On to the Yucatan

We were up early on Thursday morning in Mexico City.  We went to a local bakery just down the street from our hotel, to pick up treats for breakfast.  We took a walk just north of the Cathedral, to visit a neighborhood we had not yet seen.  Our Uber driver picked us up at 9:30 and passed by the northern Mexico City neighborhoods served by a tram.  He took us to the airport for our flight to the Yucatan.

A few hours later, we arrived in Cancun, where we rented a car and drove over two hours to Hacienda Chichen Itza.  We arrived in the dark to a beautifully lit hacienda, and had our first real meal of the day! 

Hacienda Chichen Itza was built in the 1540’s, one of the first haciendas in the Yucatan.  It was used until the mid 1800’s when it was damaged during the Caste War.  An archaeologist and US Consul to the Yucatan, Edward Thompson, purchased it in 1894.  Thompson dedicated himself to the restoration of the hacienda and ordered construction of cabins to accommodate the archaeologists who came to conduct research at the Chichen Itza Archaeological site.  Since 1923, the cabins served as a base for expeditions in the area, which lasted several decades.  We are staying in one of the cabins.