Mayapan

-



The Mayapan ruins

  Forty five minutes south of Merida, off of I-184 is the archaeological site of Mayapan. It is an easy site to visit, as the ground is pretty level and clear of debris. Like previous sites we've visited, there are more uncovered areas on the perimeter of the cleared and restored area. The big draw of the site is its main pyramid, the Temple of Kukulcan. The temple, and the other structures found at this site are generally considered inferior to those found at Chichen Itza. But, unlike Chichen Itza, this place has fewer crowds. So if you get there early (like we did), you will have the site to yourself.
   Even if you show up later and a bus shows up (as one did near the end of our visit) it's not a real crisis. People will beeline to the main pyramid (pictured at the top of this post), so your view of carvings and the mural at the site will likely go unmolested as other tourists scramble to clamber up pyramids in order to get selfies or group shots.


Mayapan Carvings

 There are a lot of original carvings (and a preserved partial mural) at the site, which is why it is worth coming here. As it is not very crowded you will be able to get a good look at these carvings, and the mural, without feeling rushed. The structures are climbable, and anything that is off limits is clearly blocked off. It is generally kid friendly save for one place at Mayapan, a cenote to the left of the temple. There is a very basic rope fence blocking off the hole, so kids need to be careful. The rest of the site is great for kids to explore.  There is a lot of serpent iconography here, Quetzalcoatl makes an appearance, and there are plenty of Mayan carvings (like this face and a similar one which live at the base of the Temple Redondo platform) to see on your visit. Just keep an eye out for them, as some are more apparent than others.


If you go:

Entrance fee is 45 pesos per person. When we went, the man at the ticket booth did not charge us for the kids, but YMMV. Expect that you may very well have to pay for the kids too if you go- as these sites usually charge the same (or a reduced price) for kids admission. A bathroom is at the entrance. There is no gift shop at this site, nor are they selling any local art at the ticket booth.





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tutorial: Repairing the dust cover on your furniture or box spring bed.

-
Image
Do you have a pet or small child that has trashed the underside of your Drexel or bed? Are you nearing your PCS and looking to fix the damage before somebody comes by to inspect your furniture for damage and bill you accordingly? Then today's tutorial is for you! This is a pretty easy repair to perform on your furniture, and the materials you will be using are inexpensive. All you need are the supplies, time and patience. Let's begin. What you will need: staple gun and staples scissors flat head screwdriver Sharpie or similar permanent marker needle nosed pliers material for the dust cover - you can use the internet and get yourself Cambric Uphol Fabric , or you can use black landscaping fabric , which gardeners use to line their flower bed (and protect plants from weeds) if you have a local supplier at post. . As you can see from the photo above, this ottoman's dust cover has met with an unfortunate fate. In this shot I have already removed two o
Read more

Modo dictu

-
Image
 As mentioned in an earlier post, we went home on R&R to Florida for the holidays. It was awesome, and the weather was pretty amazing our entire time there. We did it for the usual reasons (family, friends...holiday at home!). Getting a break from the air pollution ( which was horrible our first year at post in the winter ) was a goal as well. We also went back for medical checkups. You might be saying to yourself, "Why would anybody go home on R&R and get routine medical exams done?"   Maybe you've never run into this problem before at a post during your FSLife, yet. I know how it sounds. I have thought the exact same thing, word for word , in response to someone else saying it to me. It's ok if you think i'm just a crazy crank who is never happy and or paranoid after reading that. I have some days when I think that, too. But for those of you who don't know or have not guessed it yet, the answer is because post does not have local providers on t
Read more

Zen and the art of Drexel maintenance.

-
Image
As we near the end of our time here in Sarajevo, the urgency of 'getting stuff done before packout'  has increased. One of those things would be the furniture we don't own, but have to take care of while we're at post. The Drexel. So, if you are getting ready for you first post, already at your first post, or an old hand at this but looking for other ideas to make your life easier (and take less of a hit on your pocketbook at the end of a tour), keep reading.  I like saving money, and I don't like to spend it on things I don't have to (like damages to furniture I don't own), so I try to keep embassy furniture as clean as possible over the course of a tour. This is no easy feat because the furniture has a tendency to wear easily (poor fabric, weak seams, poorly designed casters, etc.). But when you add kids, you are pretty much guaranteed stains, all the time. That you will need to clean, all the time. So, this week has been solely focused on fixing
Read more