Celebrating Mayan Culture at The Royal Haciendas
On the twenty-first of every month in 2012, The Royal Haciendas will be paying homage to the Mayan culture with special events which will help us understand more about the accomplishments of this extraordinary people in art, architecture, astronomy, science and the measurement of time. The date selected is a reference to December 21, 2012, the day that one b’aktun or cycle in the ancient calendar draws to a close and a new era begins.
The event features a beach bonfire (artificial fire will be used in order to protect the environment), during which guests and staff will be asked to spend a moment in reflection, seeking harmony with nature in such a beautiful setting, and then write down their thoughts and prayers for the future. All wishes will be placed in a chest.
Tomorrow’s event starts off with an exhibition of the hand-carved wooden jewelry, animal figures, embroidery, tropical fruit preserves and other sustainable products made by members of the Ak Kuxtal Community Group which represents artisans from villages throughout the Zona Maya in central Quintana Roo. Guests will be able to meet some of the artisans and buy their crafts from 12 to 5 p.m. on the terrace in Phase I. The bonfire follows at 6 p.m.
Other activities scheduled to take place on the twenty-first of the month include Mayan hieroglyphics and painting Mayan ceramics in March, an exhibition of Mayan art in April, a Mayan market in May and a Mayan treasure hunt in June. Additional events will be announced.
Gelato at The Royal Roast
Located in The Royal Market at The Royal Sands and The Royal Caribbean lobby, the Royal Roast Coffee Co., serves much more than your favorite cup of java. In addition to freshly baked pastries, cakes and baguettes, it now has a counter stocked with temptingly traditional Italian gelato from Aldo’s. Flavors currently stocked include raspberry, coconut, lemon and chocolate.
The Chef’s Garden
In a new eco initiative at Royal Resorts, Chef’s Gardens are being planted outside the restaurants at The Royal Caribbean, The Royal Sands and The Royal Haciendas. Chilies, tomatoes, radishes and herbs such as basil, oregano, coriander and rosemary will be grown and tended organically on the small plots. Apart from providing fresh produce for the restaurants, the flowering herbs will also attract bees and butterflies.
Cancun’s Beaches
On February 18, work began to level the beach along stretches of Cancun’s shoreline and eliminate the steep step that has formed in the sand as a result of recent high winds and tides. The project will start at Punta Cancun and advance towards the south during the next three to four weeks. Engineers from the Electricity Commission will also be taking measurements as part of the beach monitoring program.
In a separate project, the facilities at four of Cancun’s public beaches are also being upgraded. Among the improvements are ramps for the physically challenged, walkways, restrooms, lifeguard stations, more garbage bins and better lighting. The beaches to benefit are Playa Langosta, Playa Marlin, El Mirador II and Playa Nizuc.
Carnival!
It’s Carnival season and Cancun, Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, Merida and Campeche are all celebrating with their own colorful parades, parties and concerts.
The fun started in Cancun on February 17 and the principal Carnival venue is Malecón Cancun. Cozumel Carnival is said to be the oldest in Mexico and those in Merida and Campeche also draw large crowds.
Elsewhere in the country, Veracruz and Mazatlan are famous for their Carnivals.
National Geographic Writer Tours the Maya World
As global interest mounts in the Mayan calendar and one b’aktun or cycle draws to a close on December 21 and another cycle begins, not heralding the end of the world as many doomsday soothsayers would have us believe, National Geographic Traveler Magazine has sent its Digital Nomad Editor at Large Andrew Evans to tour the Mexican Maya World to cast light on the enigmatic prophecies.
Andrew is blogging and tweeting his way through this beautiful area so rich in history, traditions and natural wonders, visiting many of the famous archaeological sites and meeting the modern-day inhabitants. After beginning his journey in Chiapas, he traveled to Tabasco where he explored the archaeological sites of Pomona and Comalcalco and saw the fragment of the Tortuguero Stela with a hieroglyphic inscription that is said to allude to the return of a god on December 21, 2012. Many respected mainstream archaeologists and Mayan experts have rejected the theory that this is a reference to a global catastrophe and Andrew is quick to point this out.
From Tabasco, Andrew drove to Campeche where he toured the mighty jungle city of Calakmul and he is now in Uxmal. You can read about Andrew’s adventures, and see his photos, as he tours the rest of the Yucatan Peninsula by following @WheresAndrew on Twitter and visiting http://digitalnomad.nationalgeographic.com
Isla Mujeres Whale Shark Festival Date Announced
The dates for the annual Isla Mujeres Whale Shark Festival have been announced! This popular event that brings together marine biologists from all over the world, conservationists, visitors and local fishermen will take place on Isla Mujeres, June 21 – 24. The festival program will feature whale shark seminars, dance performances and concerts and trips out to the whale shark feeding grounds.
A Night at the Theater
Cancun’s Universidad del Caribe is transmitting a series of plays from the National Theatre of London, United Kingdom and operas from the Metropolitan Opera House of New York. All are shown on a giant HD screen in the university courtyard or auditorium depending on the weather and are open to students and the general public.
Recent offerings included the hilarious One Man, Two Guvnors, which will be moving to Broadway this spring, and The Collaborators, a black comedy about the playwright Mikael Bulgakov and a strange meeting he had with Josef Stalin. They become unlikely collaborators on a play in honor of Stalin’s birthday, with unforeseen consequences.
The program for the 2012 spring season is as follows:
National Theatre, London
Collaborators January 13
John Hodge
Directed by Nicholas Hytner
Starring Alex Jennings, Simon Russell Beale and Mark Addy
Travelling Light March 2
Nicholas Wright
Directed by Nicholas Hytner
Starring Antony Sher
The Comedy of Errors March 30
William Shakespeare
Directed by Dominic Cooke
Starring Lenny Henry
She Stoops to Conquer April 27
Oliver Goldsmith
Directed by Jamie Lloyd
The plays are in English with Spanish subtitles.
Opera at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York
The Enchanted Island, January 21
Based on The Tempest by William Shakespeare and featuring Placido Domingo. Directed by William Christie
Ernani, February 25
Giuseppe Verdi
Manon, April 7
Jules Massenet
La Traviata, April 14
Giuseppe Verdi
Performances begin at 7 p.m. and are weather permitting. The Universidad del Caribe is located to the north of Cancun en route to Punta Sam and Playa Mujeres.
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