History and Mystery

One of the highlights of a vacation to the Yucatan Peninsula is the opportunity to visit Mayan ruin sites. For centuries the Maya ruled the peninsula and isthmus in the area we know as Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, parts of El Salvador and of course Mexico’s Yucatan.

The earliest settlements date from 500-300 BC, perhaps even 1500 BC. The height of the Mayan civilization ranged from 300-900 AD when some city populations exceeded 100,000. The collapse started after 1000 AD and was complete by the time the Spaniards arrived in the 1500’s.

But the Mayans never left. Today, the population of the Yucatan and Central American countries is still 75% Maya. The links below provide pictures of the sites. Check back for future pages.

Chichen Itza – The most excavated and restored site in the Yucatan, a must see for first time travelers.

Tulum – One of the very few Mayan coastal settlements, thought to be both a port and a fort.

Coba – The only ruins site in the Yucatan located on a lake.

Edzna – A huge site with a towering pyramid in the state of Campeche.

Xtampu – On the gulf coast, Xtampu was the Maya's fish salting site in the Yucatan.

Oxkintok - A beautiful and often unvisited site southwest of Merida.

Ek Balam – An intriguing site not often visited but very much worth seeing. Located halfway between cancun and Chichen Itza.

Note - Edzna, Xtampu & Oxkintok are in the western part of the Yucatan,
too far away for days trips from the Riviera Maya, but the pictures are interesting.

Coba and Tulum are easy day trips for anywhere on the Riviera Maya.

Chichen Itza and Ek Balam are farther away and will take a full day to see.