Izamal

So here are some pictures of Izamal, a town that sits about 42 miles to the east of Merida. The bus ride was very interesting as we stopped several times along the highway to pick up more people (and in a few little tiny towns-even more people to pick up) and so by the time that we arrived in Izamal, both Paloma and I were standing shoulder to shoulder with a bunch of other people. We were packed into this bus (thank goodness it had air conditioning!) for about half of the ride there. Anyways, Izamal has had continuous occupation by groups of the Maya for many, many years (millenia really) and is host to an extremely friendly group of people. Many, if not most, of Izamal's inhabitants said hello to us as we walked down its friendly streets and gazed upon the brightly painted yellow buildings. One of these first images is my initial view of Izamal and the offering of renting a motorcycle to cruise around the city streets. The pyramid of Kinich Kak Mo was interesting and has an enormous base, but the pyramid itself is not too large. It was a very hot day but I truly enjoyed being able to come to Izamal. The courtyard of the church (otherwise known as the atrium of the church) is second in size only to the atrium found at the Vatican. Nuestra Senora de Izamal is the Virgin patroness saint of Izamal and she is the Patroness of the Yucatan so I had to include a picture of her in stainglass. The doll or statue of her has allegedly performed a few miracles, the reason for which Pope John Paul II visited Izamal in 1993.

Here are a few views from within the great courtyard of the church at Izamal. People are just so friendly here and I felt comfortable taking pics of the church and the people gathering around outside. Just like all the other buildings in Izamal, the church is painted this bright yellow color and it stands out against the backdrop of the bule sky. Pope John Paul II visited Izamal in 1993 and listened to a mass given in the language of Yucatec Maya (that's really cool!!) so here is a picture of the statue dedicated to him and commemorating his visit in 1993. I hope that the last picture gives a pretty good idea of just how big the courtyard is.

Here is the pyramid called Kinich Kak Mo that is located in Izamal. This pyramid is dedicated to the Sun god of the ancient Maya and it is very interesting, given the fact that it is the third to fifth largest pyramid in the Maya area (depending on how one measures it- really it's the base size). It does allow for a great panoramic view of Izamal and the surrounding territory. I thought that I would include a picture of me with the famous church of Izamal with its huge courtyard and striking yellow color. While Paloma and I were on top of the pyramid, a little butterfly landed on my arm and would not leave me alone for like ten minutes so I took a picture of it. I thought that was pretty cool. Overall, I really enjoyed our visit to Izamal; probably the friendliest place that I have ever visited in Mexico (although Tlacotalpan in Veracruz and of course Oaxaca City are a close second). Although it was extremely hot and muggy on this particular Sunday, it was a nice visit well worth venturing out into the humid climate. I really liked Izamal (is there any place that I don't really like in Mexico??).