YUCATAN CRUISES
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      • Canton Palace - Merida, Mexico
      • Cenote Dos Ojos - Playa Del Carmen, Q.R.
      • Catedral de Merida - Merida, Yucatan
      • Chankanaab Adventure Beach Park - Cozumel, Q.R.
      • Chichen Itza, Yucatan Mexico
      • Cozumel Chef Tour - Cozumel, Q.R.
      • Cozumel Island Museum - Cozumel, Quintana Roo
      • Cozumel Pearl Farm - Cozumel, R.O.
      • Cozumel Tours - Cozumel, Q.R.
      • Frida Kahlo Museum - Playa del Carmen, Q.R.
      • Dzibilchaltún - Merida, Yucatan
      • Garrafon Natural Reef Park - Isla Mujeres, Q.R.
      • Great Museum of the Mayan World - Merida, Yucatan
      • Hacienda Sotuta de Peon - Merida, Yucatan
      • Holbox Adventure - Isla Holbox, Q.R.
      • Isla Pasion - Cozumel, Q.R.
      • Jean Laffitte Pirate Dinner Cruise - Cozumel, Q.R.
      • Jungle Buggy Tour - Playa Del Carmen, Q.R.
      • Las Coloradas in the Rio Largardos - Yucatan, Mexico
      • Magical Yellow City - Izamal, Yucatan
      • Mayaland Hotel & Bungalows - Chichen Itza, Yucatan
      • Mayan Bee Sanctuary - Cozumel, Quintana Roo
      • Mayan Cacao Company - Cozumel, Q.R.
      • Mexico Blue Dream - Playa del Carmen, Q.R.
      • ​​Mayapán Archaeological Zone - Telchaquillo, Yucatan
      • Muyil-Chunyaxche - Quintana Roo, Mexico
      • Paseo de Montejo - Merida, Yucatan
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      • Río Secreto - Playa del Carmen, Q.R.
      • San Gervasio - Cozumel, Quintana Roo
      • San Miguelito Archaeological Zone - Cancun, Q.R.
      • Scuba Life Cozumel, Quintana Roo
      • Secrets Maroma Beach Resort - Cancun, Q.R.
      • Selvatica the Adventure Tribe - Puerto Morelos, Q.R.
      • Señor Frog’s - Cozumel, Quintana Roo
      • Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve - Quintana Roo
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MAYAN RUINS CRUISES

The Maya were an advanced society that flourished in Mesoamerica long before the arrival of the Spanish in the sixteenth century. They were skilled architects, building great cities of stone that remain even a thousand years after their civilization fell into decline. The Maya built pyramids, temples, palaces, walls, residences and more. They often decorated their buildings with intricate stone carvings, stucco statues, and paint.

Today, Maya architecture is important, as it is one of the few aspects of Maya life that is still available for study.

Layout of Maya Cities and Homes

​Maya tended to lay their cities out in plaza groups: clusters of buildings around a central plaza.

This was true of the impressive buildings in the city center (temples, palaces, etc) as well as smaller residential areas. These plazas are rarely neat and orderly and to some, it may seem as if the Maya built anywhere they pleased. This is because they Maya built on irregularly-shaped higher ground to avoid floods and dampness associated with their tropical forest home.

In the center of the cities were the important public buildings such as temples, palaces, and the ball court. Residential areas radiated out from the city center, growing sparser the further they got from the center. Raised stone walkways linked the residential areas with each other and the center. Later Maya cities were built on higher hills for defense and had high walls surrounding most of the city or at least the centers.

​The Maya kings lived in stone palaces in the city center near the temples, but the common Maya lived in small houses outside the city center. Like the city center, the homes tended to be bunched together in clusters: some researchers believe that extended families lived together in one area. Their modest homes are thought to be much like the homes of their descendants in the region today: simple structures constructed mostly of wooden poles and thatch. The Maya tended to build up a mound or base and then build upon it: as the wood and thatch wore away or rotted they would tear it down and build again on the same foundation. Because the common Maya were often forced to build on lower ground than the palaces and temples in the city center, many of these mounds have been lost to flooding or encroaching wilderness.

Maya Temples and Cities

Like many Maya buildings, Maya temples were built of stone, with platforms on the top where wooden and thatch structures could be built. Temples tended to be pyramids, with steep stone steps leading to the top, where important ceremonies and sacrifices took place. Many temples are graced by elaborate stone carvings and glyphs. The most magnificent example is the famous Heiroglyphic Stairway at Copán. Temples were often built with astronomy in mind: certain temples are aligned to the movements of Venus, the sun or the moon.

In the Lost World Complex at Tikal, for example, there is a pyramid which faces three other temples. If you're standing on the pyramid, the other temples are aligned with the rising sun on equinoxes and solstices. Important rituals took place at these times.
The Palaces were large, multi-storied buildings which were home to the king and royal family. They tended to be made of stone with wooden structures on top. Roofs were made of thatch. Some Maya palaces are spacious, including courtyards, different structures that were possibly homes, patios, towers, etc. The palace at Palenque is a good example. Some of the palaces are quite large, leading researchers to suspect that they also acted as a sort of administrative center, where Maya bureaucrats regulated tribute, trade, agriculture, etc. This was also the place where the king and noblemen would interact not only with the common people but also with diplomatic visitors. Feasts, dances, and other community social events could also have taken place there.
Picture
Columns in Temple of the Warriors (Templo de los Guerreros).
​Chichen Itza archaeological site, Yucatan, Mexico.
Source: Minster, Christopher. "Ancient Maya Architecture." ThoughtCo, Jun. 18, 2017, thoughtco.com/ancient-maya-architecture-2136167.
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  • CRUISING THE YUCATAN
    • State of Yucatan
    • State of Campeche
    • State of Quintana Roo
    • Mayan Ruins Cruises
    • Mayan Civilization
    • Riviera Maya Cruises
    • Mexico Cruises
    • Mexican Riviera Cruises
    • Cancun Hotel Zone
    • Cenotes of the Yucatan Peninsula
    • Golf Courses of the Yucatan Peninsula
    • Yucatan Peninsula Attractions >
      • 3D Museum of Wonders - Playa del Carmen, Yucatan
      • Chaak Tun Cenotes - Playa del Carmen, Q.R.
      • Atlantis Submarine Tour - Cozumel, Q.R.
      • Canton Palace - Merida, Mexico
      • Cenote Dos Ojos - Playa Del Carmen, Q.R.
      • Catedral de Merida - Merida, Yucatan
      • Chankanaab Adventure Beach Park - Cozumel, Q.R.
      • Chichen Itza, Yucatan Mexico
      • Cozumel Chef Tour - Cozumel, Q.R.
      • Cozumel Island Museum - Cozumel, Quintana Roo
      • Cozumel Pearl Farm - Cozumel, R.O.
      • Cozumel Tours - Cozumel, Q.R.
      • Frida Kahlo Museum - Playa del Carmen, Q.R.
      • Dzibilchaltún - Merida, Yucatan
      • Garrafon Natural Reef Park - Isla Mujeres, Q.R.
      • Great Museum of the Mayan World - Merida, Yucatan
      • Hacienda Sotuta de Peon - Merida, Yucatan
      • Holbox Adventure - Isla Holbox, Q.R.
      • Isla Pasion - Cozumel, Q.R.
      • Jean Laffitte Pirate Dinner Cruise - Cozumel, Q.R.
      • Jungle Buggy Tour - Playa Del Carmen, Q.R.
      • Las Coloradas in the Rio Largardos - Yucatan, Mexico
      • Magical Yellow City - Izamal, Yucatan
      • Mayaland Hotel & Bungalows - Chichen Itza, Yucatan
      • Mayan Bee Sanctuary - Cozumel, Quintana Roo
      • Mayan Cacao Company - Cozumel, Q.R.
      • Mexico Blue Dream - Playa del Carmen, Q.R.
      • ​​Mayapán Archaeological Zone - Telchaquillo, Yucatan
      • Muyil-Chunyaxche - Quintana Roo, Mexico
      • Paseo de Montejo - Merida, Yucatan
      • Punta Sur - Cozumel, Quintana Roo
      • Río Secreto - Playa del Carmen, Q.R.
      • San Gervasio - Cozumel, Quintana Roo
      • San Miguelito Archaeological Zone - Cancun, Q.R.
      • Scuba Life Cozumel, Quintana Roo
      • Secrets Maroma Beach Resort - Cancun, Q.R.
      • Selvatica the Adventure Tribe - Puerto Morelos, Q.R.
      • Señor Frog’s - Cozumel, Quintana Roo
      • Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve - Quintana Roo
      • Tulum Ruins - Quintana Roo
      • Uxmal - Yucatan, Mexico
      • Xcaret Park - Playa Del Carmen, Q.R.
      • Xel-Há Ecological Park Quintana Roo, Mexico
      • Convent Route, Yucatan Mexico
      • Haciendas in Mexico
      • Puuc Route, Yucatan Mexico
      • Caves - Grutas in Mexico
  • Yucatan Cruise Lines
    • Victory Cruise Lines
  • Cruise Itineraries
    • Victory 11 Day - Yucatan's Mayan Cruise Tour
  • Destinations
    • Akumal, Quintana Roo Mexico
    • Cancun, Mexico Cruises ​​
    • Costa Maya, Mexico Cruises ​​
    • Cozumel, Mexico Cruises
    • Holbox Island, Mexico
    • Isla Mujeres, Mexico
    • Mérida, Mexico Cruises ​​
    • Playa Del Carmen, Mexico Cruises ​​
    • Progreso, Mexico Cruises
    • Tulum, Mexico Cruises ​​
    • Uxmal, Yucatan Mexico
    • Valladolid, Mexico Cruises
  • Yucatan Blog
    • Mayan Food
    • Mayan Hammocks
    • Yucatan Photos
    • Yucatan Videos
    • Cancun Condos
    • Foro de Cruceros
    • Real Estate in Yucatan
    • Rentals in Yucatan
    • Property Management in Yucatan