In his much-praised 1491: New Revelations
of the Americas Before Columbus,
Charles C. Mann very seriously raises the
question “Were the Maya more advanced
than their counterparts in Europe?” His thought-provoking answer
is mixed. “The Maya, Olmec, and other
Mesoamerican societies were world
pioneers in mathematics and astronomy
. . . [and] arguably their greatest
intellectual feat was the invention of
zero—but they did not use the wheel.
Amazingly, they had invented the
wheel but did not employ it for any
purpose other than children’s toys.”
Still, as he points out, their pyramids
and monuments, which we’ll investigate
in this short but mind-expanding
trip, were second to none in grandeur.
First to famed Chichén Itzá, a “tombstone of history,” Graham Greene called it, then on to the Yucatán’s colonial capital, Mérida. We’ll learn more about the Maya and their sudden, mysterious collapse at the Mérida historic center and enjoy a half-day bike excursion to a small Mayan village, including a dip in a cenote, before continuing to Uxmal and the 115-foot-tall Pyramid of the Magicians. Now farther into the interior to the ancient crossroads of Valladolid and on to Cobá, which contains the highest temple in the Yucatán, and the Riviera Maya, our base for the next three nights. Our lovely beachfront hotel is nicely situated for beach lolling, snorkeling in crystalline waters, and visits to the archaeological ruins of Tulum and the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, a 1.3-million-acre park set aside in 1986 to preserve tropical forests, mangroves, savannas, coral reefs, and more than 25 Mayan ruins.
First to famed Chichén Itzá, a “tombstone of history,” Graham Greene called it, then on to the Yucatán’s colonial capital, Mérida. We’ll learn more about the Maya and their sudden, mysterious collapse at the Mérida historic center and enjoy a half-day bike excursion to a small Mayan village, including a dip in a cenote, before continuing to Uxmal and the 115-foot-tall Pyramid of the Magicians. Now farther into the interior to the ancient crossroads of Valladolid and on to Cobá, which contains the highest temple in the Yucatán, and the Riviera Maya, our base for the next three nights. Our lovely beachfront hotel is nicely situated for beach lolling, snorkeling in crystalline waters, and visits to the archaeological ruins of Tulum and the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, a 1.3-million-acre park set aside in 1986 to preserve tropical forests, mangroves, savannas, coral reefs, and more than 25 Mayan ruins.
Day 1: USA to Cancún • Day 2: Chichén Itzá and
Mérida • Day 3: Mérida historic center, Mayan
barbeque • Day 4: half-day bike tour to cenote, Mayan village, Uxmal, and the Pyramid of the Magicians • Day 5: Valladolid, ruins of Cobá, and on to Riviera Maya • Day 6: Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, river floating • Day 7: ruins of Tulum, local market visits, beach relaxation • Day 8: drive to Cancún, fly home.
Mayan Civilizations of the Yucatán
Trip Details
Departures:
8 days
Activity Type:
Touring
Trip Price:From $4220
- Daily Departures
8 daysActivity Type:
Touring
Trip Price:
From $4220
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