In Mayan folklore there is a story of two brothers, iXbalanque and Hunahpu. Although completely different in appearance and characteristics, they are referred to in the Mayan historical book Popol Vuh as the twin heroes of creation. Borne from magic, they displayed supernatural powers at an early age, and were often asked by the god Huracan to use their powers to eliminate evil elements. The twins descended unto the Lords of the Underworld to play several ball games called Popolpok. With athletic prowess, trickery and cunning they ultimately defeated these Lords. With the downfall of the Underworld complete, the twins ascended back to earth and into the sky as the sun and the moon, forever protecting the creation of earth.
Back on earth, in the Mayan Jungle of central Yucatan, just north of Temazon, the spirit of iXbalanque has been resurrected in the form of the Cabañas iXbalanque. This small, intimate lodging facility has six cabañas built in the traditional Mayan method (concrete floors have been added), and a two bedroom casita. Each room sleeps 2-3 people, with options for accommodating extra guests. All the cabañas have been fitted with full washrooms, running water, and flush toilets. The absence of a hot water system may be a missing comfort for many, but the rooftop cisterns are warmed by the sun-god, and the showers are actually quite refreshing! The rooms are spacious, comfortable, and feature an outside sitting area under a palapa.
The Cabañas iXbalanque also feature a small kitchen with a breakfast area, a swimming pool, and a pool-side entertainment/meeting space. With a maximum capacity of 18 people this refuge deep in the Mayan jungle is the perfect base camp for small group tours to Mayan ruins, cenotes, swamps, and alligator-infested rivers. Such was the case on my "In Search of Mayan Gold" tour with Riviera Maya Top Tours by Maritza. The Cabañas iXbalanque was the daily starting point for my tour of the Ek Balam ruins, the crocodile-infested mangroves in Rio Lagartos, the pink-hued waters of Las Coloradas, and numerous cavern and open air cenotes! With its location close to Mayan villages such as Santa Rita and Dzalbay, the Cabañas iXbalanques offers the opportunity to visit and interact with Mayan families, and to experience their culture first hand. I had just that honour, being invited to the home of Don Fernando Gonzalez for Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) festivities with his family. As Fernando Baez Mendiola, owner of Cabañas iXbalanque, told me, "Welcome, to a place to be in contact with nature, in a privileged location to be close to cenotes, Mayan villages, and people who will receive them with open arms." I will be writing more about all these adventures, so stay tuned to this space.
As with the rest of the world, this remote part of civilization was not immune to the ravages of Covid-19. This decimated the tourism industry in The Temazon Tourist Region. Senor Mendiola added, "The Covid affected us all and we still cannot recover, let's hope the pandemic ends soon in order to activate the economy." Future development that was planned for the swimming pool and entertainment areas have been put on hold, says Mendiola. "We hope to return to normality and continue with our projects...and be able to offer our services, and to all the people who visit us at Cabañas iXbalanque, welcome!"
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