Hundreds of ceremonial sites are found across a large swath of the southern area of Mexico. Some are restored and researched extensively, while others lie under centuries of jungle growth. Fortunately for visitors, many of the restored sites are easy to reach and explore, and each offers a different view of the Mayan world.
Mexico's Mayan ruins are found primarily in the states of Chiapas and Tabasco in the south and in the three states that comprise the Yucatan peninsula, Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo. Hundreds of sites are in the region, some explored and excavated, others overgrown. At Kohunlich, an extensive, little-visited site 25 miles west of Chetumal near the Mexico-Belize border, there are several restored temples with large carvings, but also 500 mounds awaiting exploration.
The three so-called major sites--dubbed that because of their size, the degree of restoration and exploration, plus their accessibility to tourists--are Uxmal and Chichen Itza in Yucatan, and Palenque in Chiapas. All three sites reached their peak in the Classic Maya period between 250 and 900 AD, and all three include the typical structures found at ritual Mayan ceremonial centers, including ball courts, temples and pyramids. Palenque is 80 miles southeast of Villahermosa. Uxmal is 50 miles southwest of Merida, and Chichen Itza is 74 miles east of Merida and 112 miles west of Cancun. All three are served by major highways and have hotel facilities adjacent to the site, allowing visitors to go beyond just a cursory afternoon tour.
Mayan artistic design varies from site to site. Palenque is known for its expressive carvings of warriors, priests and kings with elongated, curving features. Uxmal with its so-called Puuc Mayan design (the name comes from the nearby Puuc Hills) is characterized by intricate, lattice-like stonework. Chicken Itza draws its inspiration from the fierce Toltec culture of Central Mexico with design motifs including skulls, serpents and carvings of gruesome rituals.
The Mayan developed a complex written language that uses glyphs, which can be seen on temple walls and stelae, stone columns, at many sites. Scholars continue to grapple with translation of many of the panels, but even first-time visitors can spot glyphs representing numbers--a dot symbolizes one, a bar stands for five and a shell shape is zero. Three would be written with three dots, seven with two dots over a bar.
Every aspect of Mayan life was controlled by the calendar, which contained several interlocking cycles, often called wheels, including a 365-day solar calendar, a 200-day cycle, a 52-year cycle and the Long Count calendar that reaches back centuries. All are referenced in carvings and design elements in Mayan buildings. The Pyramid of Kukulcan at Chichen Itza has four staircases of 91 steps each, and added together with the top platform the number comes to 365. Twice a year, at the equinox, the sun casts shadows on the staircase that appear to resemble a snake wending its way to the top.
Many ruins had fallen into disrepair by early 16th century when the Spanish conquistadors arrived, and it was not until the 19th century that archaeologists began to unravel Mayan mysteries. The work continues across the region, and there is a steady drumbeat of news about archeological discoveries. In addition to deciphering glyphs and translating dates to match the modern calendar, archaeologists are still seeking a cause for the demise of Classic Mayan civilization in the 10th century. Was it famine, disease, war? The debate rages.
- Palenque image by Bill Bell from Fotolia.com