YUCATAN
Offers a breathtaking diversity of charms. Blinding white strands of sand
embrace clear turquoise waters, shorelines curve into calm lagoons and
Mangrove swamps where wildlife drink from freshwater cenotes (sinkholes).
Scuba diving (in cenotes and barrier reefs), snorkeling, deep-sea fishing,
and other water sports are plentiful.
FLORA AND FAUNA
Flamingos, herons, manatees and sea turtles, their numbers now increasing in response to Mexico's awakened
ecological consciousness, find idyllic watery habitats in and above the
coastline's mangrove swamps, lagoons and sandbars. Orchids, bougainvillea,
bromeliads and palms thrive; lush greens, dazzling reds, purples, pinks
and oranges offer visual feasts everywhere you look.
MAYAN HISTORY:
Deep within the jungles of Mexico and Guatemala lie magical Mayan temples
and palaces. While Europe slumbered in the Dark Ages, these innovative
people charted the heavens, developed the only true writing system native
to the Americas and were masters of mathematics and calendrics. Without
the advantage of metal tools, beasts of burden, or the wheel they were able
to construct vast cities with an astonishing degree of architectural perfection
and variety. The Maya are probably the best known of the classical civilizations
of Mesoamerica. Originating around 2600 BC, they rose to prominence around
250 AD in present-day southern Mexico, Guatemala, northern Belize and western
Honduras. The Yucatan Maya reached their height 800-1200 AD, then they too
started to abandon their cities. There are many theories as to why this
happened, among them draught, social uproar, warfare and disease. A few
cities were still inhabited when the Spaniards arrived but most were already
covered with dense jungle vegetation. Though the structured civilization
of the Maya collapsed, the cornerstones live on, many still speak Maya and
practice old religious traditions. Today around seven million Maya still
live in Mexico and Guatemala. The Yucatan peninsula has thousands of Mayan
ruins, most are still covered with jungle vegetation, but many of the most
interesting sites have been excavated. Some are very close to Playa del
Carmen, Tulum, Chichen Itza, Coba and Ek Balam are a few of the better known
sites.
Read more about the Maya and the different
ruins in
PlayaInfo's
Mundo Maya section. The Maya were noted for elaborate and highly decorated
ceremonial architecture, including temples, pyramids, palaces and observatories.
They were also skilled farmers, clearing large sections of tropical rain
forest and building sizable underground reservoirs for rainwater. The
Maya were equally skilled as weavers and potters, and traded extensively
throughout what is today Mexico and Central America. One of the most amazing
Maya feats was the system of roads connecting the more important centers
and trade posts. Sacbe means white road in Mayan.The roads were built
up on platforms, paved with white stones and could be up to 30 ft wide.
They were built in perfectly straight lines between cities - an amazing
accomplishment thorough this dense jungle. The longest sacbe known to
modern man connectes Coba and Yaxuna, a distance of 100 km (61 miles).
Cenotes, plentiful throughout the Yucatan, were sacred to the Mayans.
The main source of fresh water, cenotes were also considered to be the
connection between this world and the underworld.