Culture Tours

Culture Tours

Culture Tours

 

Remains from this hemisphere’s most advanced society, the Mayas, surround Cancun visitors. Just two hours away by car you can visit several important archaeological sites.

The sites are open to visitors every day of the week, between 8:00 and 17:00 hours and multilingual guides are available for hire.

CHICHEN ITZA

It is located 100 km from Merida and 180 km from Cancun (about 2 hours drive). Chichen Itza is one of the largest and most fascinating sites in Mexico, and is famous worldwide for the phenomenon that occurs twice each year, at the spring and fall equinoxes in the structure known as “El Castillo” (the Castle). As the equinox sun sets, a play of light and shadow creates the appearance of a snake that gradually undulates down the stairway of the pyramid.

A brief description by the UNESCO states that "...this site is one of the most impressive testimonies to the Maya-Toltec civilization of the Yucatan (10th to 15th centuries). It contains some of the most outstanding examples of Central America architecture, combining Maya construction techniques and Toltec sculpted decoration."

Chichen Itza means "mouth of the well" and covers about 3 miles in area, built in the late Classic Period (800-1000 AD). During your trip to the Yucatan Peninsula, you cannot miss the chance to visit the gorgeous Maya Ruins of Chichen Itza.

Chichen Itza
Coba

COBA

The once great city of Coba, one of the most beautiful Maya ruins, is nestled in the Yucatan's thick jungle and surrounded by exquisite lakes nearby. Its name means "water stirred by wind" and started to become a major independent community at the time Roman legions were on their way to building an empire.

The city flourished between 600-900 AD and by the end of the Classic period, it had become a major Maya city-state with a population of about 60,000 inhabitants.

During the Post-Classic (1000-1200 AD), Coba lost its dominance to cities like Tulum as its political and commercial influence crumbled. If you have the chance to visit Coba, you will discover what may have been one of the largest of all Maya cities.

TULUM

Tulum is one of the most representative Mayan ruins of the Riviera Maya. By the time the Toltecs had annexed the Maya lands to their vast territories, Tulum was a thriving merchant port and remained so until the Spanish arrived in 1518. The city reached its splendor in around 1200 AD and was a characteristic example of theMaya late Post-Classic era.

Tulum means "wall, trench or fence" in the Maya language. The conquerors were amazed by the beauty, size and strength of this ancient fortress built on a cliff, overlooking the turquoise waters of the Caribbean below. At the time it was built, the Maya sculpting in stone art had degraded to a large extent. What was lost in intricate decoration and grandiose architecture, however, is made up for by the beauty of the location.

Tulum
Coba

MUYIL

One of the oldest Mayan is located 15 minutes south of Tulum around a beautiful blue fresh water lake called “La Laguna” (the lagoon). Although surrounded by thick vegetation, visitors are still able to view three temple groups, “El Castillo” (the castle) 45 feet tall, is one of the tallest structures in the east coast.

KOHUNLICH

It is located about 65 km west of Chetumal. The road approaches the site from the north and leads into an enormous central plaza ringed by pyramids and temple platforms. Settled in 200 B.C., it contains almost 200 mounds that remain largely unexcavated. The site is best known for its Temple of the Masks, an Early Classic pyramid whose central stairway is flanked by huge humanized stucco masks.

Kohunlich
Ek'Balam

EK'BALAM

It is located 51 km northeast of Chichén Itzá and 30 km north of Valladolid. Ek’ Balam was at its height from A.D. 770 to 840, contains 45 structures and provides a rich resource of information for understanding northern Classic cities. Some of the notable features are: the Entrance Arch, the Oval Palace and the Ball Game.

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