Mayan civilization occupied the part of Mexico that goes from Chiapas and Yucatán, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, El Salvador and Nicaragua.
The history of Maya civilization is divided into three principal periods: the Preclassic (c. 2000 BC – 250 AD) Classic (c. 250–900 AD) and Postclassic (c. 950–1539 AD).
The Mayas built many of their temples and palaces in a stepped pyramid shape, decorating them with elaborate reliefs and inscriptions. Guided by their rituals, they also made significant advances in maths and astronomy. Most of what historians know about the Mayas comes from what remains of their architecture and art.
Main things to take into account when visiting the ruins:
1) Arrive as early as possible after opening to avoid the crowds and the high temperatures.
2) Avoid Sundays if possible. Mexicans get free entry on Sundays to visit the ruins and therefore it’s the busiest time to go.
3) The price of the ticket is usually split into 2 payments; the ticket price and the federal government tax, these areusually paid separately before the entrance point. The prices below are the combinations of those two.
So which are the most important Mayan Ruins that you should visit during yourvisit to the Yucatan peninsula?
1. Chichén Itzá - this is a city which was built by the Maya people of the Terminal Classic period. The main Mayan Ruin is the Chichen Itza Pyramid or El Castillo, but there are other equally important ruins such as El Caracol or Observatory, The Temple of The Warriors and the Mayan Ball Game.
I would highly recommend arriving there between 8 and 8.15am. If you arrive at 8.30am or later you might struggle to find a parking space, also the queue to buy the tickets could be quite long. It is important to mention that the buses and tours tend to get here around 10am so best thing to do is to arrive early!
I would advise getting a guide; it is definitely not the same to do the visit without a guide as you will feel like you are just looking at some old rocks. The story behind it, the maths they used to build it and all the interesting facts that the guide will tell you about Mayan culture are key to truly appreciating the site. Our guide was from the company ‘Maya Quest’ and they were recommended by our hotel. Our guide was just fantastic and super knowledgeable, highly recommended! The visit with the guide plus some time to explore on your own will take you between 2 and 2.30 hours.
As of Dec 2023, the prices are as follows: entrance ticket per person 614 pesos. The private guide (which includes the tickets) in Spanish is 1,400 pesos and 1,600 pesos in English
2. Ekbalam – Ekʼ Balam was a city occupied from the Middle Preclassic through the Postclassic. It eventually became the capital of the polity that controlled the region around the beginning of the Common Era. It was during this height that the Late Yumcab ceramic complex (750-1050/1100 CE) dominated the architecture and pottery of Ekʼ Balam. Ekʼ Balam provides a rich resource of information for understanding northern Classic cities, due to the poor preservation of many other notable northern Maya sites (e.g. Coba, Izamal, and Edzna).
It takes around 1 hour to 1.15 to visit the complex. The cool thing about this place is that it is one of the only few places in Mexico which lets you go up to the top of the pyramids, which is amazing! Also, this is not a very touristy spot and it was quite empty when we arrived around 10.45am.
As of Dec 2023, the prices are as follows: parking 100 pesos, ticket per person 531 pesos.
3. Coba – Coba is an ancient Maya city which contains many engraved and sculpted stelae that document ceremonial life and important events of the Late Classic Period (AD 600–900). Coba was estimated to have had some 50,000 inhabitants at its peak of civilization, and the built-up area extends over some 80 km2. The site was occupied by a sizable agricultural population by the first century. The bulk of Coba's major construction seems to have been made in the middle and late Classic period, about 500 to 900 AD, with most of the dated hieroglyphic inscriptions from the 7th century. However, Coba remained an important site in the Post-Classic era and new temples were built and old ones kept in repair until at least the 14th century.
Coba is probably my favourite of the archaeological sites of Yucatan/ Quintana Ro. Even though is not as well preserved as others, it is really cool that it is in the middle of the jungle and you have to cycle around to see the different structures. We arrived there around 10.30am and it was not very busy.
As of Dec 2023, the prices are as follows: ticket per person 190 pesos and 65 pesos per bike.
4. Tulum -Tulum ruins are small in comparison to Coba or Chichen Itza to but the location is impressive, poised on the fifteen-meter-high cliffs above the Caribbean Sea. This walled city served as a major port for Coba. Tulum was one of the last cities built and inhabited by the Maya and achieved its greatest prominence between the 13th and 15th centuries. Maya continued to occupy Tulum for about 70 years after the Spanish began occupying Mexico, but the city was abandoned by the end of the 16th century. As this is located close to Cancun and Riviera May don’t expect to be by yourself. I would recommend going in the early morning as it can get very crowded and dealing with the heat midday can be challenging. As of Dec 2023, the prices are as follows: ticket per person 155 pesos, parking 100 to 200 pesos all day.
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