good photo ops with them! (surely next time!). Anyway all and all we had quite a nice time, if you are in to wilderness and archaeology I wholeheartedly recommend you take a look at Sihunchen and support the local community!

Old Spanish hacienda near the milpa

Very colorful little house in Ucu

My dad and Rosy (our guide)

View from atop one of the pyrmaids

Hands off!

Second tallest pyramidal structure at the site (about 7m)

My dad climbing!

View of the acropolis

Surrounding countryside

Hope you enjoyed the pics, check back soon for more adventures!

Slow Food in Tahkmek

2010-01-23T16:52:00.005-08:00

Today I went out with a group of students/international residents of Merida to the village of Tahkmek. There we watched (helped a little but mostly tried not to ruin anything) as the family to whose whose house we were welcomed prepared typical Yucatecan dishes (such as relleno negro) in an earth oven. The food took about two hours to be cooked in the earth oven, so we also took some time to visit the Mayan ruins of Ake. It was a very nice day and I think everyone had a very good time. I hope you enjoy the photos!

That´s all for now, remember to check back often for more adventures! Also feel free to follow me on twitter, as I send out blog updates through there!

Cenotes at Cuzama

2010-01-10T14:22:00.004-08:00

Photographing cenotes is not easy. The ground is uneven and wet, they are extremely humid, the lighting is constantly changing and giving you headaches... but boy is it worth it! Today I headed out to three Cenotes in the Yucatecan municipality of Cuzama. For those of you who don't know, Cenotes are essentially flooded caves. These caves are found all over the Yucatan and are truly a sight to behold. I hope you enjoy the photos, and just so you know these photos have not been manipulated in any way... these are the true colors.

Looks kinda scarry eh??? Just a hole in to the underworld... no wonder the maya thought they were doorways to hell!

And once you get down you get this!

That´s all for now!

Last post of the decade!

2009-12-31T07:02:00.002-08:00

Wow. so that's it for this decade... eshhh, wild stuff. Anyway I know I have been quite bad about posting lately but things have been just insane. I hope everyone has been having a nice holiday season, I know I have.

Anyway I thought I would finish the year off with a few photos I have taken this year but have not posted (as my oportunities to go out and shoot have been rather limited over this past month or so). To all of you who follow this blog, thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you in 2010

- Carlos Rosado

Daytrip to Izamal

2009-11-15T14:59:00.004-08:00

Today Jeanette, Chris, Baiba and I took a day trip out to the city of Izamal. The city is located about an hour or so west of Merida. The city is Colonial but it is littered with pre-hispanic (Mayab to be specific) Structures. The largest pyramid the "Kinich Kak Moo" has a 200 square meter base and is 180 meters tall... unfortunately its not really possible to fit the entire thing in to a photo unless you do a fly by, the immensity of the structure is really lost in the photos. I also was able to snag a few photos of some of the indigenous flora and fauna, so all and all it was a good day. Lunch was yummy to!

Santa Elena and Mul-Chic

2009-11-03T16:30:00.007-08:00

Today I made my way with Jeanette and 8 other people to the town of Santa Elena. Santa Elena is about 15k past Uxmal and 8K before Uxmal. The town is small but fairly cute, however there is not much work and many of the men of the city have emigrated to the united states and particularly to San Francisco (thus the curious welcome sign with a pyramid, the towns church and the golden gate bridge). While at Santa Elena we had a nice bite to eat at the pickled onion and visited the archaeological site of Mul-chic. Mul-chic is an interesting but very little restored site. From what I understand there was some work done there in during the 60s at which time they removed some painted stucco murals and moved them to Merida. However that was nearly 50 years ago... so as you can imagine the site is very much covered by the jungle... which makes it quite charming and adventurous a place to see. After our little hike out to Mul-chic we went in to the town and visited with our guides (Abel) family and got to snap some photos. Hope you enjoy the pics.

Ek-Balam!

2009-10-24T18:37:00.009-07:00

Location: Mexico, Yucatan state, 20 km north of Valladolid
Transportation: Best to drive or take a tour from Valladolid
Bathroom facilities: Yes
Nearby refreshments: Yes (although mainly at the site of the cenote)
Accessibility/Difficulty: Very easy
Cellphone reception: Yes, but spotty

Ek-Balam is Mayan archaeological site located 30 minutes north of the city of Valladolid. Ek-Balam (literally Black Jaguar in the Mayan language) saw its heyday from around the 3rd century B.C. to the 11th Century A.D. The sacred center of the city in which the principal structures stood and the elite resided was heavily fortified and enclosed by three walls.
Most of the structures in Ek-Balam date from the classic Mayan period.

Although Ek-Balam is now well known to Yucatecos and travelers alike, excavations at the site by the INAH began fairly recently (1994). Because of its compact size as well as the beauty of its buildings and natural surounding, Ek-Balam has become a favorite of many tourists and day trippers... this is a site you really should not miss!

- The Main Acropolis
By far the largest structure, it is houses the tomb of former ruler Ukit Kan Le'k Tok. This beautiful building is 146 meters long by 55 meters high and 29 meters tall.

(main staircase)

Even more impressive than its size is the beauty of its stucco work and painting. Immediately observable is something which to those with knowledge of Mayan architecture may seem a tad out of place; a depiction of the Mayan "monster of the earth" which corresponds to a style of architecture known as "Chenes" characteristically found in the neighboring state of Campeche.

Said monster of the earth is presented as a gigantic altar to which priest were able to enter. The immense altar has protruding teeth on the top, sides and most obviously on the bottom (I guess over bites were fashionable!). The altar is very intrinsically decorated with representations of human skulls, masks, intricate designs and the likeness of different individuals. Some of the human figures poses adornments which look quite a bit like angel wings. On one of the walls of the mouth original painting survives which presumably depicts scenes from the life of the cities elite.

Modern architecture really needs more decorative skulls =)

Cool stucco mask

The "Angels"

Surviving fresco

- The Oval Palace
From the contents discovered within this two level structure, we are able to infer that the building was used as a residential complex for some of the cities most powerful residents.

- The Ball court
The ball court at Ek-balam is located in between the northern and southern plaza. A Frieze of a man of great stature holding a bird is visable.

Other notable structures include the twin pyramids, the arch, structure #18 and a series of stelae.

-Wildlife
While at Ek-Balam you are likely to see several species of birds as well as reptiles (mostly iguanas, although I have seen some fairly big snakes along the trail to the cenote). Unfortunately seeing a Balam (Jaguar) is extremely unlikely (you are better off going to Calakmul for that)

X-Canché Cenote

About 1km away from the archaeological site visitors can find the very charming X-Canché Cenote.

The site of the cenote is administered by a indigenous coop which for a modest fee offers visitors bathroom facilities, camping areas and a small restaurant which serves Yucatecan food. Access to the Cenote itself is made easy and safe by a wooden staircase (Good thing to, since the drop from the edge to the water is of about 15 meters). The diameter of the Cenote is of proximately 50 meters. Activities such as cycling, climbing and rapel are also available for an additional 30 peso fee (great deal!).

El Meco (Mayan Archaeological site in Cancun)

2009-10-22T12:03:00.003-07:00

Well once again I managed to find the time to get out there and explore during my business trip to Cancun, hooray more archaeology! Today during my time off I made my way to "El Meco" a small archaeological site just north of the Cancun city center. The site is small but very beautiful with many birds and iguanas roaming the grounds. It is ironic that being so close to the hotel zone it is so sparsely visited... when I showed up the security guard acted surprised to see a visitor and even asked how I found out about the sites existence. There was nobody other than me at the site and a group of restoration experts working on a stucco wall (who were very nice and let me take some pics of them as they worked). Getting to the site is very easy, you can take a cab (35-50 pesos) or even take the city bus (just 5.5o pesos) so there is no excuse not to go and sober up from a prior night of debauchery in Cancun =)

El Rey (Mayan Archaeological site in Cancun)

2009-10-21T12:22:00.003-07:00

All this week I will be in Cancun for business, so of course I will make the best of it and try to get out as much as I can to find some interesting things and places to shoot! Today I took a bus down the hotel zone to visit "El Rey Archaeological Park". El Rey is not a big site... however it is by no means insignificant. Most people who visit Cancun never bother to check it out because tour guides and agencies tell them that they are better off taking one of THEIR tours to Chichen Itza or Tulum (as if seeing one Maya site is enough! *SCOFS*). However El Rey is right there on the hotel zone and with admission being only 35 pesos its a no brainer. Founded in the 12 century, El Rey is a post classic site whose main economic activity was fishing and trade. The architecture is consistent with other Mayan settlements along the coast of Quintana Roo, such as Tulum, San Gervaiso, El Meco etc. Anyway, here are some photos (note the hotels and telecommunication towers peering through)

Roatrip to Yaxuna

2009-08-09T15:17:00.008-07:00

Today Sergio and I made our way to Yaxuna for the day. The site is in the municipality of Yaxcaba (Yucatan state), about 20 mintues from Libre Union and Piste (in either direction). Before hitting the town we checked out the little town which was actualy quite cute and had some nice little churches. Yaxuna is a very interesting site, it was a fairly large centre, but the visitable area is relatively small. The constructions are of a fair size but the area is not really landscaped at all, which makes for a very diffent experince from most sites. I really enjoyed it and was glad I brought some good shoes! (There are probably quite a few snakes out there in all that tall grassy vegitation... but we had no problems) Hope you enjoy the pics.

Very detail of cool altar!

Facade of this neat church with three towers... quite unusual architectural design

Detail of old lock =)

Segio chilling out

Ballcourt at Yaxuna

Kinda nice pic of butterfly

Little raingod mask, there seems to be quite a bit of toltec influence here to

Smallish pyramid covered in vegetation

Main Plaza

More pyramids

View of a few buildings from atop pyramid

Thats all for today! check back soon!

Central America odyssey pt. 11 (Final post! Iximche and Mixco Viejo)

2009-08-05T09:30:00.006-07:00

Well, here we are... the final post of the trip!
I visited Iximche on a day trip from Antigua... the weather was not that great, but I am still glad I went. Established in 1470 Iximche was one of the last (if not the very last) Mayan city to be founded. It was also a spot of very early meso-american/european comunication. Once the Spaniards arrived they formed aliances with the leaders of Iximche which allowed them to preserve the city. Obviously this "aliance" did not last for very long.
Mixco Viejo is about half way between Antigua and Guatemala city. I went there with my good friend from ciudadesmayas.com (great site, in spanish). The city was built in the 12th century during late postclasic period on. The site is build on a montain top and offers some truly beatiful views. I am yet to go to Machu Pichu, but from what I can tell in photographs, mixco viejo seems like a miniature of this famous Inca site. Truly wonderful!

Central America odyssey pt. 10 (Antigua, Guatemala)

2009-08-02T09:09:00.004-07:00

Antigua is just one of those WOW places. The old Capital of Guatemala bursts with color and beauty at every turn, it can sometimes be a little overwhelming. It is much like San Cristobal de las Casas in Mexico.. but has a bit different a vibe (perhaps because San Cristobal is at such a higher altitude). There are so many amazing places to eat and cool places to hang out, antigua deserves at least a week to explore and get to know. Anyway pictures speak louder than words so...

Central America odyssey pt. 9 (Copan, Archaeologial site)

2009-08-01T13:04:00.004-07:00

Visiting the ruins at Copan was certainly one of the highlights of my trip. If you follow this blog at all you will know how excited pre-hispanic archaeology makes me... and frolicking around a site like Copan, well it does not get much better than that. Copan is know cheifly for its wonderful sculpture, there are however some vary noteworthy monumental structures... however the scale of the palaces is not comparable to those at Clacmul, Tikal or Palenque.

Main ballcourt

Very neat large stone sculpture of an old man

So freaking cool, these guys ment bussines

You can still make out quite a bit of color on many of the masks and facade, however nothing like that which you would find in other sites such as Bonampak.

Mayan Battle turtle brings only mayheam death and destruction!!!

Hope you enjoyed the photos of this wonderful site. Next stop ANTIGUA GUATEMALA!

Central America odyssey pt. 8 (Copan, wildlife and town)

2009-08-01T11:18:00.006-07:00

After leaving el Salvador I headed to Antigua to spend the night and make my way to Copan (Honduras). I was a little nervous about going... with the whole military coup happening just a couple weeks before... but I figured it would be OK since it was so out of the way and far from any major cities. Actualy the Guatmela/Honduras border was the easiest crossing I had during my time in Central America. The reason I went to Copan was obviously to visit the archaeological site, but the little town and surrounding area proved to have plenty to offer. Here are the pics! (hope you have some room for more macaws!)

Sure he/she is looking a little scruffy... but still beautiful eh?

Big rodent... I think I ate one of these guys last year in the Peten (meat was a little rough)

These guys move fast! foucousing was quite a pain in the but... my little rebel XT is swhoing its limitations

Neato =)

Shot of Copan Ruinas town at about 5 am

They should probably udate this sign

As a rule I do not endorse hotels, restaurants or anything like that on the blog... well really its not a rule, I just have never felt compelled enoughto do so until now (and I have run the blog since 2005, so that should tell you something). This hacienda with beautiful rooms and very afordable prices is run to help finance "Paramedics for Children" which is an NGO which provides medical care and ambulance services in western Honduras. All procedes from "Hacienda Esperanza" go directly to the charity... so I STRONGLY encourage you to stay there if you ever find youself in Copan. The grounds are very beautiful, they have stables and all sorts of amenities... its really great. For more inforamation you can check out http://www.paramedicsforchildren.com