Chapter Twelve
The next day, Ms. Morales got up early and called another meeting among her allies, Clarity, Lanai, Flower and Kish. Meanwhile, the rest of Clarity's friends, Taimi, Jenna, and Cynthia, were learning to play electronic baccarat from an attractive croupier brought in from Belize. Ms. Morales caressed the beak of the pink marble toucan inside her palapa, feeling reassured that there was something in the environment she could control. She was beginning to consider Clarity a genuine supporter, and just as she was saying that Kish's plan to invite Zephairi for dinner would save them some time, but wouldn't solve the underlying problem of Miradorcito, how to make a living in it. Clarity came up with an idea, and she asked for Flower's laptop to search some information on the web. A few minutes later, the idea took form in Clarity's mind. They had to go to Mérida, to find the advocate who would help them turn the site of Xuleiha into an ecovillage.
"There's a bus going to Campeche in about forty five minutes, we can make it, but we have to leave now," said Ms. Morales. Clarity turned to Flower.
"Are you coming with us?"
"No, I'm not going, I have a job to protect, Zeph will wonder where I am," said Flower. Clarity turned to Lanai, who shook her head.
"I'm not going, I think the gambling resort will lead to jobs for Miradorcito, you're going to run into big problems if you go against the interests of Fahibian. I'll take care of the marble toucan."
"That leaves me, Ms. Morales," said Clarity, "I'll go because I want to see a prosperous Miradorcito and because I don't believe a gaming resort is good at all for the local community."
Clarity explained her plan to Ms. Morales, who nodded, intrigued by the sheer audacity of it.
"Well, you may find it difficult to leave this place," said Flower.
"Why?" asked Clarity.
"As a result of the incident with the World Heritage List committee, Zephairi has set up a turret at the entrance of the site, with a sentinel guarding the post leading to Xuleiha. No one is leaving this place without his permission."
Clarity and Ms. Morales walked to Kish's hut and the craftsman agreed to distract the guard while Clarity and Ms. Morales left the site. They walked to the entrance of the village and stood behind a tree, letting Kish walk to the exit of the village, where an asphalted road had replaced the trail leading to Miradorcito.
"Stop. Where are you going?"
Kish turned towards the small turret made of wood, thinking it was actually a comfortable space compared to his own thatched palapa. He walked to the side entrance of the turret, meeting the sentinel, a local farmer from Calakmul who thought people who lived in the neighboring forests as dangerous.
"I'm taking a walk in the forest."
"There's nothing in the forest, only duendes." The guard referred to spirits that some locals associated with the forest or Mayan ruins. Kish continued the conversation with the guard, telling the story of a man lost in the forest, who according to him, found his way back to his village, thanks to a 'brother', a friendly duende or alux spirit. Clarity led Ms. Morales past the guarded post and then they reached road one eighty six, where a bus going to Escárcega picked them up. From there, they took road two six one north to Champotón and Campeche, and then they changed buses to get one owned by Unión de Camioneros de Yucatán, driving along road one eighty, to Mérida.
Mérida was the capital of the state of Yucatán, housing nearly a million people; the twelfth most populated area in the region. The Institute for Ethnoconservation and Ecology kept an office in one of the wings of the Museum of Anthropology located across from the National Institute of Anthropology and History. They were responsible for allowing Zephairi to do archaeological work in Xuleiha. Clarity showed Flower's permiso de arqueologia to the receptionist at the museum's entrance. Then they were shown into a waiting room on the first floor of the Beaux Arts style mansion, which was once the home of a general.
A jovial man wearing round glasses greeted them with a smile. Mr. Gonzalo Cervera, assistant to the National Institute of Anthropology, pointed to the door to his office. "Come in, you are members of Mr. Zephairi's crew, welcome to Merida. I was waiting to hear from him about the recent discoveries found at Xuleiha."
"He couldn't make it, he's excavating a new stela," said Ms. Morales, walking behind Clarity into Cervera's office.
Following Lanai's advice, Ms. Morales had taken interest in the findings of Zephairi, and she spoke for several minutes about the stela of Tlaloc, the finding of the large pyramid, and the burial ground holding the Queen of the golden disk inside. Mr. Cervera was pleasantly surprised to hear that the money of the Institute was being put to good archaeological use. He inquired briefly about the gambling resort, and Clarity found out that Fahibian's Mangrove Barrier Resorts had donated a large sum to the Institute, which had recommended building the resort to the governor of Campeche.
"What do you think of the effect of gambling on the community?"
"Well, I suppose that there are better ways of engaging economic growth in a poor area, but that is what needs to be done to uncover our cultural treasures. It’s expensive but... Good, good, what else can I do for you?" asked the Institute employee.
"Mr. Zephairi thinks that there may be additional ruins below the forest neighboring the site of Xuleiha. Felling forests requires a permit and we wanted to meet one of your neighbors here at the Institute for Ethnoconservation and Ecology. They have an office across your own here."
"That's fine, I can introduce you to them, let me make a few calls."
A few minutes later, Mr. Cervera led them to the neighboring institute and introduced them to Ricardo Parmerin, one of the directors of the Ethnoconservation Institute. As soon as the introductions were finished and Cervera closed the door, Ms. Morales went into high gear.
"Have you written a report on building an ecovillage in Miradorcito?" Parmerin opened a drawer with several files and took out a brown folder.
"Hmm, Miradorcito, yes, we're taking part in the project to bring new avenues of economic growth to the area. Our experts wrote a section on the environmental impact report that was brought to the attention of the governor of Campeche, we're waiting for the municipality's decision on it."
Ms. Morales jumped on Parmerin.
"Why haven't I been informed of this report? I am the head of Miradorcito, acting mayor of it for the last twenty years."
Parmerin looked surprised and Clarity could see that Ms. Morales was fuming.
"Our files show that the next step is to assess the viability and impact of creating a gambling resort in Miradorcito by Mangrove Barrier Resorts. We are firmly against that proposal and think that an ecovillage will bring a more sustainable economy to the area. It is the members of the community of Miradorcito who will decide what to do with their community."
Ms. Morales could barely speak. Clarity grabbed the arm of Ms. Morales, letting her know that she should calm down. The teleoperator from Malibu explained to Parmerin that Zephairi's crew and Fahibian had bullied the inhabitants of the village into settling in a precarious camping area and that excavations had begun weeks earlier at short notice, with all required papers apparently in place. Parmerin believed Clarity and Ms. Morales and closed the brown containing the proposal of the ecovillage for Miradorcito.
"I want to see this in person, there's something strange in all of this, this project is not following official procedures."
"Come with us, we'll lead you to Miradorcito so you can see all of this for yourself," said Ms. Morales.
Parmerin followed Clarity and Ms. Morales to the bus station, where they took the first bus leaving for Campeche. By nightfall, they reached Miradorcito, and they came face to face with the guard blocking the entrance. Parmerin showed his identification card from the Institute and the guard called Zephairi, who came running to the entrance, followed by Duldu. The Egyptologist glared at Ms. Morales and Clarity, and breathed out as loudly as a buffalo exhaling, then began addressing Parmerin.
"I
am in charge here, this is a private area, what do you want?"
"My name is Ricardo Parmerin, I am a member of the Ethnoconservation and Ecology Institute of Mexico. We have been involved with the economic development of this area through a project favoring the building of an ecovillage. There seems to be a problem here, these two members of the local community tell me that a gambling resort is being built by Mangrove Barrier Resorts."
Zephairi quickly explained that all permits were in place and that Parmerin should speak with Fahibian, the real estate developer of the site. Parmerin tried to step inside the site, but the guard prevented the conservation official from entering the former village. Zephairi apologized profusely saying that he could do nothing else, and that unfortunately, Mr. Fahibian could not be reached at this moment. Parmerin lifted his finger towards Zephairi.
"This is going to national newspapers, if an injustice is being carried out against the inhabitants of Miradorcito, our Institute will consider litigation with the representatives of Mangrove Barrier Resorts."
Zephairi looked at his watch.
"Look, I have to go to dinner, if you will excuse me, you can settle in one of the tents in the neighboring camping area. My assistant Duldu will lead you to your quarters."
Ms. Morales volunteered to assist the official and explain to him the extent of the excavations at Miradorcito, which was now being called Xuleiha. Clarity felt her stomach rumble. She was hungry and she was expected at Kish's house for dinner before the game of bul. She walked over with Lanai and Flower, and they settled around the table. Kish had prepared ceviche, raw fish marinated in lime juice, and served with onion, chillies and cilantro. Kish had also made papadzules, tortillas made with a filling of hard-boiled eggs, and pavo relleno negro made with turkey and sauce cooked from charred chillies.
Zephairi brought in the vase discovered in the burial ground and offered it as a gift to Kish, who accepted it and filled it with water to serve his guests. Zephairi congratulated Kish on his work with the loom and he got up, requesting a demonstration of how the loom worked. Kish got up from the table, and everyone followed, paying close attention to Kish as he explained the intricate parts of how the loom worked, allowing the various stripes of textile to form a huipil.
Clarity noticed that Duldu stayed behind near the table, and she saw the henchman pour some liquid from a small bottle into the vase that had been given to Kish. She told Flower and Lanai to distract Duldu, and the two friends began asking the man in charge of security about life in Belize, living in Fahibian's resort, and how rough you had to be to live there. Clarity used the time to pour the liquid from the vase in Zephairi's glass, then cleaned it out with some fresh water, and poured some mineral water in it instead. After a few minutes, everyone reconvened around the table and Zephairi proposed a toast before beginning the game of bul that Kish had built. The craftsman set the board game in place on the dining table, explaining that it was better to quarrel like this, playing a board game, rather than offering someone for sacrifice.
Kish gave eight square stones to Zephairi, and kept eight rounded shaped stones for himself, which the craftsman then placed on his side of the board. The overall goal of the game was to capture the enemy's stones, making it a war game. Stones moved according to the roll of four dice, called 'bul', made from corn kernels painted black on one side, yellow on the other face. The number of yellow faces showing after the throw of the bul, determined the number of spaces a particular stone could move. If a friendly stone landed on an enemy stone, the friendly stone placed the enemy stone underneath, and could send it back to the base. At the base, the enemy stone was removed or 'killed' and the friendly stone could return to the board to chase after additional enemy stones. Once a player dismissed all enemy stones from the board, that player won.
"To the wonderful new archaeological findings of Xuleiha, may some of them find a new home in Egypt," said Zephairi. His eyes darted towards the vase that Kish was holding.
"To Miradorcito and all the wonderful things we can find here, including this Mayan death vase," said Kish, pointing to the vase Zephairi had given him. The craftsman smiled politely to Zephairi and drank from the vase that contained the water Clarity had changed. Meanwhile Zephairi drank several gulps from his glass that contained the mixture Duldu poured from his flask. Clarity saw the expression on the face of the Egyptologist change from fake smile to revulsion.
"This water tastes different," said the Egyptologist. Zephairi became flushed and within minutes his pupils had dilated and he was breathing heavily. He lied down and began shaking, asking Duldu to bring in more bulldozers and place Kish atop the large pyramid dressed as a Mayan priest.
"I'm not a Mayan priest," said Kish. Zephairi insisted, pointing out that Kish should wear a Mayan mitre during his ritual, an elaborate headpiece that looked like a diadem and covered the ears.
"He's in a state of trance," said Kish, "I've seen the effect on someone else, he could be like this for hours."
"What mixture was supposed to be in the vase?" asked Clarity, turning to Duldu.
The comment took Duldu by surprise. The effect of the liquid was showing on Zephairi instead of Kish, and he didn't understand the reason for the Egyptologist's odd reaction. Scared by the look of his Egyptian ally, who was having grand visions of thousands of gamblo-tourists visiting his site, Duldu showed the list of ingredients that Zephairi had requested for Kish's vase.
"It's a mixture made with Ololiuhqui, Turbina corymbosa, a hallucinogenic substance also known as 'seeds of the Virgin Mary', which brings out visions in those who drink it," said Kish.