Maya Days

I happened to be down in Punta Gorda for Maya Days, a celebration sponsored by Tumul K’in, a high school in the village of Blue Creek that’s dedicated to the preservation of Maya culture. I was lucky enough to witness a game of Chajchaay, the sacred Maya ballgame. The players of the two teams are typically painted and dressed to represent the warrior eagles of the Orient and the warrior jaguars of the Occident (who were covered head to toe in green dye). Players support themselves on the floor with one arm and return the 3½ lb. ball to the other team by hitting it with their hips. A team wins by either scoring a certain number of points, or by getting the ball through one of two rings suspended from the ceiling at a height of about 6 feet. By hitting it with their hips. Chajchaay is “the personification of the fight between necessary oppositions. It is the everyday fight, it is the eternal duality, light and darkness, health and sickness, birth and death, man and woman, the being or not being, heat and cold, water and fire, good and evil.”

The next day’s festivities, like those of any good community gathering, included food, music, games, and a greased pig competition. I was sorry I missed the greased pole competition, as it looked like the pole was covered in motor oil. But I did get to see six Maya ladies take each other on in the traditional corn-grinding competition.


Mica, John and I headed to Blue Creek early in the morning to catch the festivities, so I had a chance to check out the creek that lends it’s name to the town. Yes, this picture is doctored, but the creek really is that blue, even without help.


Here’s Mica chatting up some friends…










...and my new friend for the day.