Mayan Ruins

The Maya rose to prominence in the Yucatán
around 250 A.D. Building on the inherited
inventions and ideas of earlier civilizations
they developed astronomy, calendar
systems and hieroglyphic writing.
The Maya were noted as well for elaborate and highly decorated architecture, including temple-pyramids, palaces and observatories. They were skilled farmers, clearing large sections of tropical rain forest and, where groundwater was scarce, building sizeable underground reservoirs for the storage of rainwater. The Maya also cleared routes through jungles and swamps to foster extensive trade networks with distant peoples.

Around 300 B.C., the Maya adopted a hierarchical system of government ruled by nobles and kings. This civilization developed into highly structured kingdoms from 200 to 900 A.D., at which point it started to decline for reasons which are still largely a mystery. The Maya dynasty finally came to a close around 1200 A.D., although some peripheral centers continued to thrive until the Spanish Conquest in the early sixteenth century.

There have been no less than 22 Mayan archaeological sites identified within the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve (many still completely unexcavated), and several of these are accessible with the assistance of our local Mayan guides. In addition, we can arrange a tour to the Tulum ruins located only 30 miles north of The Palometa Club at the top of the Punta Allen Peninsula, Mexico.

The Tulum ruins are stunning, a stone fortress perched high on the edge of the Caribbean that should not be missed. A walled Maya city-state, Tulum is a large Postclassic site built in the 10th century that functioned as a seaport. The dominating structure of Tulum is the Castillo (castle), which served as a fortress as well as a temple. Tulum survived approximately 70 years after the Spanish Conquest after which it was abandoned.