PLACES OF INTEREST
LEGACY OF ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS
PHOTO : SHUTTERSTOCK . COM
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The Caribbean resorts of Mexico are convenient points of departure for excursions to archaeological sites . The most popular of them is Chichen Itza , an ancient Toltec and Mayan city located 185 km to the west of Cancun and listed as a UNES- CO world heritage site . The city was first mentioned in historical documents in 452 . Its heyday occurred in the 18th-21st centuries – most of the surviving buildings belong to this period . The main attraction of Chichen Itza is the 24-meter nine-tier pyramid of Kukulkan dedicated to the feathered serpent , the main deity in the Mayan pantheon . At the top there is a temple accessible by the four stairs from the pyramid ’ s base . During the spring and autumn equinoxes you can observe a unique natural phenomenon here , which the ancient Maya considered a phenomenon of the Kukulkan feathered serpent : the shadows from the pyramid tiers form a chain of isosceles triangles reminiscent of the snake body “ sliding ” downwards as the sun moves . Thousands of travelers come to Chichen Itza in these days . Every night , the travelers can enjoy a light and music show on the pyramid tells to learn the story of the city and get to know the unique culture of the Mayan Indians .
One more noteworthy archaeological site is the coastal fortress city of Tulum , located 60 km away from Playa del Carmen . Its name is translated from the Mayan language as a “ fence ”: the city founded in the 13th century was located high on the rocks and served as an important trading hub of that time . Inside the fortress wall you can find many architectural monuments which have been well-preserved there . One of them , the “ Castle ”, a 12-meter structure , so named by Europeans due to some resemblance to medieval European castles , has become a symbol of Tulum . Its facade also bears the image of the Kukulkan , and in the middle there is a dancing platform : the structure was used for various rituals .
You can also get familiar with the culture of the ancient Mayans in Chetumal , the town that hosts one of the best museums of culture of this tribe on Yucatan . Chetumal is referred to as the “ cradle of the mestizos ”. The first Spaniards came here before the Conquest , having been shipwrecked . One of them , Gonzalo Guerrero , married a Mayan woman and gave birth to the first mestizos .
Another noteworthy archaeological area of Yucatan , Koba , is situated 40 kilometers away from Tulum . You can climb 130 steps up to Nohoch Mul , its main pyramid , 42 meters high . From above , you can enjoy a magnificent view of the seemingly endless selva , as the Mexicans call the low wet jungle that covers the Yucatan Peninsula .