Originally Posted by
VidaNaPraia
Just FYI JDiver, the last time I called them crocs in a forum post, I was corrected, with people saying they are gators. LOL Can't win. But anyway, kids would like to see them. Right across from the Coba parking lot entrance, there's a guy who "calls" them by throwing chicken parts in the water.
OP said they've been to the "X" parks, so Xcaret would probably be one of those.
The canal float in the Sian Ka'an is the "real" float experience.
Add a note that the pole dancers are not from the Yucatan region. Colorful nevertheless.
Sometimes we can't win. But I assure you those are Morelet's Crocodiles anyway (in the old days, easily seen in Laguna Nichupté in Cancún as well). I've observed them with wildlife professionals in Belize, Guatemala and Mexico (boy they only occur in the Atlantic-Caribbean watershed). In Costa Rica, one can see huge specimens of the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) (another "croc singer" feeding these monsters near the mouth of the Tárcoles River, incidentally containing ~70% of Costa Rica's industrial waste) which is pretty widespread in the Americas including a small population in southern Florida.
Too many people are under the mistaken impression alligators are confined to the new world (they're not) and crocodiles are confined to Africa, Asia and the Indian subcontinent (they're not). And they can be adamant about their misperceptions.
There's plenty of nature to be seen in Sian Ka'an, for sure. For those who'd visit Xcaret, well, though I'd rather not go, but I'd not begrudge them that. There's more of this coming, with a new "Lost Mayan Kingdom" waterpark and zip-lines near Mahahual (which I used to visit years ago and dive Chinchorro from the defunct Maya Ha dive resort).
You're again correct. The Voladores usually are in Totonac costume because many Voladores groups are from the state of Veracruz. The town most frequently associated with them is Papantla, the center of Mexico's vanilla orchid growing and processing.