ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Mexico. Riviera Maya, Chichen Itza, Valladolid and Tulum.

Updated on September 10, 2020

Mexico was on my travel destinations list for many years, main reason being the Chichen Itza complex. As soon as plane tickets landed in my inbox, I started planning my new adventure. I chose to stay at a lovely resort in Riviera Maya - it seemed a perfect location as it is in a quiet area, between two busy holiday towns of Cancun and Tulum with excursions available to all directions. I was mostly interested in the middle of the Yucatan peninsula, with it’s natural wonders and rich Mayan history. I flew in via London to Cancun, booked my hotel transfer in advance, to avoid any delay in starting my vacation. The next morning, I booked all my excursions immediately - Chichen Itza, Valladolid, Tulum and lastly - a water park in nature with one of the longest underground rivers in the world.

Click thumbnail to view full-size
Riviera Maya
Riviera Maya
Riviera Maya

Chichen Itza

Leaving resort early in the morning and arriving to destination at mid-day. Armed with water, sun-protection, ready to explore local heritage. Mouth of the well of the Itzaes - it’s how Maya describe this place. It’s referring to a sacred water well in the area, which was an entrance to underworld, as per Mayan ancestors. As soon as I enter the area and see the temple of Kukulkan - it takes my breath away - it is truly an architectural and astronomical delight. It is known nowadays as one of the 7 Wonders of the Modern World. The Kukulkan temple, or El Castillo, is a step pyramid, at the very centre of the Chichen Itza complex. The temple got it’s name from an ancient Mayan feathered snake God - Kukulkan and was built around 800-900 AD.

What is especially fascinating about the building, is that during Spring and Autumn equinox, corners of the temple cast a shadow, which looks like a snake, representing a serpent deity. The pyramid also contains references to the world-famous Mayan calendar. Other buildings in the complex are - Casa Colorada, a royal residence; La Iglesia - the church, one of the oldest buildings; Temple of Skulls, literally carved with skulls - sacrifice victims, who lost a Mayan ball game and lost their lives; Ball court, with rings carved on its walls; El Caracol - observatory for astronomical events and the Temple of Warriors - a step pyramid with carved columns nearby which depict warriors. By taking a short walk in the area, you will see a sinkhole - sacred Maya water well - cenote.

Click thumbnail to view full-size
The Chichen Itza complex © Justina JaneliunaiteThe Mayan Ball game court © Justina JaneliunaiteTemple of Warriors © Justina JaneliunaiteMaya writings © Justina Janeliunaite
The Chichen Itza complex © Justina Janeliunaite
The Chichen Itza complex © Justina Janeliunaite
The Mayan Ball game court © Justina Janeliunaite
The Mayan Ball game court © Justina Janeliunaite
Temple of Warriors © Justina Janeliunaite
Temple of Warriors © Justina Janeliunaite
Maya writings © Justina Janeliunaite
Maya writings © Justina Janeliunaite

In the middle of the Yucatan Peninsula

Next stop - going deeper into a jungle. Hidden in the middle of Yucatan, rests a cozy and authentic Mayan town - Valladolid. Buildings are truly charming with bright colours and decorations; delicious local food and the cathedral of San Servisio is simply stunning. There are quite a lot of Mayan ruins, beautiful towns and cenotes in the peninsula. Majority of the tourists visit Chichen Itza only, but there is so much more to discover. I cannot wait to return and explore the region further - meet locals, attend mayan ceremonies and enjoy swimming in natural swimming pools - cenotes.

Click thumbnail to view full-size
The Cathedral, Valladolid © Justina JaneliunaiteOne of the cenote's. Yucatan Peninsula © Justina Janeliunaite
The Cathedral, Valladolid © Justina Janeliunaite
The Cathedral, Valladolid © Justina Janeliunaite
One of the cenote's. Yucatan Peninsula © Justina Janeliunaite
One of the cenote's. Yucatan Peninsula © Justina Janeliunaite

Tulum

From an exotic jungle, back to coastal area. Tulum, translated from Mayan language, means “fortified wall”. Due to it’s strategic location, it used to be a very important religious and commerce centre. The city is surrounded with walls and has plenty of historic temples to explore. Today it is a buzzing tourist destination, well known for beautiful beaches and turquoise sea.

My Mexican adventure ended at a natural water park Xel-Ha. I highly recommend it for travellers with children; it will be a sweet treat for all family after a trek in a jungle. You can enjoy zip-lines, rope swings with panoramic views, jump off cliffs, swim with dolphins, encounter a stingray, go on an underwater trek or diving, snorkelling, get some adrenaline on a speed boat. To sum up, a wonderful holiday and plenty of activities for all family members or group of friends.

Click thumbnail to view full-size
Tulum © Justina JaneliunaiteUnderwater © Justina Janeliunaite
Tulum © Justina Janeliunaite
Tulum © Justina Janeliunaite
Underwater © Justina Janeliunaite
Underwater © Justina Janeliunaite
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)