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Day of the DeadFestivals in Mexico City, Mexico At the beginning of November Mexican families celebrate the Day of the Dead by welcoming the dead back into their homes and providing feasts for them or visiting cemeteries with sumptuous picnics and decorating the gravesites of their dead relatives. People take the opportunity to reminisce and tell stories and get their families together. Though called the Day of the Dead, festivities take place over two days, the first remembering departed children and the second for adults. Special foods are prepared for the family feasts, often in the shapes of skulls or skeletons and some families build shrines covered in flowers with offerings of the deceased’s favourite alcohol, sweets and cigarettes. The celebration dates from Aztec traditions which originally celebrated children and the dead, however it’s now used to commemorate dead friends and family members and to reflect on the continuity of life. Rural regions usually observe the festival in a more traditional way than people in cities, but it’s a recognised national holiday, so most Mexicans mark the occasion.
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Review by Photo by flickr user Glen's Pics |
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San Benedicto IslandDiving in Mexico San Benedicto is one of four islands in the Revillagigedos Archipelago, more commonly called the Socorro Islands. This area attracts nature enthusiasts and scuba divers because the the numerous large animal encounters experienced at dive sites like "The Boiler" and "The Canyon". Giant Pacific Mantas congregate here because it is a cleaning station. Its one of the few places in the world where you can come eye-to-eye with these amazing creatures in crystal clear ocean water. It can only be reached by boat. Scuba divers visit this area when weather permits from November through May. This is done by way of Cabo San Lucas aboard the luxury live-aboard Solmar V.
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Review by Photo by Bonnie Pelnar |
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Uxmal and the Pyramid of the MagicianArchaeological Sites in Mexico Uxmal was the greatest metropolitan and religious Mayan center in the Puuc hills of Yucatan during the late Classical period, flourishing between the 7th and 10th centuries AD. Uxmal translates as 'thrice built' and, whatever the actual number, the numerous building phases are reflected in a variety of architectural styles. The city was abandoned in the 10th century after apparently coming under Toltec influence. The Pyramid of the Magician, soaring to 100 feet, is the tallest structure in Uxmal. According to ancient legend, a magician-god named Itzamna was supposed to have constructed the pyramid in one night. From archaeological excavation however, we know that the pyramid was constructed in five superimposed phases over a period of many years. The legendary association of the pyramid with a magician may be understood as an indication that the structure, and indeed the entire sacred part of the Uxmal complex, had ancient and ongoing use as a mystery school and ceremonial center. It is also interesting to note that the entire city is aligned with reference to the position of the planets then known, with Venus predominating, and that the pyramid of the magician is oriented so that its stairway on the west faces the setting sun at the time of summer solstice.
Photo: Pyramid of the Magician, Uxmal
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Review by Photo by flickr user malias |
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Cave of Swallows BASE JumpExtreme Challenge in Mexico The only legal restrictions in BASE jumping are those attached to jumping from other people's property. So, instead of the Building, Antenna, Span part of the acronym, try the Earth option. Sotano de las Golandrinas is an awesomely beautiful place and belongs to nobody at all. it is a cave, 1,400 feet deep, buried beneath the lush Mexican rain forest and almost perfectly cylindrical. Trees cling to the tops of the inner walls around the dark cave mouth, and a base jump here on a bright morning sends you tumbling down a shaft of sunlight past shining white rock and circling swallows on their way out.
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Review by Photo by flickr user wayfaring stranger |
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Monarch Migration in MexicoWildlife in Mexico Set aside a day for this experience, as you hike up into the mountains of Michoacán to find the forest filled with orange and black butterflies. Trees turn into living organisms as the branches give way to millions of these delicate creatures and the air feels electric with the hum of millions of wings beating frantically. A good tour guide is key to finding these butterflies during their migration and only 2 of the 7 butterfly sites, El Rosario and Chincua, are open to the public. Tours can last up to 12 hours but it is worth the time and effort to see these living jewels dance through the air. The migration season starts in mid November and comes to an end in March.
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Review by Photo by flickr user James Jordan |
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