Butterfly Pavilion at Xcaret is the most impressive butterfly habitat I’ve ever seen. According to Xcaret’s web site, this is the first butterfly breeding facility in Mexico. The structure is 49 feet high and has nearly 38,000 sq. ft. of free flying space, the largest butterfly facility in the world. It features only regional species native of the Yucatan peninsula in their natural habitats and its caretakers work diligently with some 5,000 butterflies in an intensive breeding program for 20 endemic species. I guess this butterfly sign warns us, the visitors, that we are getting closer to the Butterfly Pavilion.
Dave and I truly admired a wide variety of native butterflies flying freely in the pavilion. A large flight area includes multi-level gardens, a cascade, tropical jungle and waterfalls. It’s a wonderful place for relaxing and watching the butterflies. Here is the entrance to the Butterfly Pavilion.
These are Blue Morpho Butterflies in the picture below. They are large and incredibly beautiful. The picture doesn’t do justice to the butterflies. They have dark colors when their wings are closed, but as soon as they open them, we could see bright blue color. This type of butterfly is the most beautiful, in my opinion.
Xcaret offers them such a big arena, with slopes planted with flowering trees. Above is a grid, at the bottom is a small pond. They place pieces of fruit out for the butterflies in the pavilion. The butterflies appear out of nowhere and disappear as easily. We tried to click the shutter as fast as we could to catch their moment of flight.
Here are some more of the beautiful butterflies in Xcaret’s pavilion.
It is really warm and humid in the pavilion, with a climate similar to a greenhouse. Dave is standing at the very top of the pavilion, which is obviously the warmest location.
It is a little cooler at the bottom of the pavilion and the waterfall looks refreshing.
After the butterfly pavilion we headed towards the scenic tower. We did a lot of walking at Xcaret – the park is huge. One thing I would like to mention is navigation inside the park. The park is equipped with many directional signs, but they are not that intuitive, and trying to locate attractions based on the directional signs alone can be frustrating.
There is Xcaret staff available who are supposed to help the visitors. They would say to “follow the black line of rocks” as in the picture below. It seems like the black line of rocks is helpful in getting from one side of the park to the other, but the signs to the attractions are poorly marked, and because of that it takes more time to get to certain attractions. We didn’t have much trouble navigating, but it was confusing sometimes and therefore it involved more walking around.
There is something going on all day long at the park. Xcaret has several daytime performances and a street parade. In the afternoons, Xcaret offers a traditional equestrian show with a splendid demonstration of skills, colors and festive atmosphere. A horseback show – Fiesta Charra in Xcaret takes place right by the La Cocina Restaurant, where visitors can get a ring-side seat and enjoy their meal during the show. We saw some actors getting ready for the performance near the agave field.
Lady riders (“Adelitas”) are especially colorful.
There is a beautiful little statue of the Virgin Mary (Our Lady of Guadalupe) in the middle of the agave field, where one of the re-enactments took place.
We had a chance to observe a street parade at Xcaret with music and dancing.
Xcaret’s Scenic Tower has a 72 passenger capacity and goes up 80 meters (about 262 feet) above the ground. We had some free time before the night time show included in our Xcaret admission tickets, so we decided to enjoy a panoramic view of Xcaret from the Scenic Tower, located steps away from the Gran Tlachco Theater. It was a great view of Riviera Maya and the Caribbean Sea from the Tower. The only thing, it rained just before we went up, so the glass that we looked through was still wet.
Finally, it was time to get ready for the main highlight of the park, the night-time show. We approached the arena from twisting pathways which were filled with incredibly imposing actors dressed in Mayan costumes and make-up, lit by flaming torches.
About a dozen montages lined the path, all of them dramatically different from each other and all mysteriously beautiful.
The most striking was the Mayan owl, which was motionless as people approached. Because the owl blended so well with the background, it was nearly impossible to see the creature.
Xcaret Mexico Espectacular Show takes place in Xcaret’s amphitheater, the Grand Tlachco, which has a seating capacity of 6,000. It really sets the scene for a Disney-style show in a vast stadium-style arena featuring different periods of Mexican history.
The Xcaret Mexico Espectacular night show is without a doubt the best folklore show in Mexico and the best known world wide. When the sun sets, the call of the mystical pre-Hispanic drums and the melancholic sound of the sea shells invite the visitors to enjoy the night show. It is a splendid feast of color, sound and traditions. We had a three-course meal during the show. While the food was not spectacular, it still added to the fun of the evening.
The show takes the audience through early Mayan history, the coming of the Spaniards and Christianity through to the Mexico of today. It comes to light with the scent of candles and burning sage.
The show ranges from Maya ceremonies to internationally famous entertainment acts. Xcaret’s spectacular night show is an epic celebration with the sights and sounds of a grand festival featuring an ancient Ballgame played with a Ball of Fire followed by an unforgettable gala performance of Mexico’s regional music and dance with over 300 performers.
Here is a picture of a lively reenactment of the ancient ball game, a mystical sport that dates back to 1000 BC. Just imagine basketball with the hoop sideways on a wall, a sloped court, and a heavy ball that can only be hit with the hips.
One of the live performances: “Voladores de Papantla” or Papantla Flyers is an ancient ceremony worshipping the sun god. The four flying men of Totonacan blood will descend from the top of the universal tree, doing circles in the air 30 meters above ground. They represent the four elements: earth, air, fire and water.
Papantla Flyers perform at certain times outside in Xcaret. Here is a picture from Wikipedia to see what it is about.
Later, a war scene depicts the battles between Spanish settlers and Mexico’s native people.
Next, came a panoramic sweep through Mexican history, and then a medley of regional dances. Audience reaction added to the fun, as the many Mexicans at the show cheered the regional songs.
Horses were a part of the performance.
A Mariachi band was very impressive during the show.
Xcaret Mexico Espectacular Show is the most amazing representation of Mexico’s national identity and cultural heritage. It was a great way to finish off a day filled with excitement. Overall, we really enjoyed our day at Xcaret. It was entertaining, educational and memorable.
