It was a day of un-tamed energy, a 13 on the sacred Tzolkin calendar, and wow, I almost don't know where to begin.
We were visiting the island of Cozumel and driving down long sandy roads to hidden beaches. Our focus was on the wildness and beautiful, clear water and the hundreds of new turtle nests dotting the shoreline.
Well, driving down deserted roads eventually found us driving down the road to San Gervasio, a Maya ruin site on the island and the home of the temple of a goddess who is one of my person favorite Maya deities, Ixchel.
We paid the $183 peso entry fee, declined a local guide, and walked into a ruin site that was bigger than I expected. "We" included me, my daughter, Sarah, our friend Noe, and Ayden, my 5 year old grandson. Well, Ayden was very excited (he is 5, you know) and immediately ran up the steps on a small temple called "The Grave" and was quickly reprimanded by a guard. We promised NOT to climb on the ruins and the guard wandered off, keeping an eye out over the deserted archaeological site. Really, there was not another soul in site.
There are signs by each structure, so it is easy to stop and read about the significance of each one and we quickly found that we were in a very sacred site where a lot of sacrifice and pilgrimage took place. After taking in the pillared alter where sacrifices were made, we found ourselves looking at the place where the king and his congregation sat to watch the bloody rituals.
While we were standing there trying to imagine what it must have been like, the security guard came over and started chatting with us. It was about 3 minutes later that he offered to take us to see ruins that are NOT open to the public.
I cannot explain how this keeps happening to us, but it does over and over again. You can read other stories about Maya people offering to take us to see very sacred places that are NOT available for viewing by the public here: The Hat that Turned Into a Snake,
Manifesting Elly and a Maya Blessing, and The Secret of The Maya Revealed . I believe we are being led. There is nothing of coincidence here. It is straight up amazing and other-worldy. I want to note that we have seen places where the locals tell us they are still doing sacrifices, places where elemental beings called, aluxob, guard sacred sites and the jungles, and cenotes...so many caves and cenotes. These entrances to the underworld are especially sacred to the Maya because they are believed to be entrances to the Maya underworld called Xibalba.
It seems that sometimes the entrance to Xibalba is open. Like there is a portal in the cave entrance that leads to some other place, some other dimension, if you will. And there are days when we have been there and that portal has been open.
This was one of those days.
We set off down a limestone path but the first place we came to were NOT ruins. It was the entrance to a dry cave that goes all over the island and connects some of the more sacred sites to each other. (Imagine that!)
We climbed down into the cave and discovered a colony of bats and a rat snake hungry for dinner. We got some really interesting images including the one of Ayden going into the cave above and this one of Noe with light like an aura all around him. What do you think?
The feeling of excitement was growing and I was stunned that our beach trip had lead us to this very sacred site. Little did I know that this was just the beginning.
We left the cave and walked further down the path. Cicadas buzzed in the trees, but there was also a softer, and very constant hum that our guide did not hear. Or possibly did not want to admit that he heard.
Soon we were standing at the foot of the ruins of the temple to the fertility goddess, a mother earth/protector type goddess of medicine and childbirth named Ixchel. She is one of my favorite Maya deities and I have dreamed about her. She is also called the Lady of the Rainbow and is mother to the aluxob who are the guardians of the sacred places and the cenotes and jungle.
We walked around the temple and there on the ground at the base of a small tree were 20 stones all aligned in 5 rows of four each. My heart stopped.
I have been working with one of the Mayan Calendars called the Tzolk'in Calendar. It has 20 sacred days and they are arranged into four categories, each one having a direction and color. The days are basically a Mayan horoscope with each day having a specific energy that is good for something. Travel, starting new projects, spending time with family, getting rid of things that no longer serve you and things like that. The 20 stones perfectly represented that calendar.
We pointed them out to our guide who did not seem surprised, but said they were not there earlier in the day and may have been placed there by an alux. Aluxob (plural for alux) are notorious for playing with small stones. To find out LOTS about aluxob go HERE.
I felt like a path was being laid out for us and that the path-layer knew exactly who we were. In all honesty, it was a bit creepy.
We left the temple and continued down the path to a gate which our impromptu guide opened for us. The path past the gate led to a ruin that is closed to the public. I am not sure why, maybe just because they still need to do some excavating. The stones of the structure were FILLED with seashells. Our guide told us that they were taken from the sea and I believe him. Exploring these ruins was amazing for me because it felt so remote and like it was still lost in the jungle.
We left the temple and continued down the path to a gate which our impromptu guide opened for us. It was as we walked through that gate that the batteries on BOTH my cell phone and my camera went dead. So all the photos from this point are thanks to my daughter, Sarah.
The path past the gate led to a ruin that is closed to the public. I am not sure why, maybe just because they still need to do some excavating. The stones of the structure were FILLED with seashells. Our guide told us that they were taken from the sea and I believe him. Exploring these ruins was amazing for me because it felt so remote and like it was still lost in the jungle.
From there, we headed to a gate made of strings of some kind of thin rope. Our guide pulled the strings up so we could scramble under and then led us to a water filled cave. We spent a few minutes checking it out and then headed back. It was on the way back that things really started to get bizarre.
The low hum that had been a constant began to increase in volume. Oddly enough, our guide could not hear it. He said it might be an alux whistle. There definitely were cicadas buzzing, but this sound was not that, it was something different and had been constant during our entire adventure.
We came to the beginning of the path where we first left the main section of the ruins and there we found a small cenote. As we stood there admiring it, suddenly a spinning, whirring sound started. To me, it sounded like something was coming up out of the cenote, but quickly it changed into a sound similar to the increasing hum of a plane taking off and I thought I must have been mistaken. The sound increased in volume for a moment and then completely disappeared. It stopped altogether. Just like that. We all stood there in shock, not knowing what to think. Sarah has had numerous encounters with UFO's and I have had a few. This sounded like that. UFO'S and aliens in a sacred Maya site? Where are we being led? Down what rabbit hole?
The constant whistle reached an almost roar. And still our guide could not hear it....
The heat was intense and we were all hot and thirsty and tired so we headed back to the car and left the ruins site. As we were driving back down the narrow and totally deserted road, we saw another beautiful cave entrance and decided to stop and take a look. Ayden was exhausted and did not want to get out of the car, so we opened the windows and let him sit and relax while we crossed the road to see what we could see.
The heat was intense and we were all hot and thirsty and tired so we headed back to the car and left the ruins site. As we were driving back down the narrow and totally deserted road, we saw another beautiful cave entrance and decided to stop and take a look. Ayden was exhausted and did not want to get out of the car, so we opened the windows and let him sit and relax while we crossed the road to see what we could see. clear view), past a huge old tree (the other side of it, from my point of view) across the lawn and then behind some huge old rocks. Then I could not see him anymore. I looked around quickly wondering where he went and then quickly asked Sarah, "Where's Ayden?"
To which she responded, "In the car."
Noe piped up, "No he isn't, he just ran past me."
Then Sarah pointed across the narrow road to the car where we could all clearly see Ayden sitting in the car, head bowed over a game he was playing on his mother's phone.
I have had numerous encounters with aluxob, but this was the first time I had ever seen one. Honestly, I am still a bit overwhelmed by the entire day.
We walked around the top of the cave and found what looks like a place for offredas (alux offerings). The Maya leave them on a regualr basis. Water and corn or fruit or sometimes even tequila, tobacco or even little candies. Our guide had continually spoken of aluxob in the area and of the place being filled with magic. And I believe him, because now I have seen it with my own eyes.
Wondering what is going to happen next,
laura