November 16, 2005

Mérida Musings 5:  Finding Fun in Field Trips

This past weekend, several classmates and I went two of our class field trips – to Kaxil Kiuic for our anthropology class, and to Cuzamá for a tour of cenotes.  I especially enjoyed these trips because they combined academics and fun – we had a blast but also learned a lot through discussion and hands-on experiences.

We reached Kiuic, a biocultural reserve, by way of a cramped-but-air-conditioned 15-passenger van.  Kaxil Kiuic, we were told, means “forest meeting place” – an appropriate name for the reserve, which comprises over 4,000 acres of dry tropical forest as well as some ancient Maya ruins.  Upon our arrival, we set out on a little hike to see some of these ruins, most of which are all but buried within the reserve’s forests.