Since Aké was settled over 2,300 years ago, this Maya village flourished into a major center of commerce, and ritual.
These days, aside from its archaeological site, Aké is best known for its Porfirian-era hacienda of San Lorenzo and colorful Catholic church built atop an ancient Maya temple.
After arriving in Aké under the blustering noon sun on Palm Sunday, carrying the beloved Virgen de Aké began in earnest. Despite the heat, the religious fervor was palpable with fireworks blazing and crowds cheering the virgin.
After the icon of the virgin was removed from its altar inside the church, the process of carefully carrying it down the long stairway began. Waiting was a convoy entrusted to take the virgin to a weeklong celebration in the nearby village of Sahcabá.
Accompanying the Virgen de Aké on her pilgrimage were another couple of icons, including a large statue of the Santo Niño de Atocha.
Though the icons venerated today in Aké’s church are very different from those of its ancient past, it’s hard to shake the feeling that the more things change the more they stay the same.
The symbolism of mostly Maya locals carrying a statue of the Virgin Mary from her altar atop the ruins of a Maya temple is difficult to miss but also raises questions.
An outsider may think that such a display is a sign of disrespect. Nothing could be further from the truth. After all, the veneration of the Virgin Mary (in her many forms) is central to identity in Yucatán and Mexico as a whole.
“Our virgin loves and protects us and we are very proud that she has her home here in Aké. We are lucky to have her as she brings us light and hope,” said Aké local Silvia Moo.
Because very little evidence of Aké’s ancient past survives, it is hard to piece together in any sort of definitive way what religious life in this Maya town would have been like. But we do have a few clues. For one, given the close relationship between Aké and Izamal, it is logical to infer that they shared in the cult of the sun deity Kín, after which the largest pyramid in Izamal, the Kinich Kak Moo is named.
The Virgen of Aké and Kinich Ahau are extremely different religious figures. But while it may be a stretch while observing the Virgin of Aké’s bright orange, almost blinding gown and radiant gold crown… well, just let’s say you could draw at least some speculative parallels.
During the conquest of Mexico, parallels were often drawn between the Mexica deity Tonantzin — referred to as “our venerable mother” — and the Virgin Mary. While this parallel was encouraged by Spanish missionaries to ease the conversion of Mexico’s indigenous peoples, much in the same way that the archangel Michael came to be associated with the Rain God Chaac in Yucatán, the idea stuck.
If you go
Visiting Aké is a great day trip from Mérida, taking roughly 45 minutes by car.
Entrance to Aké’s archaeological site costs 75 pesos, though several ancient structures can be seen scattered outside the INAH park as well.
