OR,CHICANNA IN SPITTING DISTANCE OF BECAN, AND HORMIGUERO A RIGHT OLD TREK
HORMIGUERO A FORGOTTEN SITE IN MANY WAYS.
Whilst halfway through writing this I suddenly remembered that in fact my adventure started first thing in the morning with a booked cab that I had organised the day before to go to Horminguro dammit! You see what happens when you’re a bad, tired and grumpy old bird and don’t write your journal? I had totally forgotten poor old Hormiguero (Anthill) and possibly if you have a busy agenda so should you.
I had in fact got very excited and planned this trip with a cabbie. I had heard it was a very unusual and nearly never visited set of ruins only partially excavated. What they mean to say is only the big interesting intact bits were bothered with and the place is a very shady quite sad place.
My impression was that the three misaligned very similar imposing structures, unimaginatively called South, Central and North Structures were almost like a bunch of bureaucratic beasts of the jungle. They are very sturdy and practical looking but they do surprisingly contain a lot of elaborately embellished doorways and panels. One also has the largest serpent doorway but that was up on high and the ground was slick with dew. I didn’t fancy a tumble so just took my images from below. If you were to come her I again would come for the atmosphere and maybe a walk in the jungle where there’s a lot of wildlife, I think you can even camp there which would be splendid!
I just couldn’t shake my unfair immediate reaction to it being municipal and less Gormanghast and more Croydon, but then again I am very instantly judgemental about these things.
I have researched a bit but can’t get any straight answers except about what a lovely example of Chenes blah blah blah. I felt cheated although it was imposing in its own way but a bit boring and that was the reason I left early moaning to myself. On the way out I just had a nice chat to the two chaps who are its guardians but were very young and not a bit interested in its history or their ancestors work. This was annoying as I thought they might at least shed some light on its history. It was all rather sad and damp and dark and unloved.
I woke my cab driver, (I’d said to him that I could be hours visiting when he asked how long I would be, as if I was some kind of romantic heroine braving the unknown) he was kinda grumpy as he thought he had more time kipping what with his new-born baby at home. I apologised but said that I’d tried my best to be a long time but there simply wasn’t that much to get my teeth into! He laughed wildly and that’s when I decided that Chicanna was on the menu.
Having now just edited the photos, I feel very mean and unfair about these splendid ruins, I think I was just very grumpy and tired and hadn’t researched well as I was constantly tired from sleep deprivation.
Top Tip: Old birds, you must get your kip if you’re on a hard trek. I at this point had lost sight on what I was doing and wasn’t practising my stabilising routines. I wasn’t researching. I wasn’t writing journals and planning and I wasn’t doing any of that as I wasn’t sleeping. Things were running away from me and I panicked. This was just a waste of my time and money but the more I panicked the less I slept and a vicious circle had established itself. All the joy was escaping from me and that’s not like me at all. Do not let it get this far. Step back, take a day to eat, rest and sleep and things will quickly come back into focus again. You won’t win by exhausting yourself and after all it’s supposed to be fun which includes the hanging out stuff.
A BIT ABOUT CHICANNA
“Chicanna is a small archaeological zone located in the state of Campeche, Mexico, known for its exquisite Mayan temples and unique architectural features. The site is situated in the Rio Bec region, near the town of Xpujil, and is approximately 5 miles (8 km) west of Xpujil and a short distance from Becan. Chicanna was inhabited from the late Preclassic period around 300 B.C. to the early Postclassic period around 1100 A.D., with its peak period occurring between 500 and 800 A.D. The site is famous for its Structure II, also known as the “House of the Serpent Mouth,” which inspired the name of the archaeological site. In the Mayan language, “chi” means mouth, “can” means serpent, and “na” means house. Visitors can explore several structures at Chicanna, including Structures I, II, and XX, which date back to the Classic Era between 650 and 850 A.D. The site is known for its impressive temple with a large doorway framed by the gaping mouth of a giant earth deity, showcasing the Rio Bec architectural style.”
So sayeth the internet. Now I sayaeth this. So it’s the House of the Serpent Mouth but the actual original name is unknown. Due to its dimensions and rich decorations it was likely a small elitist centre of Becan. This seems likely due to its proximity. This fancy scmancy little elevated zone of ruins seems to have been a commercial enterprise due to what they call ‘non-local materials’ that were found there from Guatemala and the Honduras. Occupation seems dated to Late Preclassic to Early Postclassic so it had a good stint and seemingly was an important neighbourhood of the forty five sites of the Rio Bec area that has a large amount of Chenes and even the Puuc style from the north. Do be aware that even the famous serpent mouth here is the interpretation of archaeologists as are all of the loose explanations. Yes it has what look like teeth etc but really any monster would fit the bill. The eight rooms attached apparently have murals and art we are not allowed to see and literature seems a little sparse on the ground.
REST OF MY DAY AT CHICANNA
It was another smaller ruin that I chose with much interjections from the locals.
At that stage I had been in Xpujil for three days so I was acquainted with some of the locals. Although they were very enthusiastic about me jumping over fences to access some rarely visited sites, or parts that were closed to the public, I declined remembering my brush with the law in Bacalar with a shiver. No, I had another two weeks left and I had poorly managed my time since arriving in Mexico, this old bird wasn’t going to show off and go off piste especially now, in and area full of military as well as police. I would settle for going to a small site during the heat of the day to avoid pesky tourists and at least con myself that there were magical sites that nobody really went to. Chicanna it was!
Both it and I were fabulous. My homemade body butter didn’t let me down with the huge quantity of mosquitoes at the site ( it’s the lemongrass that I add with another secret organic ingredient) so I didn’t come away from the experience like a pin cushion and well Chicanna is magic.
I was amazed again how beautiful and ornate this place was in comparison to some other famous very touristy sites are. Yes, it has no massive pyramid, but when you get into your head that it was a very rich little suburb of Becan that had its precious exotic articles trade, you start seeing it in its own shining light. When painted and thatched and inhabited by its rich beautifully dressed locals then you realise this was no run of the mill place. Large plazas and generously spaced buildings with many rooms attached we feel the buzz of being in a venerated neighbourhood where religious ceremonies were hosted. If you can just imagine daily life at these quieter and prettier venues, then you can start enjoying them and not just running up decayed pyramids. Go into the rooms where the people actually lived and sit on their bed platforms touching the very stones where they laid down to rest maybe after having eaten their fresh vibrant food after a hot gruelling day in the sun. Then after talking and looking into their fires until they went down, they would wander and gaze at the stars before sleeping on the stones that you are now sitting on, dreaming of their gods and the mystery of life as they knew it.
Anyhoo, I loved it there and I felt all the stress disappear and love enter my dusty heart again. I could have should have stayed there till sunset but I got thirsty for a beer and lusted after a cool rest in my little cabin. I also knew it was time to bite the bullet and go to the ghastly over rated Calakmul the next day.
On return back to my little cabin I went to see my new friend at a restaurant nearby that makes the best soup ever, I don’t want to know what goes in it but it was a fantastic consommé with mysterious bits. Then I organised bloody Calakmul, what an expensive rip off that turned out to be. I should just have checked my previous blog about it, if it was bad in lockdown it’s about a hundred times worse now.
OVER AND OUT FROM A VERY SATISFIED DUSTY OLD BIRD.
Old Bird Travels Solo! 