{"id":1166,"date":"2012-01-24T14:47:44","date_gmt":"2012-01-24T20:47:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rideintobirdland.com\/en\/entrip-report-the-toh-bird-festival-2011-%e2%80%93-day-6esreporte-de-viaje-el-festival-de-las-aves-toh-2011-%e2%80%93-di%cc%81a-6"},"modified":"2015-04-15T16:22:17","modified_gmt":"2015-04-15T16:22:17","slug":"reporte-de-viaje-el-festival-de-las-aves-toh-2011-dia-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rideintobirdland.com\/en\/trip-report-the-toh-bird-festival-2011-day-6\/","title":{"rendered":"Trip Report: the Toh Bird Festival 2011 \u2013 Day 6"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Day 6 – Colonial architecture and the best \u201cCochinita Pibil\u201d in Valladolid.<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

In the inner patio of Hotel Tunich-Beh<\/a>, in the company of a great Ceiba tree, we help ourselves to a breakfast of toast, butter, jam, fresh fruit, cereal, juice and coffee. In conversation with the hotel\u2019s owner we find out that this old house is actually a building of recent construction, designed in colonial style to harmonize with other houses on the historic Calzada de Los Frailes<\/em>, a landmark of colonial Valladolid.<\/p>\n

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We go out for a walk to the z\u00f3calo<\/em> or main square, intent on enjoying the sight of the Cathedral and then walking down to the Convent in Sisal neighborhood. In a few minutes we’re admiring the fa\u00e7ade of the Iglesia de San Gervasio<\/em>, which looks to the south of the square and is built in stone of such color that makes one think of nougat candy. A small plaque on the exterior wall informs us that it was built in 1545 under the tutelage of father Francisco Hern\u00e1ndez, only to be demolished a century and a half later, in 1705, then rebuilt the following year. The reason for such an unusual exercise in demolition and reconstruction lies in an obscure historical episode, known as the \u201cCrimen de los Alcaldes<\/em>\u201d (Crime of the Mayors). In 1703, for personal and political reasons, Fernando Hip\u00f3lito de Osorno and Gabriel de Covarrubias were murdered inside the cathedral. Convinced that the altar had been desecrated by the hideous crime, Bishop Don Pedro de los Reyes R\u00edos ordered the church\u2019s partial demolition, including the altar. The original church faced West, as was the norm in Yucatan, but its orientation was changed during reconstruction to keep the altar from staying in the same place where it had been desecrated.<\/p>\n

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Front fa\u00e7ade of the Iglesia de San Gervasio en Valladolid. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon).<\/p><\/div>\n

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The main hall of Iglesia de San Gervasio. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon).<\/p><\/div>\n

As we walk across the z\u00f3calo<\/em> I can\u2019t help but notice the city\u2019s coat of arms, sporting a White Hawk as its main figure. Its complete description, according to Wikipedia, is as follows: \u201cOn a field of gold, a white hawk stands, borders in gules (red) with six golden castles (three on each side), and on the tip, the Mayan numeric sign for zero in gold. As exterior ornament, two crossed branches, one of cotton and the other one of Xtabent\u00fan with its flowers, and the motto: Heroic City, in red letters over a parchment strip.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

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Valladolid's main sqaure, and a detail on the square's benches with the city's coat of arms. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon).<\/p><\/div>\n

The old mansions around the main square now harbor hotels, shops and restaurants. They are all worthy sights with their high ceilings, iron barred windows and huge doors. We enter the Parochial House and its museum-like atmosphere prompts us to walk silently. A lonesome employee types on a typewriter, not a computer. In one of the corridors a truly vintage Hammond organ makes me wonder, does it work still?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Back on the street we walk towards Sisal, where the Convento de San Bernardino de Sienna<\/em> is located. Rose makes photos of doors and fa\u00e7ades, while I stop to photograph a house of which only the outer shell remains, decorated with weeds and creepers.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>Time seems to have stopped in Sisal. We enjoy exploring its streets, houses and small shops, until we reach the Convent and stop to appreciate its frontal fa\u00e7ade. Founded in 1552, it housed the original headquarters of the Franciscan Order in Valladolid, which was in charge of the forced conversion of Yucatan\u2019s original inhabitants to the christian faith. It was also here that Fray Bernardino de Valladolid began work on one of the first scientific treatises in Mexican history, the \u201cBotanical Catalogue\u201d, filled with plant names in Latin and Spanish, as well as detailed drawings and explanations on the healing properties, domestic use and industrial applications of each plant. The famous pirate Lorencillos was also kept prisoner here for some time. (Sources: Diario de Yucat\u00e1n<\/a>\u00a0and CONACULTA<\/a>).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Convent's front fa\u00e7ade. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon).<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
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The main altarpiece: cedar wood in three pieces, painted over red with black and gold moldings. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon).<\/p><\/div>\n

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Walls of the Convento San Bernardino, seen from the back patio. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon). <\/p><\/div>\n

Our visit to the Convent is cut short by a watchman, who informs us we must leave as it is closing time. One last look up from the back patio reveals several gliding vultures, drawn on black over the cloudy sky, reminding me who the real protagonists of this trip are.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We know we must face the last leg of our journey home, so we walk back to the hotel. I prepare our luggage while Rose prods Mrs. Lupita for information on where we may eat some good cohinita pibil<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0(Yucatecan pork dish traditionally cooked buried in the ground), away from the touristy restaurants. The hint she offers is worth gold: a few blocks away, on the corner of 46 and 39 streets, a portable stall is set up every day around noon to sell the town\u2019s best cochinita<\/em>. \u201cAsk for <\/em>maciza (solid)\u201d<\/em>, Lupita says, \u201cso you get good chunks without so much juice. A block from there you can buy <\/em>tortillas, and you can eat it here<\/em>\u201d. Rose goes out in her culinary task and returns promptly, mission accomplished. Again we sit at the hotel\u2019s inner patio and eat with gusto. Our host wasn\u2019t wrong: we both agree it\u2019s the best cochinita<\/em> we’ve tasted so far. A true quality dish for two, just 50 pesos including the\u00a0tortillas\u00a0<\/em>(!).<\/p>\n

So energized, we begin our return home. We take the road to Cob\u00e1 and make good time to Tulum, then keep riding on what is now familiar territory. The trip has come to an end but we know that in all truth, considering the places we\u2019ve been and the people we\u2019ve met, it\u2019s just the departure point for future travels.<\/p>\n

I.G.H.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Day 6 – Colonial architecture and the best \u201cCochinita Pibil\u201d in Valladolid. In the inner patio of Hotel Tunich-Beh, in the company of a great Ceiba tree, we help ourselves to a breakfast of toast, butter, jam, fresh fruit, cereal, … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rideintobirdland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1166"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rideintobirdland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rideintobirdland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rideintobirdland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rideintobirdland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1166"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/rideintobirdland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8384,"href":"https:\/\/rideintobirdland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1166\/revisions\/8384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rideintobirdland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rideintobirdland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rideintobirdland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}