Turtles a Mexican Treasure

He flicked his flashlight on and off, on and off, signaling the others that a turtle had been spotted. We stood silent, waiting for the rest of the crew to arrive. This was a typical evening in June at a 2.6-kilometer long beach and sea turtle sanctuary located approximately 100 km south of Cancun Mexico.      
 For years, the coastline of Quintana Roo Mexico, with its warm waters and calm tides, has been the favored breeding grounds for loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green (Chelonia mydas) sea turtles. Turtles spend their whole life in the ocean returning to shore when they reach sexual maturity to lay their eggs. But not just any shore: it must be the beach on which they were born. Females migrate over huge distances to return to them. Scientists are not sure why they do it and how they remember their way back. Nevertheless, 25 years later, here they are.

Nesting takes place between April and September during nights when the moon is full, since the turtles use celestial light as their guide out of the ocean and are drawn back to it by the gleaming reflection over the waves.

The second half of the crew joined us and we started phase one of the program. My biologist friend took a close look at the chelonian. “It’s okay, she’s started,” he whispered. All of us moved in closer, keeping a certain distance. The turtle was moving her flippers back and forth furiously as if she was swimming.   She was digging a pit, wide and deep. When she finished she backed up to position herself over the hole and stood still.  All of a sudden, we heard a soft plunk in the sand. Immediately, one of the volunteers laid down on her stomach and reached into the pit, grabbing the eggs as they came. She handed them out to a young man who counted them and put them into a container.  A clipboard was shoved into my hand—I was to write down the measurements the biologist was about to take. Our giant friend happened to be a typical loggerhead turtle, 4 feet long and about 400 pounds.  I noticed there were tears in her eyes and wondered aloud if it was from a painful “labor”. The specialists explained to me that it was a necessity to get rid of the salty water absorbed in the sea.  Our turtle laid 120 eggs, all of which were carried over to the nursery, next to the turtle camp.  This was a protected enclave where eggs are reburied so they can hatch safely out of the reach of predators, human or animal. 

In 60 days or so, when the eggs at our beach hatch, phase two will begin. Many of the turtles will be released immediately into the ocean, while others will be taken to the park and marked with a living tag–a process that involves taking a tiny piece of tissue or shell from the top and inserting it on the bottom and vice versa.  Xcaret marks a minimum of 15,000 turtles each year. These contrasting markings allow them to be recognized when they return to nest and tell us about their migratory routes. Each season, two clutches, or nests, are integrated into the Conservation Program at Xcaret’s Aquarium.  There the turtles will be fed and taken care of until they are one year old and large enough to survive in the ocean. At birth, due to their size–they are no bigger than a child’s palm–and soft shell, they are easy prey on the beach for small mammals, birds and lizards, and in the sea, for crabs and fish. Until their release, they are part of Xcaret’s Environmental Education Program that teaches visitors about the life cycle of the sea turtle and educates them on how to help protect them.

By the time we finished burying the eggs it was 2:00 a.m. but our work was not done. Our turtle had slipped into the water as silently as she had come, leaving only spiral tracks in the sand as evidence of her visit. We headed further south along the beach to a wild clutch that had not been moved. A biologist was already clearing away sand so the newly-hatched turtles could scramble up from the pit. There were ten in total and this was cause for celebration. It had been a damp spring and bacterial fungi had killed off most of the eggs.  I scooped up one of the baby turtles as it fought its way up the pit and marveled at the strength in its miniature flippers scratching against my hand. I put it on the ground with its siblings and watched their frantic, jumbled pell-mell to the water. Scientists believe that this race to the sea imprints the females to their native beach. I joined the other volunteers and we shone our flashlights into the water to guide the hatchlings. So many dangers await these newborns that a few will reach adulthood–one or two out of a thousand, according to estimations. “Swim, little turtle, swim,” I thought watching the newborn disappear into a wave. “Will we meet again?”

Bathed by the waters of the Mexican Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula is a geographically isolated region in the extreme southern part of Mexico that has very special natural attributes. Its climate is quite hot and rain is scarce, with the landscape being dominated by low jungles that are the habitat of unusual and attractive species. The limestone soil absorbs the available water, which flows beneath, rather than on the surface, occasionally emerging in the form of natural pools (cenotes).

The Maya civilization thrived in this very special place. After the population had reached a high demographic density, the Maya gained more arable land by clearing the jungle, achieving a food surplus that allowed them to dedicate themselves to the construction of urban and ceremonial centers, the erection of monumental works of art, and the advancement of science.

Today, archaeological sites as well as contemporary communities provide information that enables us to understand how a civilization was able to harmonize with nature and attain self-sufficiency without damaging the environment.  The Dzibilchaltun National Park was created with the objectives of both protecting the natural, cultural and historical legacy of the area, and of serving as a living demonstration of the aforementioned harmonious relationship. The ecological reserve, the archaeological zone and the museum all help us to understand the long, rich history of an extraordinary people while showing us that the Maya culture didn’t necessarily disappear with the collapse of its grand ancient cities, but instead has transcended time and endured.

The ancient city of Dzibilchaltun (“stones with writing” in Maya) is located outside of Merida, 10.6 miles from the coast.  Archaeo-logical evidence indicates that it was inhabited uninterruptedly from 350 B.C. until the arrival of the Spaniards.  The 8,400 structures and 400 wells that have been excavated so far testify that, thanks to its salt trade, Dzibil-chaltun had grown to be one of the most important Maya population centers of the Classic Period (A.D. 600-900).  Although by the time the Spaniards arrived the population had notably diminished due to the ascendancy of the nearby cities of Chichen Itza and Mayapan, the remains of a 16th century Indian chapel in the main plaza prove that there were sufficient inhabitants to justify evangelical efforts.

The main plaza, surrounded by mostly unexplored structures, has a particularly attractive element, the Xlacah (“old town”) cenote, around which large shoals form a natural terrace. Beneath the lovely lilies floating on the surface are deep, crystalline waters perfect for underwater cave exploration, snorkeling and swimming; they are also the habitat of different species of fish, two of which are exclusive to this cenote. Various sacbes (pre-Hispanic causeways) connect the plaza and cenote with the residential areas.

The principal sacbe heads east toward the complex of the Seven Dolls (named for the offering of seven terracotta figurines found in front of an altar). Its temple, one of the most original examples of Maya architecture, also functioned as a calendar. Erected on top of a raised pyramidal base, it can be entered by climbing any of four staircases oriented toward the cardinal points.  During the equinoxes, the temple offers an unequaled spectacle, as the sun appears in the portal at dawn and illuminates the doors and windows as it rises. Aside from demonstrating the Maya’s advanced understanding of mathematics and astronomy, this phenomenon is also evidence of their artistic sensibility.

Dzibilchaltun’s jungle, abounding in fruit trees, timber, flowers, birds, butterflies and various animals, is a unique, paradisiacal environment. The Interpretation Trail, winding some 1,060 feet through the verdant park, offers information about the area’s natural history and about the manner in which the Maya used–and continue to use–their flora and fauna.

Within the Museo del Pueblo Maya (Maya People’s Museum) are concrete examples of cultural continuity over time, with exhibits that focus on the Maya language and style of dress, their science, religion and forms of social and political organization, their technical capabilities, and their diet. Art on display includes monumental sculptures, monolithic stelae, and both pre-Hispanic and Colonial pieces. Diverse aspects of daily life, both past and present, are also portrayed: there are machines from the sisal plantations as well as a traditional Maya palapa furnished with typical household items.

In Dzibilchaltun Park, we can experience the long historical and cultural voyage of a people who have now entered yet another millennium still intact.