My trip To Xpujil, Becan and the Museum of the Mayan Culture in Chetumal in 2000 by Phil Konstantin
west of the small town of Xpujil, Campeche. Xpujil is a approximately 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of
Chetumal, Quintana Roo. Both are easily reached from Highway 186. It was here I first encountered an
old nemesis, the mosquito. While they were not so thick you could knock down a few dozen with a single
swing, they were numerous enough I could hear a constant buzz. Actually, to do them justice, in my
experience no mosquito can be knocked down by a swing. They keep coming back like the villian in a
cheap slasher movie. Even though (thinking ahead) I wore long sleeves and long pants, I still got quite a
few bites. This, and the heavy coastal rains, played a major role in my decision to not visit Coba, where
the mosquitos are known to be worse. I arrived in Xpujil around 11am. The local taxis and combis all seemed
to be on their midday break. As I walked past a few of them, I did not get a single solicitation for a ride. The
entrance to the Xpujil ruins is less than 1 kilometer from the center of town. The entrance to Becan is about
6 kilometers (3.5 miles) further west. Chicanna is another kilometer further down. I did not have enough time
to go to Chicanna. I was the only visitor at both Xpujil and Becan. The Rio Bec area gets much fewer of the
casual tourists than do the northern Maya sites.
The Museum of the Mayan Culture (Museo de la Cultura Maya), considered the largest and most comprehensive
museum in the state dedicated to the Mayan culture, has an important collection of authentic and reproductions
of classical works, and tells the development of Mayan culture, its origins, as well as various aspects of their daily life.
Unfortunately, they did not let anyone take photos while inside the museum. I did get a few shows in their outside gallery.
If you ever find yourself in Chetumal, I really recommend visiting this museum!
Click on any picture below to see a larger version of it.
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