Review of Xcaret Mexico Espectacular Show

Think Disney-meets-ecotourism ramped to number 11 on the volume button, and you have Xcaret, a truly massive environmental theme park on the Yucatan Peninsula. Part of it is the Xcaret Mexico Spectacular, and it is just that -- a rousing, colorful look at Mesoamerican history.

The Xcaret park is a titanic testimony to the heritage of Mexico, a place that melds the country’s culture, ecology and wildlife. The park, which opened in 1990 as the brainchild of architect Miguel Quintana Pali, attracts a million visitors a year and boasts features such as underground rivers, archaeological sites, a beach, coral reef, a manatee lagoon, a recreated Mayan village ... and the smashing edu-tainment show, "Xcaret Mexico Espectacular."

The show is a wonderfully visual way to learn about the history of Mexico in song and dance, and it comes to life in the massive, 6,000-seat outdoor thatched-roof Gran Tlachco theater. Singers, dancers and other performers tell the compelling story of the country, from the early Mayan days to the brutal conquistador takeover and the colorful present -- all presented musically, loudly and with gorgeous fanfare.

Nearly 300 performing artists –- actors, musicians, singers, and dancers, from the very young to the very old -- take part in the sprawling show, and the athleticism is profound in two events: “Pok ta’ pok,” or hip ball, played with a large rubber ball bounced by hip from player to player through a hoop; and the more spectacular contest called Uarhukua, a three-millennia-old game played with a burning wood ball that represents the sun and sticks of holm-oak, hawthorn fruit tree or guava tree. Both games are played in period attire, adding to the sense that you're witnessing living history.

It is worth it to spring for the extra $35 for the meal that accompanies the show, served in a dining area at one end of the huge performance floor. Sitting high in the dining area also puts you closer to the dizzying "Papantia Fliers." These four bird men of Totonacan blood descend from the top of a pole some 100 feet high and spin, upside down, with ropes attached to their ankles. Meanwhile, a musician sings and dances atop the pole, depicting an ancient tree-top ceremony offered to the god of spring in exchange for a good harvest and a fertile soil. It's all very Cirque de Soliel like, and lots of fun.

The sheer volume of things to do and see and touch at Xcaret almost mandates a minimum of two days here, and the park offers a half-price pass that allows you to come back any day within a week.