Yucatan travel will not be the same. Next time you visit the Yucatan, you may add to your many sights and adventures, a visit to the Mexican Space Agency or Agencia Espacial Mexicana – AEXA. An April 22, 2010 online article in Rianovosti said:
Mexico will create its own space center on the Yucatan Peninsula, deputy economy minister Francisco Pimentel said.
Mexico to Create Its First Space Center on Yucatan Peninsula
AEXA will be located 9 to 12 miles away from Chetumal, the capital of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. Cancun, which is also in Quintana Roo is north of Chetumal on the Riviera Maya facing the Caribbean Sea. Chetumal is also just north of the Mexican border with the country of Belize.
Although we did not visit Chetumal while filming the Yucatan Travel Movie, we have read that that most tourists do not stop there, but they would benefit from visiting Chetumal’s Museo de la Cultura Maya. Perhaps when we are next in Yucatan, we will go there.
Copyright (c) 2010 Carol Chapman
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Here’s an excerpt from an article in the Liverpool Daily Post, which is a newspaper in England.
Direct flights from the UK usually take about 9 hours to the Caribbean side of the country where you can visit resorts such as the Riviera Maya, stunning island of Cozumel and Cancun.
Viva la Mexico! Holidays in Mexico
The article also says, “Holidays to Mexico have become increasingly popular over the last few years as tourists become more adventurous with their destinations.”
I’ll say they are. Not only are tourists from the UK coming to Yucatan, but also tourists are coming there from all of Europe. While filming the Yucatan Travel Movie, we met numerous European travelers. It’s not only that they are becoming more adventurous, it is that the Euro and British Pound compare very favorably with the Mexican Peso.
Copyright (c) 2010 Carol Chapman
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Isn’t it strange that the Maya’s creator god, Itzamna, is also called, “The Bearded One,” especially when you consider that Maya men do not have facial hair? How could the ancient Maya have ever envisioned a man with a beard? I guess it’s another one of those mysteries associated with the ancient Maya. In the Yucatan Travel Movie, I have included images of Itzamna found in ruins both with a beard and without.
Copyright (c) 2010 Carol Chapman
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In the Yucatan Travel Movie, a continual thread of Maya mythology runs throughout with information about, carvings in Mayan ruins, and images of Itzamna, the ancient Maya creator god. Although Itzaman is thought of as being a god of the ancient Maya, I also discovered that there continues to be a reverence for him among modern Maya. I heard one woman say that her grandparents used to honor Itzamna.
As founder of Mayan culture, Itzamna refused to have anything to do with wars, violence, or human sacrifices.
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While doing research for one of the Special Features, Mayan Gods and a Goddess, accompanying the Yucatan Travel Movie, I came upon this intriguing information: that Izamna was considered a god of the sky.
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The main Yucatan Travel Movie is done. So is the 2.5 minute Preview for the next movie in the series, which is called, Yucatan Peninsula Travel. I am happy that the Bloopers Special Feature is also done today. Yay!!! I’ve had a lot of fun with sound effects .
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Here is a link to an intriguing essay on the Maya-Cosmo Vision, which parallels the lore of the ancient Maya tradition with modern-day quantum physics view of the universe.
Maya-Cosmo Vision: A Living Universe Consciousness
I met and interviewed one of the authors of the article, Belisa B. Gordon while filming the Yucatan Travel Movie.
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On our last Yucatan Travel Movie filming visit to Yucatan in March 2009, we visited Hacienda Chichen adjacent to the world-famous Mayan ruin at Chichen Itza. We had the good fortune to interview Belissa Baranche, who calls herself the “keeper” of Hacienda Chichen, and her husband Bruce, who is the driving force behind the greening of the spa/resort.
During the interview, we learned that Belissa is passionate about birdwatching. Therefore, I am delighted to discover that Jim Conrad, a respected naturalist who is also passionate about birding, is staying at Hacienda Chichen as a volunteer. Here is an excerpt from his post on their blog site:
On one such late-afternoon birdwalk I photographed the fast-foraging bird: Rose-throated Becard, PACHYRAMPHUS AGLAIAE, common at forest edges, in open areas and the like, from Mexico to Panama. The Rose-throated Becard male has the rosy throat, making it easy to identify.
Jim Conrad’s Naturalist Field Work at Hacienda Chichen, Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico
Follow the link above for a gorgeous photo of the rose-throated Becard male – really cute.
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Although I am more interested in pondering ancient mysteries when travelling in the Yucatan, and therefore concentrate on visiting gorgeous colonial cities, intriguing ancient Mayan ruins, and places of exquisite scenic beauty, which I also have recorded in the Yucatan Travel Movie, some people go to Yucatan for fishing. All you fisherfolk, here’s an excert from an interesting blog post:
For years Barb and I had heard tales of tarpon fishing in the Yucatan, seen photos of tarpon jumping, read articles about them in fly fishing magazines and now we had a chance to find out for ourselves. We joined our friends, Jay and Paula, to spend a week fishing for these elusive game fish in southern Yucatan near Chetumal.
Tarpon: Megalops antlanticus
I am happy and grateful to be working today with Miriam Balsley , the narrator on the Yucatan Travel Movie. We also worked on the Preview for the next Yucatan Travel movie, From Merida to Palenque. It is a joy to work with Miriam. She is delightfully creative and insightful. Here is a link to her travel blog: http://www.MiriamTravel.Blogspot.com.
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