FELIPE CARILLO PUERTO
, formerly known as Chan Santa Cruz , is the capital of the "Zona Maya"
and an important spiritual centre for the Maya. During the Caste Wars, Maya
from the north gathered forces here and looked for guidance from a miraculous
talking cross that told them to fight on against their oppressors (such talking
crosses and statues are common in Maya mythology as conduits through which
disincarnate spirits speak, or as manifestations of a soul, usually that of
a shaman, when it has left the body during the state of trance; they are known
as way'ob by the Yucatek Maya). Presumably as an attempt to disguise its rebellious
past, the town was renamed after a former governor of the Yucatán who
was assassinated in 1924. However, a monument to the martyrs of the Caste
Wars still stands in the town. There are several reasonable hotels around
the main plaza - try the Hotel Esquivel (tel 9/834-0344; US$10-15) on the
zócalo, only 100m from the small bus station, but check the rooms first
as some are significantly better than others.
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