The Seven Wonders of Tuesday & Wednesday

Buenos noches!

The past couple days have been quite busy here in Yucatan! In fact, most of them were spent in Sotuta, a small village a couple hours away from Merida. Today, on our way back to Merida from Sotuta, we stopped at Chichen Itza, the most famous of the Mayan ruins.

From Tuesday morning to Wednesday night, here are seven wonders we witnessed and/or were a part of:

1. El Cenote Chihaun

A "cenote" is a natural, underground pool of water. We stopped at El Cenote Chihaun on our way to Sotuta. We went down a steep, winding, stone staircase 10 meters (approximately 32.8 feet) underground until we reached the opening of the cave. Due to an unusually long rainy season, the water level was much higher than usual, having a depth of approximately of 18 meters, or 50 feet. The known parts of the cenote measured around 120 meters (393.7 feet) back into the cave. The cool water was especially refreshing in the intense heat and humidity!

2. Sotuta, Yucatan

Sotuta is around two hours away from the city of Merida. Sotuta is one of those small, little towns where everybody knows everybody. We arrived mid-afternoon on Tuesday and left mid-morning on Wednesday. The people of Sotuta were very welcoming and friendly toward their American guests. In the background of this picture is the town square, the center of the village. We stayed in an old house off the square. The church can be seen in the background, which was built in the late 1700s.

3. Bazaar de Ropa ("Clothing Bazaar")

Around 4:30 p.m., we set up a garage sale, a "bazaar de ropa," on the basketball court beside the town square. The Diocese of Erie donated lots of clothes and other various items (rosaries, prayer cards, stuffed animals, shoes, etc.), which we sold to the people of Sotuta. All the money we raised will be used at the Mision de Amistad in Merida. The people of Sotuta loved getting great clothes for a great price, a free rosary with their purchase, and we raised around $375!

The red building in the background, by the way, is where we stayed.

Here is Linden (in tie dye) and Maddie with three kids and their mother at the bazaar de ropa. Janet is in the background. We all had a marvelous time interacting with the people in Sotuta and practicing our Spanish skills.

4. Carnaval in Sotuta

After the bazaar de ropa was over, the final night of Carnaval began! First, we all tried marquesitas. A marquesita is thin, fried batter rolled into the shape of a waffle cone, with chocolate and Parmesan cheese drizzled over it... quite unique!
The real fiesta began when we went to the dance floor, which was held outside of the municipal building beside the town square. We started dancing, but since we were dancing like Americans, we quickly drew some strange looks. However, the Sotutans began dancing with us, and soon our circle filled practically half the dance floor! Through dance and without language, two cultures were able to find similar characteristics and have a great time! (You might be able to find this on YouTube... multiple cameras were on us!)

5. Sleeping in Hammocks

In Sotuta and other villages, the people sleep in hammocks instead of beds. This is to make more space (hammocks can be folded up during the day) and also to avoid crawling critters. These beautiful hammocks are all made by hand. Here is a picture of one of the girls' rooms after Dan used his Boy Scout knowledge to tie our hammocks to the hooks. We all enjoyed sleeping in hammocks, but we are definitely looking forward to our solid beds that don't move tonight!

6. The Parish in Sotuta

To celebrate Ash Wednesday, we all went to Mass this morning at the local parish in Sotuta. The exterior of the church can be seen in one of the pictures above. After Mass, Father Wilbur, the priest, spoke with us. We all took a picture with him and a beautiful statue of the Virgin Mary. 

Back - L-R: Dr. Taylor, Fr. Wilbur, Katie, Lexie, Janet, & Randy

Front - L-R: Tricia, Natalie, Maddie, Linden, Jackie, & Dan

In Fr. Wilbur's words, "our parish is your home." We are all brothers and sisters, from Erie to Yucatan, in Christ. Being reminded of this on Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, was especially meaningful.

7. Chichen Itza

This breathtaking stone pyramid is on the license plates of the Mexican state of Yucatan, in addition to being one of the real seven wonders of the world! Chichen Itza is the most famous of all the Mayan ruins. Natalie & Katie are looking on, and our tour guide is to the right. The day was beautiful and the sun shone all the way as we toured the extensive plaza of Chichen Itza, which was once one of the most affluent Mayan cities.

As you can see, we experienced a lot in the past two days. We experienced natural and man-made wonders and practiced living in extreme simplicity like the welcoming citizens of Sotuta. We did some intense cultural mixing at Carnaval, and we were reminded that ultimately, Christ unites us all.

Those are our 7 wonders of Tuesday & Wednesday!