posted by colin on Aug 4
To many would-be travelers to Mexico, the only place they think of is Cancun and similar made-for-tourism enclaves, and they probably aren’t aware of the county’s rich heritage.
Mayan Ruins Along The Yucatan Peninsula Offer Vacationers To Mexico A Much Varied Experience Than Cancun As A Party Town.
One such place where travelers can sample this “other” Mexico is the Yucatan Peninsula, particularly the area in and around the regional capital, Merida. There, visitors who have a taste for history and a desire to do more than just relax at spas or on the beach will find Mayan ruins and colonial remnants.Among these sites is Chichen Itza, known for its signature pyramid, ball court, sacrificial cenote and observatory.
During its most powerful period, 900 to 1200 A.D., human sacrifices were regularly made near the top of the pyramid, now known as El Castillo. In its prime, it was not the unadorned gray stone structure of today. It was covered with brightly painted masonry depicting daily life. For preservation purposes, tourists are no longer allowed to climb onto or up the pyramid, nor can they access the majority of Mayan sites. A Chichen Itza highlight is the cenote, a deep, broad sinkhole that was regarded as a sacred well. There, heavily bejeweled women were thrown in and drowned in an attempt to please the rain gods. Acceptance of the sacrifice was assumed as long as the body did not return to the surface. Not surprisingly, vast amounts of treasures have been uncovered from the cenote, helping archaeologists to date the time of the sacrifices. The ruins of an observatory sit on an elevated plateau from which astronomical calculations were made. The alignment of the main pyramid indicates that the Mayan people knew about equinoxes, as crowds of locals now flock there twice a year during the equinoxes to watch the sun project a shadow down the middle of El Castillo.
Easy access to many of the Mayan ruins along the Yucatan Peninsula while staying at some of the Palace Resorts large and boutique all-inclusive resorts.
Mexico is constantly unearthing archaeological wonders, and one of the newest is Ek Balam. Built between 600 and 1,000 A.D., according to estimates, Ek Balam features numerous mounds (thought to be burial sites) and a pyramid that contained the library of a former king. When the king died, his ashes were placed inside, and the exterior was decorated with statues of birds, jaguars, various mythical creatures and depictions of priests wearing bird feathers. The site also features two main plazas and a central area that is fenced in by defensive walls. Unlike Chichen Itza and Uxmal, Ek Balam has relatively few visitors and is essentially vendor-free. That provides a quiet atmosphere where visitors who do see it can relax and take in the Mayan culture.
Of course, the Yucatan, like all of Mexico, has plenty of more modern history. Part of this history revolves around the sisal industry, a four-century-long saga about Mexico’s efforts to market and profit from the indigenous hemp plant, one of the few agricultural products that manages to thrive in the Yucatan Peninsula’s arid climate.
Less than an hour from the Merida airport, Hacienda Temozon has been refurbished to emulate its peak period of prosperity, which stretched from the 1880s to the 1920s. The property features spacious accommodations, and airy bathrooms feature separate walk-in shower and toilet sections, with a sunken marble sink and vanity area in between. The style of the bedrooms is reminiscent of the colonial period, with oversize beds, comfortable chairs and tables, climate control and state-of-the-art audiovisual amenities. The hacienda also features a 140foot-long swimming pool, a fine-dining restaurant serving Yucatan cuisine, tennis facilities, stables for horseback riding and an extensive spa, part of which is situated in a candlelit cave with a cenote that functions as a plunge pool. All of this sits among sprawling grounds with miles of walking paths.
Visitors can stroll where hundreds of workers once processed sisal, prepared it for shipment and transported it to market on rail tracks that still crisscross the property. Adding to the atmosphere are tools of the former sisal trade, including machinery, smokestacks, wagons, carriages, production tools and equestrian gear.Merida itself is home to a renowned anthropology museum, a city museum, a cathedral and the Governor’s Palace, with its second-floor gallery of historic paintings. Downtown Merida is lively on Thursday nights, when musicians perform and meals are served in the Parque Santa Lucia. On weekend evenings, many restaurants in and around Merida’s Plaza Grande place tables outside, creating an urban fair complete with craft sellers and strolling musicians.
