Archaeological Zones of the Riviera Maya That You Should Know
It is common that when thinking about the Riviera Maya everyone has tours to Chichen Itzá on their list and the truth is that they are right, this place is essential if you travel to southern Mexico. However, there are other ruins that are worth seeing and that may not be as well known or are not on the list that comes to mind when planning our trip. For this reason, here I will tell you a little about two archaeology areas that are very worth knowing.
Xaman-Há Ruins
It is within the archaeological zone of Playa del Carmen. It is possible that when thinking of this place, beaches, fun, and nightclubs come to mind. However, they also have space where you can transport yourself to pre-Hispanic times since these ruins belong to a small town from that time whose name was Xaman-Há, which translated means water from the north.
Riviera Maya Excursions
It is theorized that this place located just in front of the island of Cozumel was used as a port, in addition to having a high probability of having been one of the first places that the Spanish spotted when they arrived in these lands. The people who inhabited this population in those times had the main occupation of agriculture and fishing. Its buildings are located on the coast, you can also find buildings in the jungle. It is interesting to see how each settlement is separated by up to a distance of 300 meters.
The buildings that can be seen within this area date from 1200 to 1550 CE. Among what can be found are houses made of masonry and homes made of short-lived materials. You also find temples that were used for religious rituals.
Within the entire complex, there are buildings that are very well preserved and you can even see wall paintings. Although they are not complete, the pieces that can be seen are interesting and have writings of the Mayan Calendar of the later time that until now is known.
The Xaman-Há ruins are located in the southern area of what is now Playa del Carmen; if you go to a travel agency in Cancun they can guide you and help you get to know this and other archaeological sites. Either way, it is not difficult to get to this place.
Your access is not free or open, in order to know it you must notify the INAH Quintana Roo Center and schedule the visit. The only thing is that it must be notified a few days in advance and so you will have no problem getting to know this beautiful place.
Coba
The translation of this area means water with moss, although different translations of the meaning of Cobá are used. It is located near Chiche Itzá and Tulum and has a length of 70 kilometres. A true place for excursions Riviera Maya full of history.
Riviera Maya Excursions
It had its period of splendour during the classical period; it even had great influence, power, and dominance within the region. In fact, it is considered one of the great cities of the Mayan civilization. Although the constructions and structures that are in the place are very vast, the excavated areas and put to be seen are still a small number; either way, it is possible to observe a Petén architectural style. Some large buildings can be seen, such as the so-called The Church, which is within the early classical period and is 25 meters high.
One of its great pyramids is the Nohoch Mul, with a height of up to 42 meters; when people reach its top they can observe a beautiful spectacle in the jungle, as well as the entire vast construction space of Cobá. The area is made up of several roads leading to different complexes where various buildings can be seen, one of which is where Macanxoc is located, which is known as the area of religious constructions.
One of the characteristics of this space is that it had a good development in the area of agriculture and in the hydraulics sector. Great construction of roads and road network can be seen which made this city could communicate in an exceptional way, until taking it, according to the theories, to have good control in ports as important as the one known in Xel Ha.
In fact, they have been found