During the spring of 2017, my wife and I took a short three-day trip to Play Del Carmen along the Caribbean Sea in the Riviera Maya. We were taking a break after I had just taken and passed the PE exam and to celebrate my wife’s birthday. We wanted to see the ancient Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza, swim in a cenote near the city of Valladolid, and relax at our resort.

We stayed at Rosewood Mayakoba which is a serene resort nestled amongst acres of jungle situated along the Caribbean coast. Our suite was right on the beach with a plunge pool on the roof that had the most amazing views of the coast and the sunsets. The resort had winding trails throughout its campus crossing through the jungle and meandering next to the golf course. We would bike these trails in the morning after breakfast; it was so peaceful. When we were not biking, we spent most of our time relaxing at the cabana drinking pina coladas or soaking in our rooftop plunge pool.

One of the things we were most excited for on our trip to the Riviera Maya was to see the ancient Mayan Ruins of Chichen Itza. Chichen Itza was one of the largest Mayan cities and is one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico. It is in the northern Yucatan Peninsula. Chichen Itza was a hybrid community mixed with people from various parts of Mesoamerica. The main temple of Chichen Itza is referred to as El Castillo (the castle) and was dedicated to the feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl. This temple contains many references to the Mayan calendar; each of its four sides has 91 steps, which, when added together and including the temple platform, equals the 365 days of the solar year. Chichen Itza is home to the largest ball court in Mesoamerica along with many other ruins that were used as temples, sacrificial sites, and dwellings. We really enjoyed spending the day learning about their history and experiencing the culture surrounding Chichen Itza.

After our adventure at Chichen Itza, we stopped at a cenote near the city of Valladolid and swam before we had lunch in the city. The cenote itself was beautiful. It about 3 stories below the surface with blue/green water. The depth of the cenote below the surface of the water was about 100 feet and the water was ice cold. Swimming in the cenote was a cool experience, although we couldn’t see very far into the water, it was fun imaging what ancient relics might be laying at the bottom of the pit. I even sort of cliff dived into the water from a high up platform that was higher than anything I’ve ever jumped into water from.

After swimming in the cenote we stopped in an old city named Valladolid. We walked around the main square and saw an old church by the name of Iglesia de San Servacio before having lunch at El Meson del Marques. Iglesia de San Servacio was first built in 1545 but was later demolished in 1705 and rebuilt in 1706 as it is seen today. It has a beautiful limestone exterior and the front façade is adorned with Franciscan architectural elements. The main square of Valladolid is filled with vibrant color and has plenty of benches to relax and enjoy local ice cream or chocolate.