Tucked deeply into the jungle, the Chicle Gum Community of San Juan offers itself ...

D etecting the arrival of newcomers on the border of their dense jungle, traditional watchmen (with conch horns ablare) signal the incoming van to a halt, and the arrival of its tourist guests. From the head of a path (to the side of the road -in seemingly nowhere), a community member appears who announces "Co'oneex" ('Follow me'):

The guests proceed along a well prepared path (which surveys the community's domain) and a series of scenes. Each scene, or act, is performed in a sequential, and appropriate, nook or cranny of the terrain. Under the watchful eye of the 'usher', the guests (to their gradual surprise) become a passive audience rather than the normal entourage of 'tell-me' tourists they had expected to be. They, in fact, have had no interaction with the players-hosts: the community (which has been deliberately ignoring their presence).

Allowing the guests to sufficiently penetrate the already exotic domain, the community's shaman executes the prelude, and, within moments of the following, and bewildering, first act, the audience becomes irresistibly attentive as a hush finally descends -a hush made particularly unusual by the ascending white noise which gradually counters it to serve as partial, but permanent, backdrop: the resonance of the jungle itself.

The production unfolds to far exceed even a living diorama of a culture, including the Mayan culture of the performance's principles: the Chicleros (Chicle-Gum Tree Sappers), their wives, children, and even shaman; and their performance proceeds not merely as a series of barely related acts, but, instead, highly integrated ones -thanks, only in part, to the beautiful and authentically ever-present Xtaby...

Not wishing to disclose what can (and should) be seen and heard, suffice it to say that, if filmed, at least two of the cast, and the production, would deservedly be nominated for Oscars despite (or perhaps because of) its entirety being rendered in indecipherable (but what turns out to be 'delightfully' understandable) Mayan.

It would certainly win "Best Set Design" and "Best Sound Effects" -by Nature.

Post-theater is also a high event. The guests are ushered to a community center to lunch on traditional, and generous, Mayan fare:

' Pollo Pibil (Whole, As-Fresh-As-You-Can-Get, Plump, Corn-Fed Chicken Basted with Local Spices & Herbs, Wrapped in Corn Leaves, & Baked in Clay Pots Underground) accompanied with Plum-Tomatoed Rice, Huge Black Beans and the Best Tortillas this Side of Anywhere (Hand-Ground from Home-Grown Indian Corn [the Speckled Variety], Hand-Kneaded, Hand-Patted, Hand-Pan-Baked, & Hand-Served Piping Hot)'.

All before your eyes in a setting that, while rustic, includes fresh thatched roof and glistening tablecloths -all of which, is, as all else, most sanitary -while the 'Pibil' itself beats, hands down, any dish of the kind I've ever had in even the best of Cancun's, or Merida's, restaurants.

After the repast, the guests are then invited, for the first time, to interview their congenial hosts via a series of able translators (English to Spanish to Maya and back again) -which they do indeed!

While I, myself, was originally skeptical of Maya (or anybody) exhibiting themselves as "like objects in a zoo," the notion had quickly dissolved as the production unfolded. As most activities of backwoods Maya, the production is acutely communal; and, so highly accustomed are these Maya to such rare degrees of communality, these chicleros could, and did, pursue their roles with a freedom from inhibition so rare as to be an attraction itself.

Also, knowing their roles to be themselves (there, in their home: their ever-present [much less a zoo] jungle), they could, and did, develop such easy rapport for their roles that it translated not only as a natural agility for acting, so unexpectedly rare, but also to serve to punctuate the very uniqueness of their roles, so unexpectedly rare. So much so that, as the audience proceeded to, also, be drawn further into a setting rare enough: each audience member had the growing sensation of being such a stranger to it all as to be on the outside looking in -like some kind of invisible entity which, after perhaps soaring somewhere mindlessly, had happened to alight on his sphere's surface only to meander upon a sudden window to hover -mesmerized. A window serving the viewer to witness, not a mere reenactment of life, rather than life as it can really be, and, in this case, is.

Shoppers' Take Heed: The community's single palapa shop offers articles such as (as far as the Chicleros are concerned) prized ocelot tails. Be gentle, they do not yet know such fauna is not bountiful. A good souvenir purchase is their wild-flower jungle honey, but bring change. They also do not yet know of banks. Mercifully, mass produced T-shirts, ceramics, etc., and bargaining (at least with the dzules [+or- gringos]), are also unknown. They do, however, ask a reasonable price.

The Wild Theater Production of San Juan is special. While it can be enjoyed in a single day, few tourists would wish, however, to pass under the very eaves of Cobá itself to not have the time to explore the site. It is, thus, highly recommended to combine the Definitive Excursion #2, to San Juan, with Venture-Out's Definitive Excursion #1 as a single overnighter in Cobá.

Also, San Juan is well off the beaten track. Though there be, yes, tunka drums, there are no phones. Wednesdays are thus reserved by the community for prospective guests, though, with ample warning, prospective guests willing to make full guarantee can be received any day of the week.

For pricing, please contact:

John Pastore @ Venture-Out
Cancun, El Mayab, Mx

Meantime, some helpful ushers' lingo:

• Hulel! - Welcome!
• Co'oneex - Follow me
• Xecha-hal - Have a seat
• Yatsil - Thank you
• Tu la'ak kin - See you soon!

Thanks and: "Ka Xiik Teech Ya Utzil!"

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