Mayan Ruins and the Spirit of Adventure
Fun fact: The ruins seen in the movie Star Wars: A New Hope are actually the ancient Mayan ruins of Tikal, located in the rainforests of Guatemala. The archaeological site was chosen to be the location for filming those shots because of a picture of the ruins hanging up in a travel agent’s office.
I think that that story is proof of something that I’ve felt for a long time. There isn’t anything quite as effective as the sight of ancient ruins for instilling a sense of adventure. I’m not entirely certain what it is about ruins, specifically, but few can look upon them without feeling like the modern version of Indiana Jones.
It’s one of the reasons that Mexico was our first foreign stop once my family chose to become digital nomads.
I had wanted to visit Chichen Itza from the time that I was a kid. I didn’t know the history of the Maya specifically, nor how accessible the ruins actually are. No, I just knew that somewhere in the jungles of Mexico, there was an amazing city of ruins built by an ancient culture. And I wanted to see them.
The Drive to Explore
I think the drive to explore is something innate in most people, whether they indulge it or not. It’s the reason why the Survivor shows were so popular, why games like Minecraft exist, and why we keep trying to reach out both to the stars above and to the oceans below.
The unknown calls to us with a million hidden possibilities, and we want them all.
I loved watching my kids explore the Mayan ruins of Mexico. I loved their excitement as they ducked through every open door they could find at Ek Balam and Muyil. How they made sure to climb up every pile of rubble they could see, and look into every hole.
They wanted to know what was there. They wanted to see what they could see.
Exploring the Ancient
These ancient places are perfect for doing just that. They whisper of hidden secrets long forgotten, and the possibility of discovering things that no one else knows. They draw us in with a sense of mysticism and a feel of magic. And there are still new discoveries being made!
Recently, a group of researchers was able to prove that the rumors of a hidden cenote underneath El Castillo temple at Chichen Itza were true. People had been talking about the possibility for as long as we’ve known about Chichen Itza, but no one really knew for sure, until someone found a way to look.
How amazing!
Making our own Discoveries
I think it is exactly that sort of discovery that we are all hoping for when we see these ruins. We want to discover something new, and with meaning. We want to leave our mark on history.
Of course, most of us aren’t going to be that researcher that does make those discoveries. Being the first person to set foot in a set of ancient ruins, or on an unexplored island, or even on the face of the moon (go, Neil!).
But we can still make our own discoveries. We can take our own first steps in an ancient temple, discover our favorite food on a street corner in Mexico, or explore a new route to a place we already know well.
Travel is full of discoveries, but it isn’t just the discoveries that make the news that matter.
The really important discoveries are the ones that you make yourself.
