The White Boy’s Yucatan 1.2: (Coba)

For the Reader: The area around Coba is not as built up as described, but it’s getting there, and it will soon be just as described, (if it isn’t already), as is the case with places like Xel Ha, Chizan Itza and ESP TULUM! The writer has been to all three places as a small boy and more recently (like 3 summers ago or so). Now Tulum is a tragedy. The biggest place to eat outside the park is called “Mayan Burger”. The events depicted here are otherwise quiet true.

Not more than ten years before, the village surrounding the pre-Columbian ruins of Coba, in the south of the Yucatan Peninsula, was only accessible by a 4x4, and only during certain parts of the year. Locals did most of the “tourist” trade. You caught a “tourist guide” in Playa Del Carmen at one of the local hotels and rode out to the park, if the roads and god’s allowed. The locals provided guides, jeeps, housing, and food, and some had special guides for surfing, or any other pleasurable sport or social activity you might be into. Adam vaguely remembered his dad had once bought a large bag of sweet smelling tobacco from a guide, and smoked it with him as he drove the jeep like he was invincible. When the surf board flew off the top of the jeep and the fin was damaged, the tour guide gave him one of his once they got to the huts. But now you couldn’t smoke in the tour busses that left from the resorts, and you couldn’t expect Club Med to give you anything.

Since the area had been re-named “The Mayan Yucatan” things had changed considerably. In the old days for instance (more-less than a decade ago) many of the people’s meals had come out of two large spring fed lakes, (lakes Coba and Macanxoc) that bordered the park. Now there was a sign that said “no fishing” and the huts surrounding the lake were gone. In their place was now a large resort complete with 5 star dining and a disco. International corporations, mostly from Europe and North America, along with a Mexican government devoted to “Market Fundamentals” had turned the place into a nice little strip mall in the jungle. The area around the entrance to the (now gated) park was full of large shops, and the road had been improved to allow for tour busses, bustling with kids who weighed almost as much as the bus. However, once you got into the park proper, it was relatively un-touched, and towards the back of the park, it was pretty empty because not that many tourists were willing to walk the distance to get to the bigger ruins. But out-side the park was all show: A Mayan themed shopping experience.

Most of the people who lived in the area tended to be darker that Mexican’s of the north, shorter and stocker, with wide shoulders. Many of them still spoke a form of Mayan/Spanish that was distinct from “proper Spanish”. Most of the signs were in Spanish, then English, then that dialect, which also looked to be spelled in a very distinct way.

About a half mile from the gate, the pavement stopped and you had to walk back, or catch an expensive four wheel ride. About a quarter mile from the gate one single little grass roofed hut was selling cold drinks and fruit. The place was very popular because most of the tourists (especially those brave or broke enough to walk) were not accustomed to the heat and humidity, and not smart enough to bring water. Adam and his family were no exception. While they stood in line for the wildly overpriced refreshments, Adam noticed a little boy who looked like he might have been from the area, walk from behind the refreshment hut and disappear a little way into the jungle that hugged the dirt road. After the tourists left the stand and walked a little way up, they were confronted with a dollar bill lying on the ground. Most if not all who saw it would stop to pick it up, but then SURPRISE! It jumped back a bit. Some would chase it like the jack-asses they were, almost into the jungle, until they noticed the fishing line tied to it. When Adam saw the spectacle, he stopped and pointed it out to his dad, who sighed and asked “what do you think that’s all about?”
Adam told him how he had seen the little Mayan boy disappear into the jungle.

Adam’s dad frowned and remarked “I guess he’s got us figured out.”
Adam started to walk on and saw that his dad was standing very still, looking serious, and raising his binoculars.

“Adam, look over there, look at that it’s a Green Jay, I think the people here call it a Seyeis Eb, or something. Very cool! Jay’s are some of the smartest birds, and they are cooperative breeders too, but also very territorial. Go figure.”

Adam looked through his binoculars and was impressed. The bird had an inquisitive look, and was making a lot of noise. It was iridescent in the light, as if it was lit from inside. Bright green and blue and black. Perfectly made.

“He might have a nest around, or one of his group’s has one around. They help each other out you know, they alert each other to danger and the males and females work very closely to raise the young. It is not uncommon for one female to feed another’s chicks.”

“So if they’re territorial why don’t the fight with each other, I thought they cooperate? Or I guess they do both?”

“Well, they do both, They are also known to watch other jays burry food, and come back later to dig it up. I don’t think we know exactly how they determine whether a fellow Jay is in the extended family group, or whether you are competition. They click up at any rate, and aren’t they pretty to look at!”

As they walked past the chirping jay Adam couldn’t stop thinking about the little boy. His dad’s words echoed in his ear; “he has us figured out.” As he passed the gringo bait he thought he herd laughter coming from the jungle. “He had us figured out”.

At the gates, the tourists had to line up to get tickets. In doing so they were given a sort of lecture by a employee of the park. Do not throw trash on the ground, pack out what you pack in, camping permits to the right, no narcotics, don’t feed the monkeys, poachers will be prosecuted severely, the bikes only go two miles back to the Nohoch Mul pyramid and if you fall while climbing it we are not responsible, etc..,

Adam asked his dad “Are their many monkeys, I don't remember that?”

“Lot’s. That was along time ago you were here last, you probably just don't remember.”

“Do you think we’ll see any?”

Jerald smiled “Probably, they will see you at any rate, they let each other know about our presence too, like the Jay’s. You’ll see. But they can be very friendly, especially if they think they’ll get a hand out.”

It wasn’t long before Adam heard a series of gut piercing screams floating down from the canopy. Spider Monkeys scuffled above him, dropping leaves, making a noise that you have to hear to understand; A high pitched scream, like a screeching near whistle and grunting and a lot of commotion above your head. A noise like “The humans are here. Well we are here too! Here I am, here we are, and you can’t get us and don’t fuck with us!”

A little way down the path Adam was stopped dead in his tracks by small black spider monkey that was sitting in the middle of the path about twenty feet ahead. A tiny ball of fur, big black expressive eyes, dark brown fuzzy fur with a white belly. The two just regarded each other. Like when you look into the eyes a smart good dog and you know there is some sort of inter-species connection, like you guys are thinking about each other, maybe each thinking “look, it’s another creature, what a trip!” The tiny thing just sat very still at first, and looked. A fur ball with big black eyes. Adam moved to get an energy bar, and the little monkey started jumping sort of, sitting and then jumping a little. Then he thought better of it and just sat down on the path. Then the monkey jumped a little, and sat down again. The two creatures just stared at each other. Just sitting, looking. It had very long arms and long legs and a puffy round body and a long tail. After about 10 seconds of stillness and staring another larger monkey cautiously came onto the path, slow, scooped up the little one and ran up into a tree. The little one clung to the other’s back with it feet and hands and tail.

Adam walked on to Nohoch Mul, the stepped pyramid. From the top of it, by the little cool stone room with slick walls where millions or billions of humans had run their hands among the stone, putting the oil of themselves on it and rubbing it smooth, where their was an alter and a little indention on the floor, where humans had once cut each other’s guts out and ate or burned them for the pleasure of the thirsty god’s, looking toward the park, the world was so green and green and green stretching, a thick robe of green, so much wildness and life and potential, but to the other side, toward the city, grey and smoke and shops, where the future lies buried in the still beating guts of the present and has yet to be cut out.