A special guest article by Robert Patton, who secretly arranged a Mayan Wedding Vow Renewal in Cozumel without his wife of 8 years, Angela, knowing anything about it.

We were on a cruise for our birthdays and had a stop in Cozumel. We went to Chankanaab Park where I'd arranged the surprise with This is Cozumel and we were greeted by their representative, Freddy.

While my wife was shopping we worked out a plan. Freddy first give us a tour explaining Mayan history, traditions, birth and wedding practices, stopping frequently for pictures, and ending in a small hut with a wonderfully nice lady making tortillas and cooking small tacos.

At this point Freddy grabbed a conch shell and began to blow to the North, South, East and West and Federico, the Mayan shaman appeared.

I looked to my wife and asked her if she had any idea of what was going on. To which she replied, "Are we getting married again?"

I told her, "Yes, sort of, but in an ancient Mayan way and tradition".

Her eyes lit up and you could see the emotion welling up in her. This told me I had done something right.

Federico, a tall slender man with a quaint voice, kept us mesmerized with his calm yet extremely interesting sermon. The experience was truly breathtaking as well as spiritual.

We continued with the ceremony, trading tortillas and cocoa beans, chanting, repeating after Federico and ending in "a-ho" the Mayan word for amen. We celebrated with a sip of traditional Mayan liquor called Xtabentun. We each grabbed a stick with shells attached and shook them, chanting after the shaman.

We then began the purification process where Freddy -- who had stayed to take photos -- finally left us. The purification process was what most people would know as a sweat lodge. Again this was a spiritual ceremony.

All in all the process was about 2 hours and well worth every penny. I would recommend this to anyone looking for an exotic and spiritual way to renew their vows.

However, just make sure your wife knows that even though you renewed your vows on a different date, you don't have to get her two anniversary presents every year!

Visit our Things To Do section to find out more and make reservations for the Mayan Wedding Vow Renewal.