Smart Travel: Mayan empire ruins provide exciting journey

|tab|

Linda and Dr. Don Overend are principals in The Travel Group, a full-service travel agency.|ret||ret||tab|

|ret||ret||tab|

Travelers seeking a fascinating journey to the past are drawn to the remnants of the Mayan empire that are spread throughout Central America. Starting with Mexicos Yucatan Peninsula, the Mayan world (Mundo Maya) continues through Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador. |ret||ret||tab|

The Mayan empire flourished from 200 B.C. to about 900 A.D. and became one of the great civilizations of the Americas, before mysteriously vanishing about the time of the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors. The empire left behind impressive cities and monuments that continue to draw thousands of travelers to visit temples with carved artwork, and ingenuous celestial observatories at the centers of great cities.|ret||ret||tab|

Guatemala is the heart of the Mayan world and preservation and research are a priority of Guatemalan tourist authorities. Tikal National Park is the highlight of the Mundo Maya, where the greatest of the ruined Mayan cities can be found surrounded by a vast rainforest. The park, incidentally, also offers some of the best wildlife viewing in the country, as well as the mighty temples and pyramids of Tikal.|ret||ret||tab|

In Honduras, the largest Mayan archeological site is Copan, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is among the most important sites for its vast number of hieroglyphic texts and an ancient ball court. Here visitors can walk through the archeologists tunnels to get a first-hand view of their work. The modern museum in Copan houses an impressive replica of the Rosalia Temple, the original having been discovered underneath one of the other temples in Copan.|ret||ret||tab|

El Salvador possesses one of the most important discoveries of recent years. A Mayan village discovered in Joya de Ceren had been buried by ash from a nearby volcano around 600 A.D. While the inhabitants were able to escape with their lives, they left behind ceramics, utensils and other belongings. These nearly intact artifacts offer visitors a sense of the everyday life of the Mayans.|ret||ret||tab|

Belize has several Mayan sites in its mountainous interior, close to the beach city of Placencia, best known of which is the ancient city of Lamanai, which can be reached by nature trails or by riverboats. And many Americans are familiar with the various ruins in the Mexican Yucatan which can be easily visited from Cancun or other parts of the Mayan Riviera.|ret||ret||tab|

Travelers fascinated with ancient cultures will find a diversity of tours that visit one or more of the Mayan sites, from hiking and horseback tours to more luxurious adventures. Some of these will be combined with beach and reef visits, and wildlife viewing. |ret||ret||tab|

So for adventure that is close to home, consider the Mundo Maya and experience the way of the ancients in Central America.|ret||ret||tab|

[[In-content Ad]]