Uxmal

   From the sandy beach of Celestun, we drove southwest to Ticul. This was the heart of the ancient civilization of the Puuc. There were ruins eveywhere. Deep in the jungle foliage, we spotted a Tapir, foraging for food. Berry and I were birding, but we regularly see wildlife during our comings and goings.

   There was a Green Jay (Cyanocorax Yncas), also known as the Incan Jay, on a boardwalk. We saw a Social Flycatcher (Myiozetetes Simillis) behaving like most flycatchers we have seen. They perch in trees and fly out to catch insects in flight. They then fly back to the perch. Scanning the tops of small trees we call tree-topping. The tops of trees is the habitat of flycatchers, in the same way that ponds are the habitat of ducks.

   Here is a shot of the entire Uxmal complex. This was a major Mayan administrative city and there were ruins all over the place. There were detailed friezes with gargoyles on the ancient structures. We never stopped birding, but the pre-Columbian edifices were astounding to behold.

Uxmal

   For dinner that evening, we went to the city of Ticul and had "mexican pizza". This was pizza that tasted exactly like Mexican food. Instead of italian seasoning, the Mexican cosinero used chili powder and cumin to season his pizza. It was delicious, but it was untraditional, to say the least. We finally slept in the cute Hotel Plaza, there in Ticul. As we were leaving the next morning, Robert left the Spotting Scope under the bed. The manager of the hotel came running out with it in his hands.

Robert and Berry

photo courtesy of wikipedia