There are plenty of remnants of civilizations that have faded into obscurity or mysteriously disappeared and none hold a mystique like the Mayan Indian culture.
The sacred sites of the Mayan people hold a fascination to all that are lucky enough to visit them.
Mayan ruins can be found in a variety of countries and Mexico is just one of them.
Go Back in Time
Accept the offer that Mexico extends to you. Step back in time more than 1500 years into the ancient past of Mexico.
Long before any European set foot on the soil of the America’s, the Mayans were rulers of the Yucatan Peninsula. Entire cities existed in the rainforests with populations in the hundreds of thousands.
The Mayans could boast knowledge in the areas of geometry, the ways of the natural world and astronomy, not to mention their close connection to the metaphysical plane of existence. It is said that their awareness in this area far exceeds our own understanding of the metaphysical world today.
The People of the Mayan Culture
The Mayan culture is said to be more advanced than any other of the pre-Colombian civilizations. Their art was spectacular, their architecture monumental and their knowledge of mathematics and astronomy is said to have been extraordinary.
Before they suddenly disappeared and their culture collapsed in the 8th and 9th centuries, they existed for more than 10,000 years.
Descendants of the Mayan people still populate the South American continent. They maintain to this day a unique set of beliefs and traditions that mix both Roman Catholicism and pre-Colombian traditions.
The language of the Mayans can still be heard spoken as a primary language in many regions of South America and most especially in Mexico.
The Mayan Cities
The cities of the Mayan Empire were vast. The most impressive and the one said to be most highly developed city was Palenque. It still rises more than 200 feet above the rainforest canopy in the highlands. The site is dated from circa 600 to 700 AD.
The site is most impressive especially by today’s architectural standards. The site is also said to have been a place which wielded great political power and many ceremonies were conducted during its peak. Other cities include Bonampak and Yaxchilan to name just two.
Visiting the Mayan ruins is the highlight of many day-trippers when in Mexico. There is hush that lies over the ruins no matter how many tourists are visiting on a particular day and if you listen carefully you can still hear the denizens going about their daily life in ancient times.
