HOW TO VISIT THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OF MAYAPáN, YUCATáN

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The Mayapán ruins, considered as a Chichen Itza in small, with its Castle, its Observatory and even its Cenote, are one of the best excursions to do from Merida. Although the site is reduced in size, you can get an idea of what was once the last Mayan capital, after the fall of Uxmal and Chichen Itza. Then we tell you more and we give you all the information to make the visit to the archaeological zone of Mayapán.

Although the majority of tourists (among which we include ourselves) we have not heard of these ruins before arriving in Mexico and even many Yucatecans do not even know of their existence, Mayapán was one of the most important Mayan cities before arrival of the Spanish.

It was founded by the Mayan Cocomes, a town influenced by the Toltec culture, and reached its maximum splendor between 1,200 and 1,450, when it came to house a population of up to 12,000 people. Later it was abandoned and, apparently, ended up being sacked and burned.

The name means "Mayan banner", although it is also known as "the little Chichen Itza", as it seems a small-scale reproduction of the important capital Itzae. Its great growth was much later than the other capitals such as Chichen, so it was inspired by its buildings, but also maintained elements of Central America. The works in reliefs and mosaics that still remain at the base of some temples stand out.

To give you an idea of its importance, it hosted the so-called “League of Mayapán”, a peace alliance between the Mayan cities of Uxmal, Chichen Itza and Mayapán. Although apparently this agreement ended up breaking through the disputes between them and since then Mayapán was the one that broke the cod, while the others were abandoned. It is considered therefore the last great mayan capital.

* Video from inah.gob.mx

The Mayapán ruins are located about 50 km south of Mérida, on a road in splendid conditions. Eye, do not confuse with the town of Mayapán, which is further south and has nothing to do with it, this is the Archaeological Zone of Mayapán. The parking lot to start the visit is just 200 meters from the detour, and the entrance to the archaeological site is just below. So if you don't feel like walking a lot or spending half a morning in some ruins, this place is perfect for you.

We start the tour heading to the buildings that are on our left. Although they are not high, we can climb to Fisherman's Temple and take a first look at the enclosure.

From there we will continue to the circular building called the Observatory, and behind it a temple decorated with impressivemasks of the god Chaac (the Mayan god of rain). We will surround you to get another perspective of the Observatory and stand in front of the Kukulkan Castle.

On the east side, which we see first, there is a small cenote hidden among some trees, the Chen Mul Cenote. Although it is not impressive, we have to go back in time and imagine that this was one of the most sacred places in the city.

At the time we visited it (November 2018), you could ascend to the Castle, however the steps are quite small and not in good condition. It is best to take a look at the 4 faces and decide if you go up and by which one. At the base of the great pyramid is a wooden palapa under which remains of fresh Y reliefs quite impressive.

It crosses now the Central Square, with several minor buildings and the Temple of the Painted Niches, with 5 niches that conserve remains of mural painting, and the visit ends ascending to anotherTemple (let's call it X), from where we will get the best views of the site.

In total we take about 40 minutes in doing this tour.

The total entry is from 45 pesos (as of November 2018). There is no government fee, as in most other ruins in Yucatan. Hopefully they keep this price, although we fear that they will raise it over time.

These are the main buildings in the archaeological zone of Mayapán:

- The Observatory or Round Temple: It has a rectangular base, although the main building has a circular floor, reminding us of Chichén Itza. It was probably the place from where the stars were studied and would have a very important ceremonial function in the city.

- Hall of the Masks: at the rear of the Observatory, that temple highlights the enormous masks of the God Chaac (god of rain), which can also be seen in other Mayan archeological sites. In addition, the temple has a row of pillars that would support the roof in the past.

- Castle and Kukulkan: It is the main building, a pyramid 15 meters high, with 4 sides each divided into 9 levels. In its upper part it would be crowned by a temple, although only part of its walls is preserved. Splendid carvings of warriors with niches instead of heads appeared in its southeast corner, cut heads were introduced into this hollow as part of a death ritual.

Apparently, in this pyramid in the equinoxes the same phenomenon of light and shadow of the Castle of Kukulkán de Chichén itzá occurs, whereby the shadow cast on the staircase creates the silhouette of what a snake looks like, referring to the descent of the Kukulkan god to earth.

- Temple X: We do not keep the name, but it is at the end of the tour, at the northwest end of the Central Square, and stands out for its height. From above (it is not too complicated to climb), you have the best views of the entire site.

- Its schedule is 08:00 to 16:00 every day.

- Although on other occasions we recommend arriving early so as not to deal with many other tourists, this time you will not have problems, since with a little luck you will be completely alone! What makes the visit even more special.

- We remind you that there is a city called Mayapán, about 50 km south of the ruins, which you should not confuse when putting the GPS. Find the Archaeological Zone of Mayapán, so that there are no doubts.

- Being all the buildings nearby and being a quick visit, it can be included in a day trip from Merida to the convents route or the Puuc route.

- More information on its official website.

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Although it cannot compete with Chichen Itza, the archaeological zone of Mayapán surprised us very positively: we found it suddenly, we visited alone, and enjoyed ourselves as dwarves! In addition, you saw that this city was one of the most important Mayan capitals. So we advise your visit 100%! We hope that with this post we can help you planning your visit to Mayapán.