Tuesday, February 1, 2011

MEMS 2011 in Cancun, Mexico

I traveled to Cancun for a conference called MEMS 2011 at the end of January.  Here are a few pictures:

 Sunset over Cancun Airport Traffic Control Tower (and Lagoon behind hotel strip)
 A sinkhole (called a Cenote) that we stopped at on the way to Chichen Itza
 The largest pyramid at Chichen Itza.  No longer climbable due to spring break drunken shenanigans.
 A stone mural depicting sacrificial decapitation of winning team's captain after a game of Pitz.
 Alter called a Chac-Mool, upon which sacrificial beheading took place.  This one is in poor condition, and was used for killing enemies and slaves.  A much nicer version was on top of the pyramid for killing virgins and heroes.
 Local wildlife.
 Beach between hotel and conference which I walked up and down every day.  Nice.
 It was winter there, despite being tropical, so the days were mostly overcast, around 75 degrees F, and windy, windy, windy.
 Hotel at which the conference was held, properly dubbed Chichen Hilton.
Air traffic control tower at Cancun Int'l Airport, brought to you by the letters X and R, the number 2, and centennial sponsor, Corona beer.
 A selection of the MEMS 2011 attendees, photo by John Yan from UC Davis.