Labna, Mexico - corbelled Arch

 

 

 

The Palace ruins. 

 

The Arch - served as a passage way with the Labna complex

 

El Mirado - temple ruins

Home vist in Muna, Mexico

 

Boy its hot!

 

Visiting a home in a small town near Muna.  This is the hammock that the man sleeps in.

 

The shrine in the home - a mix of Mayan gods and Catholic saints

 

The owner of the home explains his beliefs

 

Cooking

 

Darrel and Alphonso

 

The home was very self-sufficient.

Kabah, Mexico - The Palace of the Masks of Chac (Rain God)

 

Kabah is located along the Puuc Route with many smaller complexes connected by roads "sacbes".  Kabah is located very close to Uxmal.

 

The Palace ruins.  The Kabah site was occupied from 600 to 900 ad.

 

The side of the Temple is covered with masks of the Rain God - Chac

Uxmal, Mexico - Temple complex

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Arched passageways connect different parts of the Uxmal complex.  We are moving into the Quadrangle of the Birds.

 

The Governor's Palace

 

The side of the temple has stone "birds" attached.

 

The Gran Pyramid at Uxmal

 

The Nunnery

Uxmal, Mexico "Thrice Built"

 

 

 

Pyramid of the Magician

 

The Uxmal complex dates from 600 to 1000 ad.  And is constructed in the Puuc architectural style.

 

The temple is known for its précising cut stonework.  However no stone quarry has been found near the site.

Ek Balam - Black Jaguar Site 2

 

Map of the Site of Ek Balam

 

Ruins of the ancient defensive walls.  The Maya had constructed road - called sacbes - that allowed easier transportation between major cities.

 

The Entrance into the city of Ek Balam

 

Views of the flat scrub of the region from the top of the main temple

 

The mouth - "Witz Monster"  The elaborate façade that was created with stucco has been restored.  The temple was a mausoleum for a ruler.  He was buried with jewels and shells. He was born around 770 and died around 802.

 

The Temple of the Frieze (Templo de los
Frisos).  Figures resemble "angels".  But the archeologist think this was a "winged Mayan Warrior"

Ek Balam - The Black Jaguar and The Witz Monster, Mexico

 

The Ek Balam complex is massive.  The temples are the unbelievably large and the entire complex is yet to be excavated. 

 

The Oval Palace

 

Stele

 

The main temple is massive - over 500 long and 200 feet wide - making it one of the largest Mayan structures uncovered.

 

We were able to actually climb to the top of the main temple.

Hotel Mayaland, Tales of the Mayan Sky and and Cenote Ik Kil

We were able to go swimming in the Cenote.  The water was very very cool - but refreshing.  A series of steps had been carved through the limestone to allow for an easier descent.  The water was about 100 feet below the ground and the depth of the pool was about 40 feet.

The Chichen Itza complex is near a small village Piste.  The main city in the region is Valladolid.

We also watched a wonderful presentation of the Tales of the Mayan Sky.  This film was projected on the domed ceiling of a theater built on the grounds of the Mayaland hotel.




Tales of the Maya Skies brings us back to the ancient jungles of Mexico, where the Maya built cities and temples aligned to movements of the Sun, Moon and planets. Over many years they observed and documented astronomical events with great accuracy.
The Maya made sense of an ever-changing world by observing, recording and predicting natural events such as solstices, solar eclipses, weather patterns, and planetary movements. These observations, in combination with a sophisticated mathematical system, allowed them to develop a precise calendar system; their measurements of the length of the solar year were more accurate than measurements the Europeans used as the basis of the Gregorian calendar. The Maya also predicted eclipses, were able to forecast seasonal change and developed the concept of mathematical zero, enabling them to predict events into the future.

We stayed at Mayaland Hotel - which had views of the Chichen Itza Complex.