One more photo from Tinum and Spring Break!

Of all of the insights into rural Mayan life that we experienced during our stay in Tinum, perhaps the most interesting was seeing how charcoal is made. Charcoal is used here for cooking and is a valuable commodity. Because of the drought, many men are turning to charcoal production this year to earn money for seeds. Unfortunately, it takes a forest to make charcoal and because so many people are making charcoal this season, the price is low. (Supply-side economics at its cruelest!)

The idea is that after the wood is chopped, it is formed into a cone-like structure as you can kind of see below. The cone has to be shaped just so to keep the fire burning hot enough for 48-60 hours needed to form charcoal. Once the fire has died out, the charcoal is collected and bagged for sale. When we arrived home, I had to google "charcoal briquettes" to see how Kingsford works its magic. It turns out new methods of making briquettes are actually eco-friendly as the process uses waste and sawdust from lumber yards, but the way charcoal is still made in rural Yucatan dates back to the Stone Age.

The good news for this week is that it is SPRING BREAK! All of the students are traveling. The house is wonderfully quiet. While this is not an official week of vacation for me, I am taking time for visits to the dressmaker, dentist, facialist, masseuse, acupuncturist, and hairdresser. I also have some work to do, too.