8th annual gran travesia sagrada maya 2014

Visitors to Tulum hotels in May have a wonderful opportunity to witness one of the Riviera Maya‘s most unique spectacles: Xcaret park‘s annual Gran Travesia Sagrada Maya, or Great Sacred Mayan Journey, held this year from May 22-24. This awe-inspiring event pays homage to a tradition of the ancient Maya, who yearly braved the ocean in dugout canoes, crossing from the mainland to the Island of Cozumel to worship the goddess Ixchel.

Ixchel’s importance to the ancient Maya cannot be overstated; She was the deity which ruled over fertility, health, water, and vegetation. Traditionally she is represented by the Moon’s phases as it waxes and wanes: A young woman/Full Moon, Old Crone/Waning Moon, and lying dead with one eye open/New Moon.

Teams of local people practice together for months in advance to reenact this important Mayan pilgrimage, banding together as oarsmen to row their canoes on the sacred route from Xcaret on the mainland to Chankanaab Park in Cozumel. Xcaret represents Polé, which in Yucatecan Maya means “merchandise.” The ancient sea voyage began at the marketplace, where sacred items were obtained to place as offerings to Ixchel once the voyagers reached their destination at Kuzamil (now known as Cozumel).

Recreating this sacred journey not only sheds light on an ancient practice, offering a rich learning experience for tourists, but also provides a crucial cultural link between the region’s local inhabitants and their storied ancestors. Most who’ve witnessed this spiritual event mark it as one of the highlights of their vacation.

For more information about the event or to obtain tickets, talk with your reception staff at Cabanas Tulum Hotel.

Booking Mobile Telephone : Call +52 (1) 984 157 9645 (from 8 am to 4 pm)

Reception Telephone : Call +52 (1) 984 157 5569 (from 7 am to 11 pm)