Mayan steam lodge in Cozumel
If
you had told me last year that an
authentic Mayan steam lodge (temazcal) lay just a few miles outside
Cozumel's tourist-trap port, I would have rolled my eyes. But
when we and two fellow travelers bumped up a country road through
perhaps a mile of scrub, I could tell we had found
the part of Mexico that most Americans miss.
Our host, Petrus,
was influenced by the temazcal before his birth. In Mesamerican
cultures, steam lodges were used for healing,
and when Petrus's grandmother had trouble carrying a baby to term, she
visited the temazcul. Immediately thereafter, Petrus's mother was
conceived. Without knowing about his steam lodge roots, Petrus
was
still drawn to the temazcal and became an apprentice at the Cozumel
steam lodge for several years before being asked to lead his own steam
lodge ceremonies. Imagine his surprise when he discovered that he
was
descended from a steam lodge baby.
We
listened to this and other tales while relaxing in hammocks in the
shade. Petrus went on to give the clearest explanation I've ever
heard of
the Mayan calendar --- a complicated system of interlocking wheels
which I've been struggling to understand. Petrus's scholarly bent
pulled the experience out of the New Age category I was afraid it would
fall into and into the realm of history and comparative
religion/spirituality. His impeccable English combined with a
charming
Spanish accent kept us all riveted during a lecture that must have
lasted for an hour or more --- this was worth the price of admission by
itself.
With the stage set and
our minds cleared, we honored the four directions, were smudged with
copal (the resin of the Copal Tree, Protium
copal),
and then crawled into the steam lodge. The lodge is a round brick
room
with a smoke hole at the top of the domed roof and 
a
door at the front,
both of which were covered with blankets after we entered. The
stone
floor was also covered by blankets, and we could sit as close to the
central fire pit or as far from it as we needed. Petrus's
assistant,
Jose Luis, pitchforked in stones which had been heated on an open fire
outside, then Petrus put a bit of copal on the stones, poured on a
"tea" of rosemary, basil, lemongrass, and orange peel, and fanned the
steam with a leafy branch. I've never been in a steam lodge and
was a
bit afraid that the smoky heat would be too much for me, especially
once you added in a lot of aromas, but the smell was actually almost
luscious, and the stone lodge heated up slowly enough that we were
only really sweating near the end. Instead, the hot water
splattering
onto our bodies from the central pit felt good and I opened my mouth to
breath in vapor that felt solid from the mass of suspended water
droplets.
As you all probably
know, I'm a died-in-the-wool skeptic, and now and
then I did have moments of "Geez, this is silly." Petrus was
clearly
recreating a ceremony that had been Americanized enough that we could
understand it, but at the same time, parts of the ceremony broke
through even my cynicism. When the blankets covered the door and
the lodge
fell into darkness, I regained my childhood awe of planetariums ---
freed from the constraints of who we are and what we
look like by the complete blackness, we joined in a shared group
experience with
strangers. In fact, both of the other guests were repeat
offenders,
and I suspect this darkened cameraderie is the primary reason they came
back to the Cozumel steam lodge.
Of course, there's also
the fact that Petrus is a wonderful leader,
pulling us all along on 
this
adventure whether we wanted to go or
not.
We pounded drums, sang at the top of our lungs, spoke Spanish and Mayan
and English, and engaged in guided meditations. We had paid $80
apiece
for what was supposed to be a 4 hour experience, but Petrus actually
entertained and enlightened us for more like five and a half
hours.
And time didn't drag --- in fact, when we came out of the steam lodge
to giddily watch butterflies land on the foliage, then jumped into the
cenote after the steam lodge experience, I wanted to stay there
forever. (No, I couldn't talk Mark into jumping into the cold
water,
but he did sing in the darkness, and his voice was beautiful!)
We
ate watermelon like nobody's business, and then Petrus gave us each
a necklace with our Mayan birthdate on it. Although I can't
really
believe that I share the same personality traits and path with every
one of the thousands of humans born on my 
birthdate in 1978, Petrus's
analysis was uncannily accurate --- "I organize in order to beautify,"
using art and nature to guide me.
The history and
spirituality were interesting, but I have to admit that
my favorite part was the cenote.
To the Mayas, cenotes are tunnels to
the underworld, and the trees around the edges were so stunningly
beautiful that I could almost believe it.
There was even a huge ceiba
tree on the shore, which is supposed to
connect our world to the overworld, so all three worlds came together
right before our eyes. Later, I dreamed about plunging
through a cenote into a parallel universe.
To sum it all up --- we
recommend the Cozumel steam lodge to absolutely
anyone, even to cynics like me. The experience fits all of the
criteria for prime
ecotourism. You'll learn about the culture, help protect the
local
area by giving value to pristine nature, and you'll be putting your
money into the hands of a real, live person rather than padding the
pockets of a huge cruise
line. To learn more about the
Cozumel steam lodge, visit Petrus's website at http://www.temazcalcozumel.com.
Don't just heal yourself with water, let
your chickens get in on the act. Our homemade chicken
waterer provides clean water all day for your flock.
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