Exploring Mayan Cities – A Cancun Detour

It would be a fair assumption that most Cancun vacations are products of the media. Let me clarify that; what I meant to say is that Cancun is beaches and night clubs and water sports and everything of and under the sun. There isn’t necessarily anything inaccurate about that definition, but it is vague and lacks some of the oldest attractions that predate the city’s existence. I’m speaking of the cenotes, and the subtlety of cross-water Isla Mujeres, and—what serves as Cancun’s foundation—the remaining vestiges of the Mayan civilization.

The structures still survive; certainly not all of them or in their entirety, but a handful of Mayan sites remain open to tours and without all of the tacky connotation. There are no gift shops at the exits. The stone is aged 900 years. Loudspeakers are not hanging from the ceilings to guide the tour and there are no diners littering the premises. These sites have only spoiled by the decaying affects of time.

If you can recall anything about Mayan history or culture from middle school history class, then you are lucky. I cannot. All of what I remember lies in two facts; that they were the last civilization to be conquered and that the Maya, as a tribe, once existed. Should that negate every word here on out? No. Does this make me any less credible? Only if I were a historian. But I claim no such thing. I am just another tourist that discovered a part of Cancun the commercials fail to show.

My first stop was Chichen Itza; what was believed to be a social and political center of the Mayan empire and, at a fraction of its original size, it still remains the largest accessible site.

The structures of Chichen Itza were never as massive or looming in the brochures as they were in person. I’m not sure exactly what I had expected, but climbing the steps of El Castillo put the ancient city into perspective; watching as people the proportion of ants scattered all about the pyramids base and in and out the Temple of the Warriors.

I would advise planning a day around visiting Chichen Itza because, like it or not, it will consume a full one. Mine was a 12 hour excursion; a shuttle taking me from my hotel at Paradisus Riviera Cancun, to the tour’s drop-off, and then 3.5 hours in each direction. Be sure to pack plenty of water bottles and to wear comfortable shoes; the temperature is much hotter inland and you’ll be doing a great deal of walking.

While not the liveliest of attractions—excuse the pun—nothing compares to exploring one of the oldest surviving cities in the world.

Tulum is a beachfront Mayan city that overlooks Caribbean waters and was my second destination, the following day. Although it is much smaller than Chichen Itza, it is the most visited site by tourists. And at only 81 miles from Cancun, it is only a half-day commitment.

Tulum is structured as a fort; walls sealing in the city on 3 fronts, and the ocean-side cliff functioning as the fourth.

Neighboring Xel-Ha was once a key port to Tulum and has since been converted to an eco-park. The site is 75 miles south of Cancun and within 8 of Tulum.

The location was seemingly lost within the engrossing mangrove forest and now serves as a natural aquarium. It is a brilliant green setting of coral snorkeling and dolphin swimming. If you are planning to visit Tulum or Xel-Ha, separately, it might make sense to make a full day out of it and visit both.

Exploring the dilapidated sites of thousand year old Mayan cities is not intended to serve solely as an example of what once was but, instead, they evoke an odd sense of nostalgia; that by resting your palms on the warm stone of a building, you were somehow a part of that long lost civilization.