Vendor selling to tourists at Chichen Itza, 2008

This was on a Sunday, and the site was extremely crowded. The temperature was about 105, maybe a little hotter with the heat index. Crowds of people were directed from one archaeological structure to another, sings telling them what was what. The grand narrative was about the ancient Maya--the Maya of the PAST. Along the sides of the walkways were people selling anything and everything to the passing tourists--artifact reproductions, hammocks, "folk-art", t-shirts. The whole experience was saturated in different representations of culture and history, with a heavy dose of commercialization.