The Sacred Mayan Journey 2018: The Journey of One of Us
BuyPlaya has been for years, not only a witness, but also a fan and admirer of the canoers that each year bravely cross the open sea, from Xcaret to Cozumel back and forth for the Sacred Mayan Journey. This year, one of us made a dream come true and applied to the 2018 Sacred Mayan Journey.....
Along with 379 other chosen oarsmen, Michele Samal Kinnon trained for a total of 156 hours before hitting the open sea for a 13 hour journey. We have been covering this amazing Xcaret event for years now, and it is always very emotional to witness the departure and mostly arrival of the canoers. But this year was particularly intense and moving as our very own Michele was brave enough to make this journey that she had been dreaming of, a reality.
Michele Samal Kinnon, BuyPlaya.
I personally saw her being soar and physically tired with her hardcore training every day starting at dawn, but she never gave up, just like the rest of her team and all other participants at this year's challenging journey.
The 13 hour-long journey started with an ancient Mayan tradition where rituals, dances, nautical arts and above all the worship of the Mayan goddess Ixchel: The recreation of a sacred ritual performed in ancient times. The brave Maya would cross the 20 miles of open sea on their canoes from the shores of the Riviera Maya to the island of Cozumel to worship the goddess, Ixchel, and bring her omen of prosperity or hardship back to the mainland. The goddess Ixchel represents the harvest, creation, the divine feminine and birth therefore her prophecy for the tribe was critical to survival and preparation. The tribe's shaman would prepare a sacrifice to appease and/or to thank the goddess Ixchel for the bounty to come for that year or for the warning for what lie ahead.
In Cozumel, more celebrations awaited the brave canoers at their arrival, and finally the return to Xcaret on the following day, braving the sun and an angry sea, where hundreds of people gathered on the beach to welcome them back. Family, friends and also curious tourists and local residents patiently waited under a hot and strong sun to see their triumphal return.
The BuyPlaya family wish to congratulate Michele and all 379 oarsmen of this 12th edition of the Sacred Mayan Journey hosted and organized by Xcaret. Hopefully next year, other members of the BuyPlaya family (maybe me....?) will be courageous enough to take up the torch and continue this incredible tradition. If you wish to subscribe for the 13th edition of the Xcaret Sacred Mayan Journey, visit their Website to find out more information!
Andrea was born and raised in Montreal by a Mexican mother and a French Canadian father. She studied cinema and photography in Argentina and Montreal, and has now been living in Playa del Carmen for several years. Both her Mexican and Canadian roots are an important influence on her identity and how she perceives the world through her photography and writing as the content creator for BuyPlaya Real Estate Advisors www.buyplaya.co and the blogs at https://www.buyplaya.co/playalife/
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