Mayan sites of Yucatan

For once (or even forever!), let's forget our European perspective on History. The history of the Americas does not begin in 1492 with Christopher Columbus' "discovery". For several dozen of millennia, the continent has continuously known cultures and civilizations, be they Native American, Andean, Amazonian, or even Caribbean.

Mexico is no exception to the rule. It has a rich and complex history of ancient civilizations which followed one another in time and in territories which sometimes went South to Colombia and North to the United States. These civilizations are known to have left a significant legacy in the fields of science and art.

Few points in time and geography (source: Wikipedia). In recent weeks, I posted photos of Teotihuacán, the civilization of the same name, which has experienced significant development from the 2nd century BC to the 8th century AD. Its influence extended geographical mainly in the region of modern Mexico City.

Still in the area of Mexico City, the Aztec civilization developed later, from the 14th century AD. It "fell" with the arrival of the Conquistadors in the early 16th century. The Aztecs are also known as Mexicas, hence the current name of the country.

Further south, in the State of Oaxaca, the city of Monte Alban was founded by the Olmecs, present on the Gulf of Mexico coast and along the Pacific coast (States of Guerrero, Oaxaca and Chiapas) and down south to the current Costa Rica, from the 13th century to the 6th century BC. But the city of Monte Alban reached its peak during the Zapotec period, from the 6th century BC to the 8th century AD.

Finally, the Maya civilization extended from the 11th century BC to the 16th century AD. It occupied a territory that included the current State of Chiapas, Yucatan Peninsula, Guatemala and western regions of El Salvador and Honduras.

So now here are pictures of the Mayan sites of Palenque (Chiapas), Chichen Itza (State of Yucatan) and Tulum (State of Quintana Roo). Most of the remaining buildings emerging from the surrounding jungle are religious. Unfortunately, the houses that stretched around the temples have disappeared today. It is somewhat difficult to imagine life back then. But what remains worth seeing.

In addition to the pyramidal temples, there are still fields of juego de pelota (ballgame). This sport ritual was aiming at getting a latex ball in a vertical stone ring. It looked like basketball, except that the basket is rotated in the opposite direction (see photo at Chichen Itza), the players were passing the rubber ball only by bouncing them on hip and the captain of the winning team was beheaded, which was the highest honor.