Arrival in Mérida / Transfer to Uxmal

You will be met at Mérida international airport (MID) by our local agent and transferred to to Uxmal. (1 hour south).

We’ll be joining a long line of royalty and legendary explorers by making our home base the historical Hacienda Uxmal, conveniently located just across the street from the Uxmal Pyramids and Temples. Queen Elizabeth II & Prince Phillip of England, Prince Rainer & Grace of Monaco, Jacqueline Kennedy and her family, along with the Yucatan’s pioneering mayanists, archaeologists and adventurers have all enjoyed the comfort of the historical Hacienda Uxmal while exploring the Yucatan. No meals are planned for today since people often arrive late in the evening. (Overnight in Uxmal)

Maya Sunrise Ceremony

Imagine standing on ancient ruins before sunrise. The stillness is disturbed only by the breeze and natural sounds of the jungle. As you stand in that space a Maya shaman performs a sacred ceremony according to the tradition of his ancestors, and together we raise the vibration greeting the sun as it rises.
Now imagine no more – because that is how we will get initiated! The shamanic wisdom keeper will answer any questions you may have. His commentary will be translated from the Maya language into English for you.
Afterwards we’ll enjoy a traditional breakfast together, while listening to local Maya share details about the indigenous tradition connected to Uxmal. You can ask questions about the Maya culture, calendar, cosmology and prophecies that are all still relevant to this day and age before we embark on our journey.

Uxmal

After the shamanic blessing and breakfast, our journey begins by exploring one of the most mysterious archaeological sites, the legendary “Invisible City” of Uxmal. To the un-initiated eye it is by far the most dramatic of all the hill and flatland archaeological sites in the Yucatan, but when viewed through the eyes of a symbolist it becomes clear that this sacred site represents the divine feminine principle.

It’s known for it’s stunning symbolism encoded into the architecture. Upon further examination it becomes apparent that astronomical, geometrical and metaphysical calculations were carefully considered when the layout of the site was designed but unlike many other Maya sites, no stone quarry has been found at Uxmal.

Where the Maya quarried the stone from and how they conveyed it to the site remains a mystery, but the indigenous tradition maintains that Uxmal’s most famous structure, Temple of the Magician (aka Pyramid of the Soothe sayers or Casa el Adivino) was built over the course of one night with the use of magic by a dwarf (who was hatched out of an egg) with magical assistance from his sorceress mother as part of a challenge issued by the reigning King of that time. We’ll go deeper into the legend and oral traditions on site as we guide you through this cosmic university and known ceremonial center for healers, astronomers, mathematicians, shaman and priests. Uxmal was the “City of Kindness of Mother Moon” where Shamanic “gifts” were taught to the Maya by the Great Mother Earth.

Legend tells us that Uxmal was home to beings with extraordinary powers who showed the Maya other realities or realms of consciousness. Anyextee will demonstrate a special acoustic effect produced by interacting with the pyramids and point out some lesser known locations at Uxmal that are often passed over by the casual tourist. Plan to spend much of the day investigating this site as it requires a lot of time to fully explore the mysteries at Uxmal. (Overnight in Uxmal)  (B)

Mystery Ruins

Our tour party expands over breakfast as we infuse a personal contact and introduce you to the newest member of our team; an academically trained anthropologist who will join our Adept Expedition on this day. He will be happy to answer all of your questions over breakfast. From there we travel to the “Mystery Ruins” enroute to Xkichmook.

Today will be the day to put on your Indiana Jones hat and actually explore as we experience two lesser known Maya sites. Nearly untouched and rarely visited. In fact, we are the only tour operator leading groups to these two specific sites! The magic really begins once we reach the village of Xul, which means “the end” in the Maya language. There a local community has made use of ancient ruins for their homes. We will make a brief visit to a mystery site on private land where we’ll point out an ancient symbol venerated by the Maya.

Xkichmook “The Buried Beauty”

After lunch on the bus, we travel to the ruins of Xkichmook. Edward Thompson reports first discovering this group if ruins in 1886. A preliminary description of the site was given during a reading to the American Antiquarian Society by Thompson in 1888, under the name Kich-Moo. The early Mayanist Teobert Maler learned of the site in mid-1887 and labeled it Xkickmol. Today it is known as Xkichmook, a name given by the natives signifying “the buried beauty” in the Mayan language. Following excavations by Thompson in the 1880s only minor consolidation work has been performed by INAH in the 1980s. Few are those who experience these ruins as there are no other tours in operation currently bringing groups to this site. We’ll exit transportation and begin a short hike off the beaten path toward the archaeological site before the overgrown temple walls first come into view. Our team’s Anthropologist will identify the rare combination of Puuc and Chenes style architecture and Anyextee will point out his valid discovery at this site, and another discovery made by a member of our previous study trip. Since little is actually known you’ll have plenty of time to explore this incredible site on your own – and perhaps make your own discoveries! (Overnight in Uxmal) (B,L)

Morning Departure to Ek Balam

Today we have breakfast together, check out, then travel to the Maya site of Ek Balam. Lunch will be served on bus. Ek Balam is a spectacular Maya city only recently excavated by archaeologists. Today you can see an active archaeological dig with some of the best examples of Maya artwork and architecture in the region. Witness the incredible Royal Tomb of Ukit Kan Lek Tok, a previously unknown Maya king who was one of the most powerful rulers in Maya history. Climb to the top of the Acropolis and stare into the jaws of the Witz monster. Ek Balam is home to the winged statues, the only ones of their kind in the world of the Maya. Anyextee will point out glyphs, hidden structures often passed over by casual tourists and new discoveries from our last group visit to this enchanting site. Maybe together, we’ll make some new discoveries here!

Chichén Itzá Evening Light & Sound Show

Next we travel to Chichén Itzá and check into Mayaland. We’ll visit Chichen Itza for its famous light & sound show. You’ll experience not just the captivating visuals, but the unique surging energy of Chichén Itzá’s main plaza at night. Chichén Itzá is the Cosmic Maya University in the land of the Mayab, where students, initiates, and most importantly, Maya teachers were educated as “Disciples of the Stars”, to perfectly balance Science, Art, Philosophy, and Religion. Here you’ll see the great Pyramid of KuKulKan with all the functions to work as a Cosmic Clock with the Maya Calendars and had all the knowledge to register the passing of time and space. Ceremonies were performed here at Chichén Itzá for the Equinoxes and Solstices. (Overnight in Chichén Itzá at Mayaland Hotel & Bungalows) (B,L)

Chichén Itzá

We start with breakfast at 7am. We enter in the same fashion as the ancient initiates once did by using the original – and now private – entrance which features a traditional Maya arch that marked the point of entry for ancient visitors. In this way we experience one of the 7 wonders of the modern world as it was first intended by the ancient builders. We’ll enter when the site opens at 8am, giving you a great opportunity to take pictures of the pyramids – without the crowd in your shot and then have the full day to explore the amazing site of Chichén Itzá. Chichén Itzá had priests and priestesses with high spiritual development who taught throughout the Maya lands. They taught Astronomy, Art, the Philosophical meaning of the words, the secrets of the knowledge held inside the glyphs, cycles of agriculture with the moon and the Planet Venus, and the great eras of humankind in cycles of 5,125 years, called the Long Account Calendar. Other features include Ball Court, Sacred Cenote and Observatory, among others. Lunch is not included today but we’ll have several options on-site before we travel back to our homebase at Uxmal Hacienda. (Overnight in Uxmal) (B)

Grutas de Lol-Tun

Following breakfast we travel to a very special cave. Lol Tun Means “Flower Stone” in Maya, and thought to be the “cave of stone flowers”. In Maya belief caves offer a portal to Xibalba, the underworld, where the spirits live with supernatural beings, and the roots of the great World Tree are found. Esoterically speaking, the Cave represents the womb of Mother Earth. Its meaning goes deep to connect our consciousness with the level of the Underworld, known to the Maya as: Bolontiku, which means “Nine Lords in One” or “The Nine Layers of Consciousness”, and is “The Place Where Fire Transforms the Essences of Humankind.” Our body symbolically is the Earth and we must take care of it like a Temple, love and respect it as we do our Planet. Being actively conscious of how fortunate they were to live on this Planet the Maya performed great Ceremonies in this Cave. Following our experience in the Cave we travel a short distance to Laba enjoying lunch on the way.

Labna

After lunch we’ll explore Labna: a smaller, less crowded ceremonial center that’s perfect for an intimate closing meditation. It is connected with the cosmic knowledge of the calendars. In the glyphs found carved on the walls we can see the symbols of the constellations, the sun, the moon, Venus, the stars, and even the Caduceus of Mercury. The indigenous tradition of the Maya tells us that Labna means “The Walls of the Wisdom of the Mother”. We’ll take a moment to connect with the great grandfather tree, discuss oral tradition, and see one of the most beautiful Mayan arches found in all of the Yuatan. Its elegance, ornamentation and architectural perfection raise the consciousness of all who visit this site. As we walk through the arch we need to take a moment to connect with the high energetic frequencies. We will also see the Observatory at Labna where the Maya, through the Sacred Cosmic Knowledge of KuKulKan, “The Serpent in the Cosmos”, opened their Chakras to receive the messages from the Stars. (Overnight in Uxmal) (B,L,D)