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Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza... Why not to go?

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215 views

Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza... Why not to go?

Uploaded by

vlsIT Antwerp
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ARTS ENTERTAINMENTTRAVEL

For Mayan ruins, skip


crowded Chichen Itza
and visit Uxmal instead
While Chichen Itza draws massive crowds, Uxmal offers
plenty of breathing room for travelers.

People surround the El Castillo pyramid at the Mayan archaeological site of


Chichen Itza in the Mexican state of Yucatan.(Hugo Borges / Getty Images)
By Shivani Vora|The Washington Post
10:00 AM on Apr 5, 2019 CDT
Looking for alternatives to overcrowded destinations? We've got you
covered.

A magnificent complex inundated by buses,


vendors and thousands of tourists
The beaches aside, Mexico's ancient Mayan culture is one of the country's
biggest tourist draws. It's no surprise, then, that the 1,500-year-old Mayan
city of Chichen Itza, a 2 ½-hour drive from Cancun, is an overwhelmingly
popular attraction. Located in the state of Yucatan, this UNESCO World
Heritage Site is a common day trip for vacationers who take a break from
swimming or snorkeling to get a dose of history. There's no doubt that the
740-acre Chichen Itza site (about 30 percent of which is open to the public)
is impressive, with its vast complex of pyramids, temples and other
buildings, several of which are decently preserved. Most prominent in size
and significance is the 100-foot-tall pyramid of El Castillo, also called the
Temple of Kukulkan. Each of its faces has 91 steps; with the single step they
share at the top, Kukulkan has 365 in all.
Travelers who are keen on seeing Chichen Itza will have to contend with
heavy-duty crowds: The site had more than 2.7 million visitors last year and
is infamous for its parking lot jammed with large tour buses and the crush
of vendors calling and whistling to get visitors' attention. "Coming to
Chichen Itza in a bearable way means leaving Cancun before 6 a.m. to get
there just as it opens, and even then, you'll have hordes of people to
contend with," says Matteo Luthi, COO of Journey Mexico.
Location: About 120 miles southwest of Cancun, near the town of Piste in
Yucatan.

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Uxmal, a Mayan ruin near Merida, Mexico, was built from 600 to 900
A.D. (Yucatan Tourism / Courtesy)

These elaborately carved ruins offer visitors


space to wander, marvel and even climb
Going to the Mayan city of Uxmal means taking the road less traveled. Also
a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it had around 248,000 visitors last year --
less than the 254,000 Chichen-Itza saw that January alone. Yes, it's almost
a five-hour drive from Cancun, making a day trip a challenge. But Merida,
Yucatan's capital, is about an hour's drive from Uxmal and is a somewhat
undiscovered gem itself; travelers will find plenty of appealing and
affordable hotels there.
Uxmal, which is about 1,300 years old, is set in the Puuc hills and was the
center of the region's economic and political power. Most Mayan cities
follow a geometric order, but the 150-acre main ruins of Uxmal, more
compact than those of Chichen Itza, are oriented according to astronomical
patterns, such as the cycles of Venus. Its pyramids and temples are better
preserved than those at Chichen Itza, and their intricate hieroglyphic
carvings can be clearly seen.
Uxmal's tallest and most central structure, the 115-foot Pyramid of the
Magician, is decorated with symbols depicting the god of rain, Chaac.
Almost as notable are the four elaborately carved palaces surrounding a
courtyard; that section is called the Nunnery Quadrangle because of its
resemblance to a convent. The Great Pyramid, to the west of the Governor's
Palace and at the rear of the site, also is a can't-miss spot -- visitors can
climb to the top, provided that they don't mind the steep steps, and take in
the spectacular views of the Puuc hillside. There's also a large court where
the Maya played their ancient Mesoamerican ballgame.
A visit to Uxmal is intimate, devoid of tour buses and pushy vendors.
Travelers may be among just a handful of people at the site. There's so
much room to roam free at Uxmal that Journey Mexico can organize a
scavenger hunt through the complex to teach kids about the Maya who
lived there. "You're much more restricted at Chichen Itza, because there's
always the danger of getting lost in the crowd," Luthi says.
At Uxmal, visitors have the breathing room to fully appreciate an
astonishing ancient city.
Location: About 50 miles south of Merida, near the town of Santa Elena
in Yucatan.
Shivani Vora|The Washington Post

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