Yucatán – Maya Archaeological Sites

Lak'ech Ala K'in "I am you, and you are me." Maya Greeting

I hope that with the new discovery of Maya glyphs in Xultun, Guatemala, the business of “fear and end of the world” will disappear. Here is the link with beautiful pictures of the magnificent work that National Geographic is doing: Maya Painting

The Yucatán Península, is located in the southern part of México and is divided into three states: Yucatán, Campeche and Quintana Roo. The State of Yucatán is one of the 31 Mexican states and its capital is "the white city" of Mérida.

Before the Spanish invaded the area, Yucatán was the home of the advanced Maya Civilization and Mérida was the Maya city of "T'ho' or Ichkanzihóo." Archaeological sites in the state have a history of more than 3,000 years, and every day new discoveries are changing the way our history books were written. Dates, facts, and new sites are opened to the public. This is just a small list of the many sites found in the Yucatán State. Many sites were destroyed by the conquerors, who, to demoralize the locals, they built their churches on top of the Maya temples and pyramids, using the materials and impose their religion. Some pyramids were completely cut or decapitated by the Spaniards to build the churches and haciendas, as in the case of Izamal. When the locals returned to their holy sites, they found a new place of worship; a Church. The Spanish considered the new world locals as "animals", for not believing in their God.

"The Caste War of Yucatán" - 1847-1901

The Maya fought for the right to claim their land and to be treated as "humans." Considered as "animals," they worked on the henequén in the Spanish Haciendas and lived like slaves. The henequén was considered the "green gold" at the time. The owners paid with vouchers that were only redeemed at their store. This way there was an absolute control. The Maya rose up against the European, their descendants called Yucatec, and the mestizo, mix of white and Indian, which were the ones that had political power and economic control. Officially, the war ended with the occupation of the Maya capital of U Noh Kah Balam Nah Chan or Chan Santa Cruz by the Mexican army in 1901. Chan Santa Cruz U Noh Kah Balam Nah Chan, Is now known as Felipe Carrillo Puerto, in what is now the state of Quintana Roo. The Maya lost the war: thousands died and the conditions remained the same.

• On Sundays, access to archaeological sites in México are free for domestic visitors, after presenting and ID. Monday to Saturday, discounts apply for students and teachers with valid ID, Seniors get free access only with the INAPAM credential (before INSEN). Sundays are crowded, try to avoid them. For foreigners there is a fee.

20,000 year old skull found in Tulúm, Quintana Roo

Some of the Archaeological Sites

Acanceh - "Dying Deer" - More than 400 structures were part of this city. Many were destroyed by the Spanish, when they built their churches and housing.

• The site has carved stone with features of the Puuc architecture style.
• In the main pyramid there are five masks in low relief, carved in stone and covered with stucco; (now covered with fiberglass for protection).
• Stucco Palace - Contains sculptures in low relief, showing animals with human traits or forms, some original colors can still be seen.
• T'ho' (now Mérida) and Mayapan were interlaced with Acanceh. With the decline of the Toltec influence and civil wars between the Maya states, the big cities relocated to small towns, leaving the cities only as a ceremonial and pilgrimage centers.
• There is a XVI C. church in which, the Virgin of Guadalupe is venerated. The passion of Christ is presented each year with bloody representations.
• In the municipality there 9 Cenotes- the holy entrance to the Maya underworld or Xibalbá, and two caves.
• Nearby are the archaeological sites of Canicab, Ekmul and Poxilá.
• 33 Km. from Mérida- Mo.-Sun. 8-5 - $ 41 pesos approx.

Aké - "Place of reeds or rushes"

• Among the outstanding structures are El Palacio and the "Templo de las Pilastras", which is a small pyramid with columns at the top. The steps on the pyramid are huge, made for giants.
• There are other mounds and structures still unexplored.
• A Cenote, the entrance to Xibalbá, the underworld is inside the city.
• Various sacred "Sacbé" (Maya roads), are on the site. These roads united different sites and Maya cities. Although many of these sacbés are disappearing by the vegetation, you can still see the path that one of these roads takes you to Izamal, 25 Km. away. This path originated from what was T'ho ' (Mérida), covering more than 186.41 miles -300 Km.
• There is an Hacienda that produces the henequen or sisal fiber, that at one time was considered the green gold. The Hacienda has old machine shredders.
• 32 miles from Mérida, MEX# 80 to Tixkokob, turn right at Km 25.
• Mo.-Sun. 8:00 to 17:00 - $ 41.00 pesos approx.

Dzibilchaltún - "The place where there is writing on the stones "
Considered the mother City of the Maya for its lengthy history, Dzibilchaltún was constantly occupied from 300 BC until the Spanish invasion. It is one of the oldest cities that flourished in the northern Yucatán Península. The site is a few miles from the Gulf, helping the ancient Maya take advantage of the seafood, producing salt and making shell tools. The Maya also planted corn on their land.

• With more than 8,000 structures in an area of 17 square kilometers - 6 mi²
• Some of the temples and buildings have been excavated, many more are mapped.
• Very advanced astronomers, built a platform that has an unobstructed view in all directions.
• Templo de las Siete Muñecas- "Temple of the Seven Dolls" - Named for an offering that was found inside the temple of seven clay figures in human form that can be seen at the Museum.
• Twice a year, during the Equinox, at dawn, the sun shines through the door of the Temple.
• Cenote Xlakáh "Old town" - several offerings of bone, stone and wood were found. There are blind fish in the open Cenote.
• Equinox - March 21 and September 21 - The door of the temple is illuminated by the sun that appears on the horizon. The celestial disc stays some moments at the center of the door and creates an spectacle of light and shadow on the western façade.
• 12 Sacbés (Maya roads) connect the different structures of the city and other nearby cities. There is also a Sacbé that leads to the Cenote Xlakáh. Maya Symbols and Mythology
• There is an open chapel in which the invaders imposed the new religion to the Maya. When they added the chapel, a great part of one of the pyramids was destroyed. The XVI C. Franciscan chapel was built over sacred temples, destroying the site when the stones were used for the altars, as was the custom of the Spanish.
• Museo del Pueblo - Closed; it has been closed for a long time. Maya and Spanish objects, paintings, armor and weapons, stelae, stone and carved lintels. Check before you go as the entrance fee is high for the site if the Museum is closed.
• Km. 14 Mérida-Progreso Highway - Mo.-Sun. 8:00 -17:00 - services - $ 82.00 pesos. Under 13 years $ 5.00 pesos. Plus now there is a charge for parking. When we were there one year ago, the place was immaculate, now, there are new charges, the museum is closed and the place is not well kept as other sites that are kept by the INAH. (This is kept by the county).

Ek'Balam - "Black Jaguar" - "The Great Talol Empire"

One of our favorite places!

• 300 AC - Founded by Ek' Balam or Coch Cal Balam, who arrived from the East and ruled for 40 years.
• With an area of over 12 square kilometers, the Capital of the Empire TAH had an estimated population of 12 to 18,000 inhabitants.
• The people of the eastern part of State paid tribute to Ek'Balam with offerings of shell and other valuables.
• There are more than 45 structures.
• Ek' Balam is surrounded by two walls that were used for defensive purposes and controlled the access to the city.
• It has a ball game, an arch where a Sacbé (Maya Sacred Way), connected the main temples and pyramids with other nearby cities.

Besides the pyramids, on the site, there are stelae and hieroglyphic serpents, which are beautifully carved monuments of stone blocks and structures of various architectural styles. Above the main temple called the Acropolis, sculptures of beautiful winged warriors, representing the gods who flew to Mother Earth to create this amazing culture are carefully set on top of the door entrance. Huge snake fangs frame the door. - Various masks, friezes and statues with references to rulers and the sacred jaguar, were found at the site. We can infer from their hieroglyphics, the name of the rulers, their descendants and the cult of Kukulcán, the feathered god, the god who came flying to create the Maya civilization. - In the grave of Ukit Kanlek, one of the rulers, several offerings were found. Shells of marine snails, pectoral-chest, pearl, jade objects, beads, some representations of faces, fragments of earrings and necklaces. There were also localized representations of fish and shrimp shells, pottery and more than 25 inscribed femurs of deer, which were used as scepters. - Acropolis, the fortified temple-pyramid is 160 m. long, 70 wide and 31 high. As usual, the temples were renewed every 52 years, building on top of them, representing the re-incarnation or renewal. The overlapping constructions have several rooms on different levels and vaulted passageways. On the top, the magical winged warrior figures, art and symbolism attached to them, every movement, every finger, every thing created with symbols.26 Km. north of Valladolid, 186 km east of Mérida, on the road to Cancún - Mo. to Sun. 8:00 to 17:00 - $ 64.00 pesos. Under 13 years $ 5.00 pesos. This is a very interesting place and one of our favorites.

Mayapán - "Banner of the Maya"

The last great walled Maya capital, has over four thousand structures; many of them still unexplored.

• In the center of the city there are several temples, the largest of them, being a smaller replica of the Castillo Pyramid at Chichén Itzá which was dedicated to Kukulcán, in honor of the serpent god who could fly.
• There are administrative, religious and civic buildings, as well as the residences of the ruling class.
• Observatories, which are round buildings, small shrines and several structures, many of them unexplored are on the site.
• Winter Solstice -December 21- an interesting phenomenon occurs with light and shade during the winter solstice that is identical to the one that occurs in Chichén Itzá.
• 45 Km. road Acanceh-Mérida, in the Convent Route - Mo. to Fri. 8:00 AM-5: 00 PM - $ 41.00 pesos approx.

Uxmal - "The three times built"

• 900-600 AC - Patrimonio de la Humanidad, UNESCO.
• One of the most impressive archaeological sites in Yucatán, it was founded by the tribe of the Xiues.
• The city peaked between 600 and 900 AD. when it had a population of more than 20,000 inhabitants.
• Palaces decorated with highly detailed sculptures, made from thousands of small stones perfectly polished and adjusted depicting geometric mosaics with an unmatched perfection throughout the Maya area.
• The series of hills in the area, known as Puuc, "mountain or hill", is the name which later received the architectural style and the route of some of the sites of the region.
• Since there are no Cenotes in the area, the Maya built a series of cisterns named chultunes to store rain water.
• The cults to the rain God Cha'ac, Mother Earth, the Sun and Venus are also present in the orientation, symbols, and in the decoration of their structures.
• The large number and variety of buildings speak of social complexity in this political, economic and religious center. All buildings are well planned.
• There are 15 groups of buildings, distributed from north to south, extending approximately two miles.

These are some of the temples and pyramids of the site, along with several plazas, quadrangles, ball game, etc.:

• La Pirámide del Mago o Adivino, "Pyramid of the Magician", pyramid of more than 35 m. tall. It has a wonderful legend; "The pyramid was built by a dwarf in just one night". Actually it was built in five phases and it was designed so that the western stairway faces east, toward the setting sun on the summer solstice, where the flying God came from.

• Convento, named by the Spanish, was probably used as a school for training healers, astrologers and priests.

• Palacio del Gobernador, the Governor's Palace, has an impressive stone mosaic work, sculptures of the god of rain CHAAC, snakes and astrological symbols. It is considered the most beautiful building in Mesoamerica because of its style and imposing proportions.

• El Cuadrángulo de las Monjas, "The Nunnery" - Structure with magnificent decoration, in which alternate fretwork, latticework, human figures, snakes, heads of turtles, owls and masks of the rain god Cha'ac are displayed.

• 78 Km. SW of Mérida - Federal Highway # 261 - Mo.- Sun. 8-5 pm - $ 116.00 pesos includes light and sound show. Under 13 years $ 5.00 pesos - Light and Sound Time: 8:00 pm in summer; in winter 7:00 pm - Cost of Light and Sound show (only): $ 44.00 pesos with translation into seven languages. Facilities: Auditorium, craft shops, nursing, and Museum.
• More information, video and pictures: Uxmal and the Puuc Route

Puuc Style - Oxkintok - Calcehtok - Kabáh - Sayil

The Puuc style is found in different parts of the Yucatán Península.

Kabáh - Kabáah - "hard or stron hand" - Kabahaucan "royal snake in the hand."

• The majority of the sculptures represent the ruling elite and scenes of war.
• Kabáh was declared a protected park of Yucatán in 1993.-
• The city was abandoned before the Spanish conquest of Yucatán.
• Kabáh was connected to Uxmal (North) with a pedestrian walkway or Sacbé. The road was 11 mi. long and 16.5 ft. wide with a monumental arch at each end. Sacbé - Maya road made of shells, lime, Zapote tree sap, and rocks. Through the use of shells on the roads, the moonlight reflected illuminating it.
• Palacio de los Mascarones - Structure built on an artificial platform with hundreds of stone masks of the Rain God CHA'AC represented with its long nose. This repetitive pattern of stones is known as "Codz Poop" or "perched mat". In some of the noses of the god Cha'ac, sacred copal incense was discovered.
• Cha'ac, the "Protector of the Harvest" and God of the rain, is represented in many of the sites in the Yucatán due to the scarcity of rivers, there are no Cenotes in the area, or water in the region; he was an important deity.
• The Maya dug several holes or cisterns for collecting rainwater.
• Palaces, temples and pyramids are still being studied and discovered. The Puuc Maya style is reflected in the construction of the site; however, there are some structural elements in its architecture that is of the Chenes style.

Sayil - "Ants Workers" - Founded by a small group of CHONTAL warriors.

• Very large urban center, the distribution of the city is made up of three parts: the first is the core of the site and include buildings that were used by the elite, the second includes homes once inhabited by the ancestors, and, the last zone, extends to satellite settlements that paid tribute to Sayil.
• On the façade of the buildings are beautifully adorned with stone mosaic.
• Chultunes or chambers of underground storage; artificial cisterns or "Chultunes" were constructed to store rainwater.
• Vessels of incense and ceramic pottery indicate trade with the Petén region of Guatemala.
• There are smaller sites around Sayil, which may have been tributaries like Sodzil, Xcavil of Yaxché, and Xkanabi.
• 220 structures have been explored and several others are being explored and mapped.
• More than 30,000 fragments of pottery, stone and obsidian artifacts give us an idea of the extent of the trade route.
• Sacbé - A walkway connects the Grand Palace with a complex 350 m. away, which consists of structures with rooms where El Mirador is.
• Another Sacbé goes from El Mirador to the ball game that is 200 m., and also connects several palaces, passing through a platform with stelae and altars.
• El Palacio -The Palace, is the most notable building in the area. The second floor is decorated with mosaics of the figure of the Descending God, has over 70 rooms that show the emergence of new architectural techniques and 85 m. façade, built on top of a platform of two terraces.
• El Mirador,damaged pyramid with a crest and a phallic sculpture, that, together with the structure of the terrace of the Grand Palace, are evidence of continuous occupation DC 800-950.
• Structure 3B1 has an interior door decorated with hieroglyphs.
• Structure 4B1 has a central door with two carved columns and carved capitals for support. It has three carved lintels. Another group of buildings stands on a hill.
• Cha'ac II, 2 km from the Gran Palacio, was part of the urban area, and participated in a trade network linked to the great Teotihuacán metropolis in the distant Valley of México.
• Stelae 6 dated to about 810 AD. Stelae 3 and 5 represent the nobles and rulers.
• John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood explored the site in 1841 and Lloyd published an illustrated description in his 1843 book "Incidents of Travel in the Yucatan", and referred to the site as "Zayi."
• UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. National Institute of Anthropology and History
• 33 km southeast of Uxmal, Highway 261, turn right at Km 34. 7 km S. Kabah, 5 km and 5 km Xlapak Labna. $ 42 Pesos.

In the NW of Yucatán: Uxmal, Labná Xlapak, Sayil, Kabáh, Oxkintoc and Chichén Itzá. In the central part. In the State of Campeche: Xcalumkin, Xculhoc and Chunhuhú.

Ruta Puuc in the State of Yucatán

Oxkintok - "Ox" (three) - "Kin" (day / sun), "Tok" (destruction)

• Oxkintok was a very important ceremonial center in the Puuc region.
• Tzan Tun Tzat - El Laberinto -"The Labyrinth" - Structure that has a tunnel in form of a maze with roof, which would resembled a trip to the underworld. Built on three levels, one above the other, the interior is a labyrinth of rooms connected by long, narrow doors and stairs. A tomb was found with a jade mask and some symbols of authority and power painted on the floor.
• There is a ball game on the site and a huge fragmented ring with hieroglyphic inscriptions.
• A holy bath to purify the ball players and pregnant women is close to the ball game.
• There are cisterns, in form of bottles with immense proportions that may contain 1,500 to 26.000 liters.
• The Museum of Anthropology, in Mérida has many of the items found on the site.
• The sculptures on the site have anthropomorphic forms that are carved to represent deities, rulers and warriors.
• The explorers Stephens and Catherwood in 1842, explored, sketched and described Oxkintok and the wonderful maze.
• Maxcanú is 38.5 mi. South of Mérida on the Federal Highway #180, in the westernmost region of the Puuc Route.
• The Calcehtok Caves are very close.

Cuevas de Calcehtok - "Actun Spukil" - X'pukil - CAL (neck) - CEH (deer) - TOK (stone)
The caves of Calcehtok or X'pukil, served as protection for the Maya during the Caste Wars. Its name comes from a deer made of stone that was found on the site. This is the largest cave after Loltún and can only be explored with a guide, as there are several tunnels that connect them.

• Several offerings were found of plates, arrowheads, hammers made of quartz, sculptures, idols and obsidian knives.
• Several holtuns, the cisterns of stone to collect and store rainwater, were built by the Maya.
• Palaces, temples and pyramids are still being studied and discovered.
• Human burials.
• Wonderful stalactites and stalagmites forming different objects can be admired.
• The area has over 30 caves and many more that have not been explored.
• Guides usually charge $ 250 pesos per hour but they offer different tours and the price varies.
• It is a complex of more than 30 caves that are connected to each other, so they offer four different tours. Use good shoes, because there is walking and climbing.
• Mérida - 43 miles away

X'Lapak, Labná, Loltún, Chacmultún, Tecax, X'Cambá, Yaxuná, Cenote Lol-Ha

X'Lapak - "Old wall"- At the heart of the Puuc region, this archaeological site is small, but is one of the greatest jewels of Puuc style architecture.

• Group 1 El Palacio,Consists of nine rooms with decorated façades. The magic number 9; Maya Symbols and Mythology - El Palacio, has a magnificent façade where a board made of stone mosaic fretwork and geometric elements is superb; in the corners and in the center there are masks of the Rain God Cha'ac protruding from the roof of the false arch.
• Group 2, with classic Puuc architecture is decorated with columns.
• 38 Km. southeast of Uxmal on the road #261 - Turn left on State Road #31 - Mo.-Sun. 8:00 to 17:00. Services: Shop, beverages, publications and crafts.

Labná - "Old house"
Small but important Maya city, which reached its peak between 600 and 900 AD. Maya Ceremonial Center, compact site, located south of Uxmal.

• Ornate buildings and famous for its arch, with representations of snakes and houses, and the purity of the Puuc style, made this a small site a World Heritage Site, UNESCO since 1996.
• World famous for its beautiful Maya carved arch: "El Arco".
• On the site there are other important buildings such as "El Palacio" and "El Mirador" connected by an old Sacbé road.
• El Palacio - Two-story palace, 393.70 ft. - 120 m. long, with a date engraved on the wall corresponding to 862 AD.
• Arco - From the palace, a Sacbé, the Maya ceremonial road, leads to an elaborately decorated arch and bas-relief of 9.8 ft. - 3 m. wide and 19.68 ft. - 6 m. high.
• El Mirador - Pyramidal structure.
• Templo de las Columnas, Puuc style, with stones that form patterns, representing the masks of the rain god Cha'ac.
• The explorer John Lloyd Stephens and artist Frederick Catherwood visited the area in 1842. Catherwood made several sketches of the place and Lloyd, in his memoirs, described the beautiful condition of the city.
• 42 Km. southeast of Uxmal, Highway #261, turn left at Km. 30 (State Road #31).

Loltún - caves or grottos - "Stone Flower"
Don't miss this impressive site.

• 10,000 years old cave, was a religious center and the place where the clay was obtained for the manufacture of utensils. It has several paintings and negative impressions on the walls. Stalactites and stalagmites were also used as spear points.
• Caves and Cenotes were the sacred entrance to the Maya Underworld.
• With nearly 196.85 ft. - 60 m. deep and more than 2296.58 ft. -700 m. long, this beautiful place has been partially explored; only 1.25 mi.-2 km. have been explored.
• Nahkab, or hive - Famous bas-relief known as El Guerrero de Loltún, in which the warrior seems to be emerging from the caves. Legend says it represents the god of the Maya underworld of Xibalbá.
• Cave Paintings: On the walls are several paintings of human faces, hands, animals, geometric shapes, stepped frets and hands in negative painting.
• Also recovered were tools, various pieces of pottery, seashells, there are petroglyphs in the site, etc..
• Bones of several extinct animals such as bison, mammoths, cats, and horses (plehistocénico) and extinct plants were found.
• The sacred caves or Cenotes, were used by the Maya not only to extract the clay to make their tools, for shelter, a place where there was water (still water of the Cenotes is used), but, the most important use for the Cenotes and caves was the religious aspect. The sacred Cenotes were the entrance to the underworld of the Maya or Xibalbá; the place where we all go when we die.
• The cave was a shelter in the terrible Caste War, when the Maya were fighting for their right to own their land and to be treated like HUMANS, (not considered humans because they didn't believe in the Christian god); they lost.
• 110 Km. SW of Mérida, 10 Km. S. of Oxkutzcab.
• The only way to visit the cave is by taking the tour that lasts two hours. The guided tours are offered only at: 9:30 AM, 11 AM, 12:30, 2, 3 and 4 PM.

Chacmultún - "red stone mounds" or "red ants"
The ancient city is composed of four red architectural groups in a square kilometer area approximately: Chacmultún, Cabalpak, Xethpol and Central.

• The red color is given by the microorganisms living in the stone, and when they come into contact with water and air, it changes color.
• It was not until 1970 that the site was explored, but not in its entirety.
• These structures were built on artificial terraces or small hills called Huitz to make them look more impressive.
• The land was leveled so that each group is surrounded by artificial terraces.
• There are several platforms and mounds where different social classes had their homes. Each class was separated.
• Edzná, Oxkintok, Uxmal and Kabáh had contact with Chacmultún.
• In some structures there are murals, which are very rare in this area.
• Designed in the Puuc style, with elaborated friezes that decorate the structures, the site was continuously occupied until the XV C.
• 126 Km. from Mérida, Mo.-Sun. 8: 00 to 17:00

Tekax - "place of forests"
Caves, archaeological sites and various convents of the XVII C are in this area. The site is located in the hills of the PUUC region.

• The Sabac-Ha Caves, Los Chocantes, Actun-Hom, and Oxpel-Hal are located in the municipality and can be explored only with a guide.
• In 1845, Tekax was briefly declared the capital of Yucatán.
• Place of Cenotes and caves, the site has several monuments: Ex-Convento de San Juan Bautista of the XVII C., the Hermitage of San Diego, San Francisco Chapels, the Padre Eterno, and Chacmultún.
• November 8 to 13, the festivities in honor of the Patron Saint San Diego de Alcala.
• Located on the road to Muna, Ticul, Oxkutzcab; in the road from Mérida to Mayapan and Loltún caves. 199 Km. south of Mérida.

X'Cambá - "Celestial Crocodile"
Site strongly influenced by the cities of Izamal and T'ho' (Mérida) and important salt distribution center that is still producing salt for Izamal and Chichén Itzá.

• Petén and Megalithic or Izamaleño style, characterized by a stepped pyramid, round corners and huge stucco masks that were painted.
• It is a place of pilgrimage and worship of the Virgin. There is a chapel built on one of the major Maya temples, destroying it when it was built, as was the custom of the conquerors.
• Templo de la Cruz, tiered structure with a cross on the top.
• Templo de los Sacrificios.
• A large number of burials with offerings in ceramics from Guatemala's origin, female figurines from the Mexican island of Jaina and Veracruz, have been found.
• Considered still a place of pilgrimage and worship of the Virgin of X'Cambó, whom, according to legend, appeared on the site 50 years ago.
• In May the town celebrates the Virgin Mary.
• Monday-Sunday 8:00 to 17:00 - 6 Km. from Telchac and 2 Km. from the coast, almost on the road to Progreso-Telchac.

Yaxuná -"First Home"
Maya archaeological site and Sacbé, the longest one in the Maya area. Several graves were found.

• The Itzaés were not allowed to move there and had to stay at Chichén Itzá.
• Designs carved on the stones of the base on which the "Casa de la Reina" stands, are reminiscence of the same element Codz Pop of Kabáh, as well as the use in the walls of "reeds with a band" of the typical Puuc style.
• "Casa Verde" - Green House, Ball Game, and large architectural complexes are being studied by archaeologists.
• Cabins, attractions like the meliponae bee ceremony, crafts, woodcarving, hand and machine embroidery, etc...
• The Lol-Ha Cenote with a stone staircase that allows access to its mouth, is in Yaxuná.
  - 25 Km. from Chichén Itzá and 103 Km. from Cobá.

On Sundays, access to archaeological sites is free for domestic visitors with identification. From Mo.-Sat., discounts apply for students and teachers with valid ID, seniors with INAPAM credential (before INSEN) have free access. Only for domestic visitors, so, try to avoid Sunday visits if you are a tourist.

UPDATE-11/07/10- We've been traveling for a month and we are extremely disappointed in what is going on in the state of Yucatán (not in the península). Now there are two entrance fees in all the archaeological sites. One for the INAH that makes a wonderful job of restoring and exploring the sites, and, the other one for CULTUR, the tourism state owned office that needs to raise money to pay for the land that Chichen Itza (Love Tragedy) is in. It is terrible what they are doing. Not only the state of Yucatán is taking away the jobs of the locals, but, they are making impossible for the tourists to visit. There is a charge for the parking lot, one for the right to enter the land, and, finally, one for the INAH that is the one in charge of the archaeological zone. We used to travel in the Yucatan twice a year. We were terribly disappointed in the city of Merida, where the rich are doing their homes on the Gulf and not allowing the locals entrance to the beaches that are supposedly owned by all the Mexicans. We were there last week and, at the run state Museum, there were 14 expositions; 3 were of Mexican artists and the rest, were of foreigners, and not even professionals. México has wonderful sculptors and artists of different mediums, but, they don't appreciate their culture. Now, at the Zocalo, or main square, the local Maya (the little that are left), were pushed to one side, while foreign kids, sell their stuff, and, beware, the Chinese fans are here! Another terrible injustice we've been seeing for several years: the great pieces taken from all the archaeological zones in the Yucatán State are in the Museum in Mérida (which is a small but very interesting museum). However, if you visit the sites, you won't see, not even a picture of the items. Instead of leaving a copy at the site, or a picture, everything is in Mérida. Meanwhile the locals, the real locals that live in the jungle and semi-jungle areas are starving. Our heart is broken when we visit them. Huge churches, usually more that two are in each town, but the only thing they provide is fear. Fear to use the pill or contraceptives, fear to go to hell, fear if they don't baptize or pay for communion or wedding ........ We were interviewing some locals, that were afraid that their children wouldn't enter heaven because they couldn't afford the payment to the church for the baptism. CULTUR doesn't have one person in charge that is of Maya descend: http://www.culturyucatan.com/"target="_blank"

The Maya were considered and treated like animals. The Spanish and the Mestizo (mix of Spanish and Mexican), exploited them in their haciendas. The explotation of indigenous people caused the Maya in the Yucatán Península to rise up in arms several times. In 1847, an armed uprising called the Caste War began. The rebel capital was Nah Chan Santa Cruz, now Carrillo Puerto, with smaller centers like Tulúm. When the capital fell, Tulúm became an important center directed by María Uicab, known as the Queen of Tulúm. The rebels were sacred, so, they placed a cross in the temple now known as “El Castillo”. At the beginning of the 20^th C., the Mexcan army put down the rebellion but the worship of the cross was maintained at Tulúm’s Castillo until the 1930’s when the Mexican government took charge of the site.

CHAMÁN - Scha - Knowledge - Individual that has the capacity to modify reality or collective perception of the reality. Healing, communicating with soul, visionaries and foretelling the future and knowing the past of someone, are some of the attributes that they have.

Magical World of the Maya

Ek Balam