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Summer Solstice: A Day of Fun and Tradition at Sandos Caracol

Posted on 2 m read

We welcomed the 2014 Summer Solstice in style!

On June 22, the Xcalacoco Experience at Sandos Caracol Eco Experience Resort celebrated one of the most significant dates of the year with a day full of parties and activities. The event was a great way for guests to experience Mayan culture and Mexican traditions in a tropical paradise during their Riviera Maya vacation.

Summer Solstice

The day of the Summer Solstice began with perfect weather for a morning on the resort’s beautiful white sand beach. First, our guests had the chance to participate in a Mayan purification ceremony led by a leader from a local village who cleansed their body’s energy using traditional methods like copal smoke.

Mayan cleansing ceremony on the beach

At mid-morning, we really got the party going with a fiesta on the beach! There were Mexican games, jarocha music, live dancing, limbo, Zumba and plenty of refreshing tropical drinks to enjoy, in addition to Mexican cooking classes. We ended the morning with kite flying by the ocean, which was a fun and beautiful experience for kids and adults alike.

Girls in bikinis with pineapple drinks

Flying kites on the beach

The Time Travelers Tour took place in the afternoon, taking guests on a guided Spanish and English language tours of the resort’s breathtaking natural scenery like cenotes and the jungle as they learned about the area’s Mayan history.

Riviera Maya cenote

In the evening, we all made our way to our Xcalacoco area in the jungles of the resort. There, a delicious dinner of traditional Mayan cuisine awaited us at Plaza del Sol, followed by a thrilling reenactment of the famous Mayan ball game and a theatrical performance depicting stories from the Popol Vuh.

Our Xcalacoco Experience strives to highlight the nature and heritage of the Riviera Maya through a variety of daily activities and beautiful evening shows. The Summer Solstice event forms part of a series of four Xcalacoco events to honor some of the most important days of the year:

  • Spring Equinox – March 21
  • Summer Solstice – June 22, 2014
  • Autumn Equinox – September 21, 2014
  • Celebration of Life and Death (Day of the Dead) – November 1 – 2, 2014

Xcalacoco Experience Sandos Caracol resort

The Summer Solstice marks the time when the sun is perfectly perpendicular to the equator, a date when the day lasts exactly as long as the night. The equinoxes and solstices have always held special meaning for the Mayan people, who used these dates to design their pyramids and create their famous calendars.

To see all the fun we had, have a look at our quick Summer Solstice video:

It’s an honor for us to celebrate this meaningful day at Sandos Caracol Eco Experience Resort with our guests through festivities, culture, performances and nature. Our next big Xcalacoco Experience event will be the Autumn Equinox on September 21, meaning that now is the perfect time to book your stay! Come join us at Sandos Caracol to experience the Autumn Equinox while surrounded by the breathtaking natural beauty of the Riviera Maya.

For more information on the Xcalacoco Experience, visit XcalacocoExperience.com.

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