Mayan Ruins of Mexico

Destination: Mexico

Travel guidebook summary

Explore the ancient Maya ruins of Mexico and discover some of the most impressive art and architecture in the New World. Featured sites include Chichen Itza, Tulum, Palenque, Teotihuacan, and Bonampak.

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★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Astoundingly complete and detailed guide to Mayan ruins
I bought this guide in anticipation of a trip we planned to visit Chichen Itza and Tulum. The guide gave an in-depth introduction to the history and mythology of the cultures of this region, which was very helpful in understanding the architecture of the ruins. Then the descriptions of the ruins themselves were marvelously detailed and complete, and the pictures were gorgeous. I felt completely prepared when we actually made our visit, and I was able to recognize many features of the two sites, thanks to this comprehensive guide.

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Message from the author

“There are few places as exciting to visit as Mexico’s Maya sites. Their ruined, often only partly-uncovered state makes me feel if I could be rediscovering them myself. With this guidebook, we tried to give travelers the tools — the basics on Maya relief imagery, cosmology and temple architecture — to explore beyond our tour itinerary and make their own discoveries.”

Maya Ruins of Mexico: About this Guidebook

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Guidebook details

Maya religious centers are one of Mexico’s cultural treasures, the vestige of a great civilization that prospered for 2,000 years (peaking from 600-800 CE) in Mesoamerica and created some of the most impressive art and architecture in the New World. This Approach Guide serves as an ideal resource for travelers seeking a deeper understanding of this Maya cultural legacy through a comprehensive exploration of five ancient cities.

What’s in this guidebook

  • Background. We start off by providing some critical background information — focusing on cosmology and the role of the dynastic ruler — that makes sense of the forms and symbols of the unique Maya aesthetic.
  • Tours that go deeper on the most important sites. Following our tradition of being the most valuable resource for culture-focused travelers, we then turn our attention to Mexico’s premier Maya cities: Bonampak, Chichen Itza, Palenque, Tulum and Yaxchilan. For each city, we start by introducing the distinctive features of its art and architecture, isolating key features and concepts that you will see again and again as you make your way through the site. The tours walk you through the highlights, aided by high-resolution images and a discussion that ties it all together.
  • Tours of Maya-connected civilizations. Finally, to put these Maya sites into context, this guide profiles the capital cities of three Mexican civilizations that were closely connected to the Maya over its long history: La Venta (Olmec civilization), Teotihuacan (Teotihuacan civilization) and Tula (Toltec civilization). Detailed tours of these locations reveal the back-and-forth exchange between the Maya and its neighbors to the north.
  • Advice for getting the best cultural experience. To help you plan your visit, this guidebook offers logistical advice and provides links to online resources. Plus, we provide our personal tips for getting the most from your experience while on location.
  • Information the way you like it. As with all of our guides, this book is optimized for intuitive, quick navigation; information is organized into bullet points to make absorption easy; and images are mocked up with text that explains important features.

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