Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve

Our beach house in Tulum is located less than two miles from the northern border of the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, a large tract of jungle, lagoons, lakes, beach, and coral reef that extends for nearly a quarter of the Quintana Roo coast. That it exists at all is a miracle. A group of conservationists got to it before developers managed to gobble up all of the Maya Riviera. Today it is a Mexican National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We rented our house at a tiny eco-resort named Playa Selva. When we discovered that our host, Mauricio Roman, has been a guide at Sian Ka'an for fifteen years, we lost no time engaging him for a day of exploration.

Part of our excursion was to be by boat. We launched from this ramshackle outpost on freshwater Laguna Muyil. (Here laguna means lake.)

The lagoon is shallow, fringed by marsh grasses. Occasional areas of high ground support small patches of tropical jungle.

This land was occupied by ancient Mayans who fished in these waters and in the Caribbean Sea beyond. They dug a canal through the wetlands in order to float their catches inland to places like Cobá. Our boatman uses their canal to transport us from Laguna Muyil to Laguna Chunyaxché.

Laguna Chunyaxché drains via a natural river to the Caribbean Sea. We boated across the lake and down the river until reaching this dock, where our boatman proceeded ahead of us while we floated along in the water, sitting on our life jackets.

How I wanted to photograph that part of the journey! But I don't have a waterproof camera. Yet.

We jumped into the water amidst a cloud of minnows. We floated through wetlands where the boundary between river and grassland blurred. Then we entered a region of mangroves. Bromeliads and orchids grew on aerial roots. Blooming, fruit bearing branches arched overhead. This place is primeval, a nursery for so many kinds of plants and animals.

We also explored nearby jungle on foot. Overnight rains brought out mosquitoes in droves, overwhelming our repellent. We pressed on anyway, slapping and scratching.

Flying termites build nests in these parts. Mauricio told us Mayans call them "gardeners of the forest" because they prune away deadwood, making room for new growth. This nest is about three feet long.

We got to know termites intimately when a colony set up housekeeping just outside our beach house. One morning we awakened to find our rooms full of flying ants. "Gardeners of the forest" or not, Mauricio's gardener encouraged them to build their nest elsewhere.

The Yucatán Peninsula consists of a flat limestone shelf that slopes gently to the sea. Once sea bottom itself, the peninsula emerged as dry land when the ocean receded. In the jungle we found shells embedded in the limestone, proving the land's marine origins.

Shallow soils underlain by limestone provide poor anchorage for roots. Tall trees compensate by throwing out massive buttress roots.

Modern Mayan chicleros scarred this Manilkara chicle while collecting the sap to make natural chewing gum. Almost no chewing gum is made this way anymore. It's cheaper to make it from synthetic rubber. Think about that the next time you pop a Chiclet into your mouth.

From all the fungus growing here, one might think these pictures were taken in the Pacific Northwest.

Sian Ka'an encompasses some 23 known Mayan archaeological sites, all of them undiscovered by the big tour companies. This small building is located along the river connecting Laguna Chunyaxché with the sea. Mauricio calls it a temple. From its size and remote location, I think maybe it more likely a field office than a religious site.

Little restoration work has been done on Sian Ka'an ruins, giving us an idea of what they looked like when they were discovered.

This structure, called El Castillo, weathered the centuries well. The darker stonework areas are parts of the building left unrestored to demonstrate the original appearance.

The reserve is a great gift to us all. Hopefully it won't become overused; after all, it isn't spectacular. But its quiet beauty and the wealth of discovery it contains remain waiting for those who will appreciate it.

Comments

[Replacement Windows]

Absolutely beautiful!

I lived in Mexico for a short time when I was about six years old, and I've always held a burning desire to go back.

Great blog.

[John7447]

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