Must See Mayan Ruins beyond Chichen-Itza
Although Chichen Itza is the most well-known Maya find, there are other temples, archeological sites and cities worth knowing in the Yucatan
In an area spanning Central America and southern Mexico, the Mayan civilization thrived with millions of inhabitants, with historic roots beginning more than 2,500 years ago. The Mayans practiced advanced agriculture, studied cosmological phenomena and devised accurate calendars and complex hieroglyphic writing systems.
Mayan structures and buildings are precious monuments to a lost civilization, many of which are preserved under UNESCO Heritage Site designations. The complexities of its architecture and impressive structures represent an epoch of human history that spans from ancient times to the Spanish colonization to today.
But with famous monuments often come throngs of tourists, packed and lined up around overly trodden paths. Many sites are simply overly crowded. As beautiful and impressive as the well-known pyramids are, the spirit of a bygone society so rich and widespread could not be done justice only by the pyramid at Chichen-Itza. To gain a fuller understanding of the Maya and their former glory, here is a collection of lesser-known areas of Mayan ruins on the Yucatán peninsula that, even after hundreds of years of invading forces, erosion and the elements, exemplify the diversity of a once thriving and progressive society.
Tulum
The ruins of the Mayan civilization were rediscovered in the late 19th century by explorer John Lloyd Stephens and illustrator Frederick Catherwood. Through their travel records and intricate drawings, the former glory of the Maya once again had the gaze of the western world. Tulum, Mexico’s third most-visited ruin, and one of the most unique, served as a lookout and seaport village during days of the turquoise and jade trade. Once one of the most powerful Mesoamerican city-states during the 13th and 14th centuries, the Tulum ruins demonstrate various architectural styles carved out of the limestone, like the Toltec and the Maya. Set upon a vegetated lookout, the ruins spill out of the jungle of Quintana Roo, as waves crash just below the grey walls of the bastion. Impressively preserved, with trimmed grass around the steps and pillars, the Tulum ruins epitomize the post-Classic Mayan period. One of Frederick Catherwood’s most impressive engravings portrays the main temple at Tulum as they found it, in all its untamed romance.
At the top of the hill near the Castillo, visitors take in a view of the sea and the old marine trade route, a stopover for traders on the way to Chichen-Itza, Ek Balam and Cobá, and where sea-faring canoes once departed carrying jade, obsidian and copper paraphernalia. The Castillo itself demonstrates strong Toltec influences, with serpent columns and stucco exterior work. Here is an excellent vantage point to imagine the former glory of Tulum and its vessels and merchants also bartering cotton, copper bells, axes, food staples and cacao beans.
Inside the Temple of the Frescos, there is a depiction of a man riding a horse, likely an image representation of the Spanish arrival in the 1500s. The building has gone through several renovations throughout the centuries, but the exterior work suggests that the structure was dedicated to the creator deity Itzamnaaj, who was believed to live in the sky. The paintings inside are drawn in striking colors – always blue, yellow, black and red – with representations of serpents, the sun god Chac and the goddess Chak Chel, and the Aztec god Tezcatlipoca, wearing his black eye band and turquoise mask. Probably the most notable structure in Tulum is the Temple of the Winds, set on the cliff overlooking the sea, used to guide ancient sailors through the reef.
The early inhabitants seem to have valued the view, as they named their city Zamá, which meant “place of the dawning sun.” Due to its picturesque setting next to the sea, the best time of day to visit the Tulum ruins is morning or evening, when the sun is low in the sky, when visitors can stand at the Temple of the Winds and be the first to see the sun cast its light on the former Mayan empire.
Ek Balam
Northwest of Tulum lie the unique ruins of Ek Balam, a name that means “black jaguar” in the Mayan language. This city was once the center of political power in the Classic period of the Mayan civilization, and today holds a sizable population of roving iguanas. Once great, Ek Balam was slowly overtaken in significance by Chichen-Itza, and eventually it was mysteriously abandoned.
One striking feature of Ek Balam is a temple that carries the wide, toothy mouth of a witz monster. To the Mayans of the Classic period, this was an open passage to the underworld. Brave visitors are allowed to climb the 100-foot-tall Acropolis pyramid, where views await of distant, lesser-known ruins grown over by years of vegetation, as well as Chichen-Itza itself.
Here, the grave of king Ukit Kan Le’k Tok lies, covered in well-preserved carvings of winged warrior figures. This site is usually under reconstruction, so visitors often get a first-hand look at archeologists at work.
Cobá
The ruins at Cobá in the state of Quintana Roo are placed alongside two lagoons, and in the Mayan language the name means “water stirred by wind.” Approximately 50 ancient roads and causeways made of stone and plaster, precursors to asphalt roads called sacbes, converge on the center of Cobá like a spider’s web, some reaching as far out as 62 miles near the Yaxuná ruins. The network of roads implies that Cobá was an important center of commerce and agriculture, especially given its past population of over 50,000 inhabitants and its proximity to great sources of freshwater. Eventually, the powerful states of the Puuc and Chichen-Itza overtook Cobá and its influence waned significantly, and the once mighty capital was abandoned by the time of the Spanish conquest of the Peninsula in 1550.
Its Nohoch Mul pyramids are some of the tallest in the Yucatán Peninsula. A steep climb up the 120 stairs to the top Ixmoja temple pyramid brings a view of the ancient village with its network of roads, as well as a panorama of the jungle, spread like a green carpet with unexcavated ancient pyramids poking through the trees. There are many interesting artifacts at the Cobá, including several carved stellea tablets and hieroglyphic inscriptions of Mesoamerican long count calendars (remember the end of the world in 2012?).
Birds and butterflies flit between the many Ceiba trees that sprout amongst the stones, and diligent observers may catch the occasional spider monkey. The village is spread out, so some visitors choose to rent a bicycle or hire a rickshaw and guide to chauffer them to the astronomical observatory and well-preserved ball court.
Muyil
Although an easy 15-minute drive from Tulum, the Muyil Archeological Zone is much less visited than other Mayan ruins. At one time a close ally of Cobá, it now rests in silence amongst the jungle sounds of the Sian Ka´an Biosphere (the Mayan name meaning “where the sky is born”), home to ocelots, pumas and jaguars, as well as various species of monkeys and turtles and crocodiles. The ruins here are some of the oldest in the Mexico, dated back to 300 B.C. The peculiar rounded edges of the pyramid and the subterranean chambers make Muyil truly special among the typically sharper-edged, above ground architecture of the ancient Yucatán.
Feminine deities have a strong presence here, as depictions of the Mayan moon goddess are a running motif throughout Muyil. The 17-meter-tall Castillo was once used as a sort of lighthouse for approaching hunters, where they lit a bonfire at the top, guiding travelers in the night.
To some, the name Muyil is also referred to as Chunyaxche, which means “wide Ceiba trunk.” The sacred Ceiba tree, the Mayan version of the Tree of Life, grows throughout the area and provides much-needed shade from the tropical sun. The village is thought to be a former seaport for trade in jade, salt, obsidian, feathers, chocolate, honey and chewing gum, once connected to the Caribbean Sea via a series of canals. Boat rides are available through the canals of the biosphere, where other ancient Mayan sites await discovery. Visitors in the know walk the sturdy wooden hiking path, where they can take a swim in Lake Chunyaxche, and then climb up the nearby observation tower to take in a wide view of the jungle and lagoon below.
The Mayan civilization was widespread, and although there is a high concentration of remains in the area, many of the pyramids and ruins in the Yucatán have not been fully excavated, and are waiting to be explored. Other notable sites include the Temple of Kukulcan in the Mayapán ruins, as well as Uxmal and the Puuc route, which entails a series of important ruins between the city of Mérida and Campeche. In this route one finds the relatively untouched X-Lapak ruins, with its flashy mask engravings and intricate façades, as well as the vestiges of Sayil, where over 30,000 ceramic fragments from as far away as Guatemala were recovered, and finally the Loltún Cave, the site of mammoth bones and 7,000-year-old human remains.
Riviera Maya is a natural and cultural paradise that will not leave you indifferent. Iberostar, has hotels in the Riviera Maya perfect to make your stay an unforgettable experience.
SHAWN MOKSVOLD
Photography by Cordon Press
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