The Rough Guide to The Maya World 2 (Rough Guide Travel Guides),Used

INTRODUCTIONSome three thousand years ago, nomadic tribes began to settle deep in the Mesoamerican rainforests, establishing the foundations of the most sophisticated ancient civilization on the American continent. The land they chose, which we know today as the Maya World, extends through southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and a sliver of El Salvador and Honduras. Its an astonishingly diverse environment, with the hot, scrubforested plain of the Yucatn peninsula in the north blending gradually into the lowland jungle of the centre, and in the south a spectacular mountainous region, studded with volcanoes and crater lakes and draped with pine and cloudforests. While the southern coastline is pounded by the Pacific Ocean, gentler Caribbean waters lap the whitesand beaches and coral islands that fringe the regions eastern shores.This is a land whose natural attractions would draw visitors anyway and indeed the Caribbean coast of Mexico, and to a lesser extent the cayes of Belize and Hondurass Bay Islands, are big resort areas but its the chance to visit the monumental ruins of ancient Maya cities, some of them stranded in dense, tropical rainforest, that sets the region apart. Tikal and Palenque are among the most atmospheric sites, dominated by colossal temple pyramids and set in jungle that screeches with toucans, parakeets, and spider and howler monkeys. To the north, the less humid environs of the Yucatn are home to the equally magnificent architecture of Chichn Itz and Uxmal; further south, the turbulent history of Copn in Honduras is recorded in some of the finest carved monuments and stelae in the Maya World. But these are just a few of the most impressive Maya ruins scattered throughout the region are the remains of more than a thousand other settlements, for the most part completely unexcavated.Although all the major cities had been mysteriously abandoned by 1200 AD, the region was never completely depopulated and, despite the depredations of the Spanish Conquest, descendants of the great astronomers, architects and calendarkeepers survive in the region today. Of approximately nine million indigenous Maya, Guatemala is home to over six million, with around two million in Mexico, and the rest in smaller communities in Belize and Honduras. For the vast majority of modern Maya, Spanish has always been a second language, and their nominally Catholic (but increasingly evangelical) faith is still tempered with traditional religious customs. Inimitable Maya textiles continue to be worn, especially in the highlands of Guatemala and Chiapas, and some isolated communities still observe the 260day Tzolkin calendar of their ancestors. Having survived almost five hundred years of colonial oppression and political persecution, there are unmistakable signs of a cultural reawakening, as Maya throughout the region develop a renewed sense of pride in their unique identity.This staggering ancient and modern cultural heritage is matched by the regions equally rich natural environment. Offshore, virtually the entire Caribbean coastline is protected by the second longest barrier reef in the world: diving or snorkelling in the warm waters here, amidst a kaleidoscopic world of tropical fish and coral, is an unforgettable experience. Though the smallest of the Maya nations, its Belize that has the strongest tradition of state environmental protection, which has ensured the preservation of a landscape ranging from the granite peaks of the Maya Mountains, riddled with caves holding Maya artefacts, to the western rivers and jungle, best visited from the ecotourism base of San Ignacio. Throughout the region, however, the network of national parks and reserves is growing, offering protection to some spectacular wildlife, including jaguars and other cats, lumbering tapirs, monkeys and an incredible number of bird species.Travelling around the Maya World is an adventure in itself. Theres an excellent network of roads o