timeless and ancient....jicara

jicara tree

jicara, or gourd

jicara cut and polished

I bought this beautiful jicara. It is polished black and carved in the traditional,  "rain" pattern.

jicara for sale in the market

"Jicara," a type of gourd, is the ultimate choice, in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico,  for renewable, biodegradeable, natural, containers. They grow easily in the hot, dry climate. They are light,  strong, hold water, and don't crack. Jicara look fabulous when colored, polished, and carved.  In the Mexican markets, meals are served in half jicaras. Timeless and ancient, jicara are another connection  to the Mayan, traditional lifestyle that is still visible today. -

Oxkintoch.....feel the mystery.....

Closing my eyes to the dreary day outside and remembering the day we went to visit the site of the ancient city of Oxkintoch.The limestone plateau that the Yucatan sits upon seems very evident here. The great prairie extends for miles and you can almost see the curve of the earth. It was a hot morning  and nobody else was about. The bees were humming and the wild grasses were fragrant. The site for this Mayan ruin is eight square miles. Not a lot has been excavated but it is possible to see mounds of ruins everywhere in all directions. It is the unexcavated ruins that excite me.  Miles of mounds cover ancient sites.......I want to get down and dig. Oxkintoch seems full of ghosts. We can feel their presence. We can feel the mystery.

the ladies at the Muna market.....

We met lots of Mayan ladies at the Muna market .......after we had bought their baskets, loofahs, shawls, blouses, dresses, pumpkin seeds, freshly made chile powder, bananas, avocados, ....I would ask if I could take a picture, wait for permission,...and then very quickly, without a flash,.....take a pic......  They were so beautiful........and they didn't mind me, really.....