The Maya ruins of Uxmal are a one hour drive from Mérida. It’s thought that the city was constructed around 700CE, was home to around 25,000 people and once dominated the region along with Chichen Itza. The name is believed to mean “three times built,” since the site was reconstructed many times and inhabited byContinue reading “Uxmal”
Tag Archives: Photography
Mérida
Founded by the Spanish in 1542 on the site of the ancient Maya city of Ti’ho, Mérida is the capital of the Yucatán state of Mexico, close to its northern coast. It is sometimes called La Ciudad Blanca, the White City, because many of the structures are made of limestone. Food vendors and artisan booths fill the centralContinue reading “Mérida “
Campeche
My first view of the Gulf was the harbor town of Campeche. The state of Campeche borders the west side of the Yucatan peninsula. I had definitely left the rainforest that covers central Mexico and was in the tropics: palm trees, ocean breezes, gentle waves. A relaxing, refreshing stop at the edge of the sparklingContinue reading “Campeche”
Palenque
Traveling across Mexico to explore the ruins, I left the western areas inhabited primarily by the Aztec (Mexica), Zapotec, Olmec, and Mixtec peoples, and came to the land of the Mayan civilization in Chiapas in central Mexico. These structures were somewhat more familiar to me, having lived in Guatemala and visited major sites in TikalContinue reading “Palenque”
Agua Azul
In the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, the Cascadas de Agua Azul, Cascades of Blue Water, are a series of waterfalls that tumble down the Xanil River. The area was designated a flora and fauna protected area in 2000 by the Mexican government. A refreshing stop and swim on the way to Palenque. A trailContinue reading “Agua Azul”
San Cristobal, Chamula
A visit to the Iglesia de San Juan in San Juan Chamula, in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, was a mysterious, unforgettable morning. The Tzotzil people resisted the Spanish in 1524 and later staged a famous rebellion in 1869, attacking the nearby colonial settlement of San Cristobal. Their clothes, made by hand and locally sourced,Continue reading “San Cristobal, Chamula”
Sumidero Canyon
The Grijalva River, in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, carved the deep Sumidero Canyon over millions of years. Its towering cliffs reach up to one thousand meters high (3,200 ft). The distance from Chiapa de Corzo, the embarkation point, to the hydroelectric dam is around twenty-three miles (35 km) and takes two to three hours roundContinue reading “Sumidero Canyon”
Crossing Oaxaca
Driving across the state of Oaxaca, there were some interesting stops. The Arbol del Tule, a Montezuma cypress, or ahuehuete, has the largest trunk diameter in the world, and is over 130 feet tall. It’s on the grounds of a church at the town center of Santa María del Tule. The magnificent tree is twoContinue reading “Crossing Oaxaca”
Monte Alban
West of Oaxaca, an easy day visit, is the ancient ceremonial center of Monte Alban. Built by the Zapotecs on a leveled mountaintop, it served as their capital from 500 BCE to 800 CE. Its terraces, dams, canals, and pyramids spread over four miles. Monte Alban was home to approximately 35,000 people, most of whomContinue reading “Monte Alban”
Oaxaca
Ancestors have populated the region now called the state of Oaxaca for thousands of years. It was named Oaxaca, similar to the original Nahuatl name Huaxyacac meaning “place of the guaje trees,” by the Mexicas (Aztecs), and then inhabited by Zapotec and Mixtec who warred with each other. When the Spanish came, they imposed order andContinue reading “Oaxaca”
Ruth Rosenfeld 