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Cancun
Cancun: More Than Just Beaches
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Cancun is one of Mexico's most popular beach resorts, but for the adventurer, there are the ancient Mayan ruins to be explored close by.
Ancient sites include:
Coba and Tulum offer something both for curious tourists and those with a deeper interest in anthropology and archaeology.
Then there's the most famous site, Chichen Itza, which draws large crowds during the equinoxes (March 21-22 and September 21-22) for the snake-like shadow that twists down the side of the main pyramid.
In the jungles of Quintana Roo, Mayan culture in Coba dates back 3000 years.
The largest archaeological site in the Yucatan peninsula, it also holds the distinction of being the least excavated. Archaeologists have explored only a few of the 20,000 structures that once stood here.
Coba was a big Mayan economic centre, and La Iglesia (The Church) is one of the first structures you'll see there.
Mayans came to Coba to make their sacrificial offerings to the gods, including jewellery, food, animals and even other humans.
Nohoch Mul is the best pyramid to visit, the tallest pyramid in the area, though its steps are crumbling and steep, it can still be climbed via sturdy rope attached to the steps to help visitors up the ascent, its a bit 'hairy' but the view from the summit is worth the effort.
The dense, emerald jungle stretches before you, and you can pick out the grey where the ruins are visible, and sapphire blue lakes glisten in the distance.
At its peak is a tiny temple decorated with a figure of the Descending God a winged deity heading to earth.
You can still see portions of the white limestone roads, called sacbe, that the Mayans built straight and wide through the jungle to link Coba and other Mayan centres such as Chichen Itza.
The jungle treks are abound with exotic birds taking flight and an odd iguana, scurrying for cover on the ground, the downside is the insects forget the insect repellent at your peril, as the mosquitoes are bad.
Tulum, a half-hour drive south-east of Coba, more accessible, in its own way, more beautiful.
Traverse a barren road to the entrance through a long corridor into the ruins, where you will find yourself in a walled, ocean-front city that once served as a trading post.
The highlight of this place is El Castillo The Castle, where the Mayans came to this shrine, perched on a limestone cliff, to revere the gods, which also served as a watchtower for enemies approaching by sea.
Other ruins worth seeing are the Gran Palacio (Great Palace) and Templo del Dios Descendente (Temple of the Descending God). They are roped off to protect their fragile frescoes, but can be viewed.
After the exausting trek descend down to the beach and end the day at Tulum relaxing on the spectacular beach, its pristine sands and alluring waters rival those of Cancun.
Chichen Itza is a magnet for guests who fly in from Cancun on scheduled charter flights.
The huge Kukulcan pyramid called El Castillo is roughly at the centre of the site, and it's along the side that the snake appears during the equinox, to signal harvest time. To El Castillo is a challenge, and those who make it are rewarded with a spectacular view of the city and surrounding countryside.
A trip inside the pyramid is the reverse, dark, humid corridors with chambers that are often too much for some people, the best time to visit is in the early morning, before the main of tourist crowds, its at this time the Chichen Itza is a magical place.
Watch the huge pyramid take shape through the dispersing jungle mists as the sun rises is an experience not to be forgotten.
Cancun,also has a Mayan history that is can be found not only along dirt roads but also on the main thoroughfares.
Kukulcan Boulevard the heart of Cancun's hotel zone, this street is totally surrounded by water the Caribbean on one side and a lagoon, Laguna Nichupte, on the other.
The ten mile strip bears the name of the 13th-century ruler of Chichen Itza, who sacrificed himself to the rain gods by letting himself be cast alive into a well 60ft deep, surviving the ordeal, he rose to power throughout the Yucatan peninsula.
El Rey, the main archaeological ruin in Cancun, is on Kukulcan Boulevard, though small compared to Coba and Tulum, it is well worth visiting, walk amongst the stone plazas and buildings that made up this fishing village, said to have been inhabited from the 10th to the 16th century.
El Rey means the king; a skeleton found at the site may have been Mayan royalty, it's the lazy way to take in a bit of ancient Mayan culture.
Facts
Getting there: Fly British Airways, or Virgin US west coast, with connecting flights to Cancun.
Places: Tulum is 100 miles south of Cancun, on Mexico's Caribbean coast; Coba is about 110 miles south of Cancun. Chichen Itza is a 40-minute flight inland from Cancun.
Hotels: Villa Arqueologica Coba, a Club Med resort, is the closest hotel to Coba; www.clubmedvillas.com
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