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Chichen Itza, Tulum, Teotihuacan, Palenque, and More PREVIEWCOPY Introduction Note to customers previewing this guidebook If you are previewing this guidebook in advance of purchase, please check out our enhanced preview, which will give you a deeper look at this guidebook. Travel guidebooks for the ultra curious, Approach Guides reveal a destination’s essence by exploring a compelling aspect of its cultural heritage: art, architecture, history, food, or wine. Maya religious centers are one of Mexico’s cultural treasures, the vestige of a great civilization that prospered for 2,000 years (peaking from 600-800 CE) in Mesoamerica and created some of the most impressive art and architecture in the New World. This Approach Guide serves as an ideal resource for travelers seeking a deeper understanding of this Maya cultural legacy through a comprehensive exploration of five ancient cities. What’s in this guidebook • Background. We start off by providing some critical background information — focusing on cosmology and the role of the dynastic ruler — that makes sense of the forms and symbols of the unique Maya aesthetic. • Tours that go deeper on the most important sites. Following our tradition of being the most valuable resource for culture-focused travelers, we then turn our attention to Mexico’s premier Maya cities: Bonampak, Chichen Itza, Palenque, Tulum and Yaxchilan. For each city, we start by introducing the distinctive features of its art and architecture, isolating key fea- tures and concepts that you will see again and again as you make your way through the site. The tours walk you through the highlights, aided by high-resolution images and a discussion that ties it all together.PREVIEW • Tours of Maya-connected civilizationsCOPY. Finally, to put these Maya sites into context, this guide profiles the capital cities of three Mexican civilizations that were closely connected to the Maya over its long history: La Venta (Olmec civilization), Teotihuacan (Teotihuacan civiliza- tion) and Tula (Toltec civilization). Detailed tours of these locations reveal the back-and-forth exchange between the Maya and its neighbors to the north. • Advice for getting the best cultural experience. To help you plan your visit, this guide- book offers logistical advice and provides links to online resources. Plus, we provide our per- sonal tips for getting the most from your experience while on location. • Information the way you like it. As with all of our guides, this book is optimized for intui- tive, quick navigation; information is organized into bullet points to make absorption easy; and images are mocked up with text that explains important features. Contact us anytime Our readers are our greatest inspiration. Email us at [email protected] to let us know about your experience with Approach Guides — many of our recent updates have been inspired by customers like you. We personally respond to every email. We hope you enjoy what we believe is a totally unique guide to Mexico’s premier Maya cities. Have a great trip! David and Jennifer Raezer Founders, Approach Guides www.approachguides.com Continuing Travel in the Americas New York City New York City’s TriBeCa and SoHo neighborhoods in downtown Manhattan are home to the largest concentration of cast iron facades in the world. Explore these architectural masterpieces with our walking tour and guide to New York City. PREVIEWCOPY Start reading: Cast Iron Architecture in New York City Guatemala & Honduras If you plan on visiting Guatemala and Honduras, download our guidebook to their greatest Maya sites: Tikal and Copán. As with our Mexico guidebook, we offer insightful coverage — spanning his- tory, art, architecture — available nowhere else. Start reading: Maya Ruins of Tikal and Copán PREVIEWCOPY Maya Ruins of Mexico Version 1.2 by David Raezer and Jennifer Raezer © 2015 by Approach Guides All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, with- out permission in writing from the publisher (excluding Creative Commons images). Further, this book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and may not be resold or given away to other people. Copyright, licensing and attribution information can be found in the metadata for all images and illustrations. Approach Guides and the Approach Guides logo are trademarks of Approach Guides LLC. Other marks are the property of their respective owners. Although every effort was made to ensure that the information was as accurate as possible, we accept no responsibility for any loss, damage, injury or inconvenience sustained by anyone using this guidebook. Approach Guides New York, NY www.approachguides.com ISBN: 978-1-936614-34-9 PREVIEWCOPY Contents Introduction The Maya in Mexico Know Before You Go Maya Cosmology The Cult of the Ruler Sculpture as Political Tool Maya Stelae: Style and Evolution Maya Cosmological Symbols FEATURED MAYA SITES Bonampak Layout Stelae in the Main Plaza Temple of the Murals Chichen Itza What To Look For Layout PREVIEWCOPY 1. El Castillo 2. Temple of the Warriors 3. Venus Platform 4. Sacred Cenote 5. Tzompantli and Platform of Eagles and Jaguars 6. Main Ball Court 7. El Caracol 8. Nunnery and Church Palenque What To Look For Layout 1. Temple of the Inscriptions 2. Palace 3. Cross Group 3a. Temple of the Sun 3b. Temple of the Foliated Cross 3c. Temple of Cross Other Sites Tulum What To Look For Layout Templo de las Pinturas Yaxchilan What To Look For Layout 1. Main Plaza 2. Building 33 3. South Acropolis PREVIEWCOPY 4. West Acropolis MAYA-CONNECTED MEXICAN CIVILIZATIONS La Venta (Olmec Civilization) Olmec Architecture Olmec Art Layout Teotihuacan (Teotihuacan Civilization) Teotihuacan Architecture Teotihuacan Art Key Deities in Teotihuacan Art Layout 1. Temple of Quetzalcoatl 2. Pyramid of the Sun 3. Pyramid of the Moon 4. Tepantitla and Tetitla Tula (Toltec Civilization) Toltec Architecture Toltec Art Layout 1. Serpent Wall 2. Pyramid B 3. Palacio Quemado 4. Pyramid C Maya: The Big Picture Map of the Maya World Timeline Maya History In Summary Video Overview PREVIEWCOPY TRAVEL TIPS Mexico Reading List Where to Stay, Eat and Shop Packing List Continuing Travel in the Americas ABOUT APPROACH GUIDES Join Our Email List! More from Approach Guides Contents Introduction The Maya in Mexico Map of Featured Sites Timeline Maya History In Summary Maya Cosmology The Cult of the Ruler Maya Carved Relief Tradition Cosmological Symbols FEATURED MAYA SITES Bonampak Layout Stelae in the Main Plaza Temple of the Murals Chichen Itza Layout PREVIEWCOPY What To Look For El Castillo Temple of the Warriors Venus Platform Sacred Cenote Tzompantli and Platform of Eagles and Jaguars Main Ball Court El Caracol Nunnery and Church Palenque Layout What To Look For Temple of the Inscriptions Palace Cross Group Other Sites Tulum Layout What To Look For Templo de las Pinturas Yaxchilan Layout What To Look For Main Plaza Building 33 South Acropolis West Acropolis MAYA CONNECTED MEXICANPREVIEW CIVILIZATIONSCOPY La Venta (Olmec Civilization) Olmec Architecture Olmec Art Layout Teotihuacan (Teotihuacan Civilization) Teotihuacan Architecture Teotihuacan Art Key Deities in Teotihuacan Art Layout Temple of Quetzalcoatl Pyramid of the Sun Pyramid of the Moon Paintings: Tepantitla and Tetitla Tula (Toltec Civilization) Toltec Architecture Toltec Art Layout Serpent Wall Pyramids B and C Palacio Quemado About Approach Guides Contact Free Updates and Enhancements More from Approach Guides PREVIEWCOPY — THIS IS THE ACCOUNT of when all is still silent and placid. All is silent and calm ... All alone the sky exists. The face of the earth has not yet appeared. Alone lies the expanse of the sea, along with the womb of all the sky. There is not yet anything gathered together. All is at rest. Nothing stirs … All lies placid and silent in the darkness, in the night. — Excerpt from the Preamble of the Maya Popol Vuh Translation by Allen J. Christenson http://aprch.us/popol-vuh PREVIEWCOPY The Maya in Mexico The Maya civilization thrived for approximately 2,000 years in Mesoamerica, an area that encom- passes present-day southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and Honduras. Peaking from 600-800 CE (the Late Classic period), it created art and architecture that, even in its ruined state, inspires contemplation and wonder. This Approach Guide focuses on the premier Maya sites in Mexico: Bonampak, Chichen Itza, Palenque, Tulum, and Yaxchilan. • Bonampak. Located in the state of Chiapas in southwest Mexico, the small site of Bonam- pak has dynamic stelae reliefs and the premier Classic period murals in the Maya world. • Chichen Itza. Located on in the Yucatán Peninsula, Chichen Itza is an exceptional Postclas- sic Maya site, its monuments revealing a Central Mexican Toltec artistic and architectural aesthetic. • Palenque. A mid-sized site in Chiapas, Palenque offers a unique combination of high qual- ity architecture, excellent carved stone panels (in situ), and breathtaking location. • Tulum. Perched over the Caribbean Sea in the Riviera Maya, Tulum is a beautiful Late Post- classic site, its monuments demonstrating strong Chichen Itza influence. • Yaxchilan. Situated in a remote portion of Chiapas, Yaxchilan offers low tourist numbers, a thrilling location, and first-rate carved reliefs. Author Tip: We encourage you to review a collection of background information on the Maya — a map showing the locations of prominent Maya sites, a timeline, a brief summary of Maya history, and a video by one of the foremost experts on the Maya — in the final section of this Approach Guide, entitled “Maya: The Big Picture.” PREVIEW Exchange with Mexican Civilizations COPY Over its long history, it had a dynamic exchange with three neighboring Mexican civilizations: Olmec, Teoitihuacan, and Toltec. Whenever possible, we point out the remaining evidence of such an exchange in each site’s art and architecture. And following our profiles of the five Maya sites, we continue by profiling the capital cities of these three great Mexican civilizations (La Venta, Teoti- huacan, and Tula, respectively).
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