TRAVESIA SAGRADA MAYA 2013
The Travesia Sagrada otherwise known as the Sacred Mayan Journey, is a modern reenactment of an ancient quest by canoe to the tropical island of Cozumel to receive the oracle of the Mayan goddess Ixchel.
This perilous journey begins under a full moon upon the shores of XelHa Park in the heart of the Riviera Maya, Mexico.
A crowd gathers, before dawn to send off the canoes. These men and women who would navigate the oceans waves and strong currents are as brave as the ancient warriors who made this journey thousands of years before them.
300 brave of heart filled 30 canoes excited to be the the first souls of this new era to receive the blessings of Ixchel for the inception of this baktun.
Each year the ancient Mayans made this historic pilgrimage to the island of Cozumel to honor, worship and solicit favors from the goddess Ixchel; goddess of fertility, the moon and abundance. This was the largest pilgrimage in the Mayan world apart from the pilgrimage to Chichen Itza. The Mayan warriors that crossed the open sea received the oracle of Ixchel and proudly brought it back to their mainland villages.
Before departing, the canoes gathered to receive blessings from the shaman, who made offerings of smoking copal incense to the four directions in the name of a successful and safe crossing.
Upon receiving their blessings for a safe journey the excited participants began to row.
They would row for nearly eight hours to arrive at the shores of Cozumel.
Since November, these dedicated men and women have trained almost daily. During the past six months of training they have endured all types of weather and ocean conditions to prepare them for whatever Chaac, the Mayan rain god, would throw at them on this sacred day. They have trained and practiced and learned to understand the language of the Caribbean sea; this journey would test their stamina and the power of their will.
As the crowd solemnly watched, the canoes slipped, one by one, into the sunrise.
Rising and disappearing in the thunderous waves, the boats played peek-a-boo out to the open sea.
At least one canoe had a rough start by taking on too much water. The rescue boats and jet skis, luckily, were nearby and at the ready. The canoe held back as water was furiously bailed out and was soon back on track rowing at a plucky pace to catch up.
Only the brave members of each canoe know the hardships they endured during the arduous journey. Once the canoes were out of site, just after dawn, they were not seen again until they came upon the shores of Cozumel in the afternoon. They rowed to shore tired and excited to receive the oracle of Ixchel that same evening.
The next morning, still tired and stiff from yesterday's long day of rowing and excitement, the would-be mighty warriors again boarded their canoes to make the exhausting trip back to the mainland to Xcaret Nature Park. Fueled by the positive message of Ixchel's oracle and the favorable ocean currents, the return trip and the day's journey was a few hours shorter than the previous day.
At Xcaret Nature Park the crowd awaited anxiously for the arrival of the first canoes and the dancers, performers and speakers made preparations for the homecoming celebration and the announcement of the blessings of Ixchel.
Looking eagerly out to sea, awaiting the safe return of the canoes and the prophecy of Ixchel...
...and then, suddenly, a cry arose through the air and stirred the crowd to it's feet; the first canoe had made it's way into sight!
The crowd roared! The air was electric with excitement! It was as if the crowd could feel each stroke of the paddle pushing the canoe to shore, each stroke provoked a new and bigger reaction. Just when the crowd was close to frenzy and the first canoe was in full view frantically paddling to the shore in the shallow bay waters of Xcaret Park, a dolphin burst from the water, joyously jumping and frolicking, leading the boat to shore. The crowd gasped, laughed, applauded and oooh-ed and aww-ed, elated at the marvelous aerial tricks of the dolphins and the last burst of energetic rowing from the canoes.
The exhaustion, joy, pride and raw emotion of the canoes washed over the crowd. The mixed emotions were palatable in the air.
The canoes came paddling in....
...and there were smiles, celebration, dancing and families reuniting all around.
The canoes arrived to the Xcaret Village and were greeted by the wise words of the Batab~ tribal chief, he reminded the audience that the gods had brought different colored corn to the four corners of the world. The women of the village, young and old, performed fertility dances to honor the oracle of Ixchel.
The Mayan god of corn danced and passed corn among the people as an offering, that they should never go without the sacred food.
As more and more canoes were pulled up to the sandy shore, the dancing and celebrating escalated...
Corn was passed around to all present, as an offering to bring abundance to every household.
The celebrating continued as the canoes poured in and thanks, announcements, introductions, certificates of participation and credit were given to everyone involved in organizing this emotional event.
The Travesia Sagrada is truly one of the most inspiring and moving events to occur in the Riviera Maya. Xcaret Nature Park does a fantastic job on the daily of inspiring national pride for Mexico and provoking emotion from its visitors, but this Sacred Mayan Journey, steeped in thousands of years of tradition speaks to the heart of us all. Even in these modern times we can still identify with the act of sending our loved ones off on a long journey, relishing in their return, the beautiful joy of the blessings of bounty and the celebration of life and the beginning of a new era.
Colorful Guacamaya birds were released as a symbol of coming into the new era and the close of this colorful reception ceremony.
The overwhelming sense of pride that pervaded the Mayan Village of Xcaret at the return of the canoes, is a feeling that none present is soon to forget.