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036<br />
ON THE TOWN: CANCUN<br />
QUINTESSENTIAL<br />
GOLF GREATS CANCUN<br />
AND RIVIERA MAYA ARE<br />
EARNING PRAISE FOR THEIR<br />
DESIGNER GOLF COURSES.<br />
HERE ARE A FEW OF THE BEST:<br />
The Moon Spa & Golf<br />
Club is home to the only<br />
Jack Nicklaus Signature<br />
course in Cancun. + In<br />
2007, the Greg Normandesigned<br />
El Camaleón,<br />
at the Mayakoba resort<br />
in Riviera Maya, was the<br />
first course in Mexico<br />
to host a PGA Tour. +<br />
The Bahía Príncipe<br />
Golf Resort, designed<br />
by Robert Trent Jones<br />
Architects, is opening this<br />
winter in Riviera Maya.<br />
+ Scheduled to open in<br />
2010, Cancun Country<br />
Club will have the first<br />
TPC golf courses outside<br />
the US and the largest<br />
driving range in Latin<br />
America. Tom Fazio and<br />
Nick Price are designing<br />
the two courses.<br />
GO MAGAZINE OCTOBER <strong>2009</strong><br />
El Camaleón<br />
Q&A<br />
WHO: Rafael Estrada<br />
Rodríguez, a shaman<br />
at Aventura Spa<br />
Palace (www.<br />
palaceresorts.com;<br />
800-635-1836) in<br />
Riviera Maya<br />
TOPIC: The ancient<br />
Mayan steam bath<br />
ritual in a temazcal<br />
(sweat lodge),<br />
offered at the<br />
resort spa<br />
WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF THE TEMAZCAL? “The name ‘temazcal’ or ‘temazcalli’ is<br />
made of two Nahuatl words: ‘temaz,’ which means bath or hot, and ‘calli,’ which means<br />
house. This ingenious form of hygiene not only cleansed the body, but also cleared the<br />
mind and revitalized the human spirit. It was also used by the Aztecs as a treatment<br />
for many illnesses. The positive effects on the well being of the community were so<br />
important that the temazcal developed into a tradition and spiritual custom.”<br />
WHAT DOES A TEMAZCAL LOOK LIKE? “The structure resembles a dome-shaped igloo<br />
made up of mud bricks or stones. The floor is usually made of flattened soil, set in a<br />
convex shape. In the middle of this circled interior is a pit where the hot stones are<br />
placed, considered the umbilicus of the mother Earth.”<br />
WHAT DOES THE RITUAL ENTAIL? “The participants sit in a circle around the hot<br />
stones. The entrance is closed and cold water is thrown onto the sizzling stones. The<br />
result is a thick, dense vapor that heats up the inside of the temazcal, causing body<br />
temperatures to increase. The rising body temperature causes the brain to release<br />
endorphins, natural painkillers, which create a relaxing and soothing effect.”<br />
Time Travel<br />
CANCUN<br />
The Yucatan Peninsula is home to<br />
some of the finest examples of Mayan<br />
archaeology, built more than 2,000 years<br />
ago. Lucky for visitors, many hotels and<br />
local companies offer tours to these<br />
popular sites:<br />
CHICHEN ITZA (117 miles west of Cancun): One<br />
of the new Seven Wonders of the World, it is<br />
dominated by the pyramid Temple of Kukulcan,<br />
named for a Mayan deity who took the form of a<br />
feathered snake.<br />
COBÁ (120 miles south of Cancun): This ancient<br />
Mayan city rises up between two lagoons and is<br />
home to several large pyramids, including the<br />
tallest in the Yucatan.<br />
TULUM (82 miles south of Cancun): One of the<br />
best-preserved Mayan sites, it sits on the edge<br />
of a cliff overlooking the Caribbean.<br />
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY CANCUN CVB (COBA, CHICHEN ITZA, TULUM)
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