Historians can trace the Maya back as far as 2,000 B.C., but little is know about why, during what a

A Guide to Visiting Maya Ruins in Central America (Get There While You Still Can!) | BootsnAll Destinations Africa Asia Central America Europe North America Oceania South America RTW Travel Career Breaks Coming Home Slow Travel Trip Planning Accommodation Budget Travel Bus Travel Flights Holidays airfare cheap tickets Insurance Money Packing Safety Solo Travel Tours Train Travel Art Culture Architecture Art Festivals History Literature Music Photography Food Drink Drink Food Lifestyle Family Travel Healthy Living Relationships Sex + Love Technology Travelers Learning airfare cheap tickets Classes ESL Study Abroad Travel Blogging Volunteering Work Abroad Outdoors Beaches Camping Eco Travel Hiking Islands Mountains Travel Gear Wildlife Series Best Of How I Travel RTW Wednesday Top Indie Destinations Transformational Stories Home Articles A Guide to Visiting Maya Ruins in Central America (Get There While You Still Can!) A Guide to Visiting Maya Ruins in Central America (Get There While You Still Can!) By Jo Fitzsimons | June 12th, 2012 | Comments (0) Do you Like BootsnAll? Share on Facebook Get daily travel inspiration Featured Like this article? Please share! Share on Facebook Be the first of your friends to like this.
One of the greatest Pre-Columbia airfare cheap tickets civilizations, capable of competing with the Aztecs and Incas, airfare cheap tickets the Maya folk lay foundations through much of Central America, stretching from the state of Chiapas and the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico airfare cheap tickets down through Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador.
Historians can trace the Maya back as far as 2,000 B.C., but little is know about why, during what appears to have been the height of their power, the Maya civilization dramatically declined, leaving grand pyramids and settlements to be consumed by jungles until their re-discovery many centuries later. Revolution, drought, airfare cheap tickets and over population are only a few of the theories offered by way of explanation, and hot debate continues to this day. However, the topic circulating with increasing prevalence as this year gathers pace is not the fall of the Maya empire, but rather the extinction of our own.
Based on readings of the ancient Maya calendar, theory airfare cheap tickets has it that on December 21, 2012 cataclysmic or transformative events will occur, which many believe will spell the end of the human race. These predictions are founded on the tradition of Maya astronomers who classified time by eras using the Mesoamerica Long Count Calendar. The Maya believed that there had been three worlds before ours with the last era ending after a 5,125-year cycle, and our current era commencing on 3114 B.C. Extrapolating this method, theorists have deduced that the end of the next Maya cycle will fall on December 21, 2012.
Whether you’re a believer, non-believer, or simply mildly curious about how December 21, 2012 will come to pass, what can be agreed almost universally is the impressive nature airfare cheap tickets of the ruins that comprise the Ruta Maya.
In the eyes of some, the December date foretells a totally catastrophic event such as the earth colliding with a passing asteroid, while more positive theorists associate this date with the coming of a new era that spells more of a spiritual transformation with a unique planetary airfare cheap tickets alignment.  Other scholars dismiss the theories entirely, accepting that the event would have been of significance to the Maya, but noting that there was no indication of the end of the world featured in their records.
Despite the fact there is a fundamental lack of agreement among the theorists, this hasn’t prevented strong reactions in certain airfare cheap tickets corners of the globe, including the increased sale of underground bunkers in the USA, the encouragement of food stock-piling in Brazil, and most opportunely, Mexico’s use of the date to rejuvenate tourism numbers, including the installation of a gigantic digital countdown clock in Tapachula, Chiapas. During my travels through Central America, I came across a fellow backpacker who has commenced his own countdown comprising a switch to a purely hedonistic lifestyle (which in practice equalled airfare cheap tickets heavy substance use and cessation of showering) to make the most of what little time he believed he had left on this earth. Inspired for an around the world trip? Let us help with a FREE BootsnAll Account. Sign Up
Whether you’re a believer, non-believer, or simply mildly curious about how December 21, 2012 will come to pass, what can be agreed almost universally is the impressive nature of the ruins that comprise the Ruta Maya. Using the present hype to pique your intrigue, here are 10 of the Maya highlights plotting a route from Mexico down to El Salvador.
The colossal and contrived coastal resort of Cancun is the hub for flight arrivals into the Yucatán and can be happily missed unless airfare cheap tickets you want a slice of American tourism that comes complete with a yard long plastic beaker of slushy margarita.  On the plus side, Cancun is a mere two-hour jaunt to the Maya site of Tulum. Although the ruins at Tulum may not tick the box of most impressive when it comes to site expanse and structure (they can be visited in less than an hour), what makes Tulum stands out on the route is its location. Grey remnants against the backdrop of the vivid turquoise Caribbean airfare cheap tickets Sea offers a stark contrast that makes for pretty impressive photographs. Add to that the possibility to take a mid-humidity dip in the Caribbean after your sightseeing, and it’s not difficult to be persuaded of the attraction of Tulum.
Idle a mere 45 minutes from Tulum, easily done by day trip, and you can stumble across the neighboring ruins at Cobá. However, despite its proximity, airfare cheap tickets the sites are quite different; in fact, Cobá’s sister site, if assessed in terms of similarity, would be the ruins in Guatemala’s Tikal. Cloaked in jungle and surrounded by lakes, the site takes much longer to get around compared to Tulum on account of the jungle trails airfare cheap tickets and ability to climb up the ruins, and half a day is recommended to explore the place properly. Somewhat surprisingly, Cobá doesn’t attract as many visitors as nearby airfare cheap tickets Tulum, and with an early start you can recreate your own Tarzan (or Jane) in the jungle scene as you’re likely to be one of few people around.
With a good few days’ rest to avoid Maya-ruin-overdose, the famous site of Chichén Itzá is the next natural port of call. Happily reached from cosmopolitan Mérida (2 hours) airfare cheap tickets or quaint Spanish Colonial Valladolid (1 hour), the site of Chichén Itzá is one of the most popular and draws in tourists by the coach load, including day-trippers from Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum. However, don’t let that put you off. The site, which was recently named as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, is astounding and merits a visit despite airfare cheap tickets the tourist hoards. There is something about the near perfection of El Castillo (the Castle) that makes you stand and stare even if the site has been so extensively cleared of jungle you practically step from the vast car park into the midst of the ruins.
Another hour and a half on from Mérida heading southwest are the ruins of Uxmal. The Pyramid of the Magician is the most wow-worthy and is one of the best preserved Maya ruins around. Characterized by its smooth walls and sloping sides, the pyramid is deeply reminiscent of El Castillo airfare cheap tickets but located airfare cheap tickets in a spot that thankfully lacks the tourist levels of Chichén Itzá, making a visit to Uxmal a breath of fresh air both metaphorically and literally given the absence of the exhaust fumes kicked out by the coaches at Chichén Itzá. Don’t forget to impress the locals with your language skills by remembering airfare cheap tickets that the ‘Ux’ in ‘Uxmal’ is pronounced ‘oosh’.
Switch from the Yucatán to the state of Chiapas for a trip to the site of Palenque, which lies around 8 hours southwest from Mérida. Venture this far out and visitor numbers drop dramatically, meaning it’s not much of a challenge to find yourself as one of only a handful of others at the site unless local school children airfare cheap tickets arrive in their screaming masses as happened briefly during my visit. School excursions aside, don’t be surprised to see people practising yoga or meditating at the site, which has one of the most tranquil ambiances along the Ruta Maya. Pack a picnic, a good book, and find a tree for the chance to relax within some pretty impressive surroundings. The museum near the entrance to the ruins is worth a brief visit for its displays, but also to escape the heat of the day. Although Palenque town isn’t a particularly stunning or engaging place to stay, a night in one of the jungle cabanas near the ruins can make a pleasant break from hostel dorms.
From Palenque it’s easy to cross the border into Guatemala, taking a bus to Frontera Corozal, and from there it is possible to change countries gliding along the River Usumacinta. Another bus completes the jaunt to Flores, the lake front town that is especially popular with indie travelers planning to visit Tikal, and can be reached from Palenque in around airfare cheap tickets 10 hours. On from Flores to Tikal is a short trip of around 1 hour, and although an early start is recommended to avoid the coach crowds (which compete with the numbers at Chichen Itza), airfare cheap tickets don’t be fooled into thinking you’ll arrive in time to see sunrise as the park gates don’t open until 6am for those who aren’t staying at the park. That said, a trip to Tikal at any time of day is far from disappointing, and this spot is my favorite on the Ruta Maya. Temples are strewn across the vast site, many of which are still ensconced in jungle, and it is still possible to climb up near vertical, precariously knocked together wooden steps for access to views that makes Tikal stand out from the rest of the Maya sites. The best view by far is that from atop Temple IV looking back across Temples I, II, III and V, peeking through the jungle canopy while the calls of vivid parrots, toucans, and if you re lucky, howler monkeys, ring through the sky.
Towards the border with Mexico, northwest of Flores and close to the town of Carmelita, is one of the m