el salvador mayan ruins

The country of El Salvador is located on the extreme south of the Maya Region, but still has several ruins sites. All the sites are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day except Monday. All charge a small entrance fee.

San Andrés is a small Maya site just off the Panamerican Highway about 30 miles northwest of San Salvador. It has been excavated several times and the main acropolis is cleared. The Acropolis and the Great Plaza are now open to visitors. In addition, a 17th century indigo processing facility has been excavated and is also open to visitors. San Andrés has a site museum with guides, a snack bar and modern restrooms. There is a small entrance fee and a parking fee. The easiest way to visit the site is to take a tour, hire a cab, rent your own car or take a public bus.

Joya de Cerén is a popular site located a few miles from San Andrés, so the visitor can see both in the same trip. This site has the unique distinction of having been buried twice by volcanic eruptions. Because of the high level of preservation, this site offers insight into the agricultural based village that once existed there. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993. Visitors must be accompanied by a guide in the ruins area, and there are both Spanish and English speaking guides. An on-going project is planting the park with the crops grown by the original inhabitants.

Joya de Cerén has a site museum, modern restrooms, and a souvenir shop. There is a small entrance and parking fee. As with San Andrés, the easiest way to visit the site is to take a tour, hire a cab, rent your own car or take a public bus.
Tazumal: The Mayan ruins of Tazumal are located in and surrounded by the modern city of Chalchuapa, in Santa Ana, about 45 miles northwest of San Salvador. Among the well preserved discoveries are tombs, pyramids, palaces, water drainage systems as well as a life-size statue of their god Xipe Totec, and a poorly preserved ball court.
Casa Blanca: The Mayan ruins named Casa Blanca (named for a nearby coffee plantation) are also located in Chalchuapa, quite close to Tazumal. This small park is on the northern edge of the city adjacent to a rural slum. Several pyramids have been excavated and partly restored by Japanese archaeologists, and there is a museum and rest rooms, but no food. There is a small entrance fee.

Cihuatán Archaeological Park: This is located in Aguilares, San Salvador, in the valley of the Guazapa volcano, about 20 miles north of San Salvador. The name Cihuatán means “land of the woman” in the native nahuatl language. It is believed that it was named Cihuatán because when looking at the Guazapa hills, they look like the silhouette of a woman lying down. Excavations here have demonstrated that Cihuatán was an urban city with a significant population and with large ceremonial centers. Up to now, 3 platforms in what was the city center have been discovered along with pyramids, palaces and playgrounds and many clay and ceramic artifacts.

The site is different than most in that it was founded after the collapse of the general Mayan civilization about 900 AD. It was inhabited for about 150 years when it was destroyed by fire and was lost to the elements until rediscovered by the Europeans.

The area currently open to the public includes a walled plaza with pyramids, ball courts and other structures. There is also a self-guided archaeological trail. Facilities include a site museum, parking area, snack bar and restrooms.

Tulum Mayan Ruins Mexico

The ruins at Tulum are a fairly compact group of ancient ruins on a cliff overlooking the Caribbean Sea. Because of the beautiful setting and its location on the Maya Riviera, these ruins are the third most visited in Mexico. So, be ready to share your experience with numerous people including tour buses from the nearby cities of Playa del Carmen and Cancun. To avoid the crowds, some recommend staying overnight and visiting the ruins in the morning for the sunrise before the buses arrive, or later in the afternoon. Bring your swimsuit.

The city of Tulum is located on federal highway 307 about 50 miles south of Cancun, and abundant public transportation is available to the town from nearby cities and the Cancun airport. A bus ride takes a few hours from Cancun and is cheap, but a cab ride is more convenient and much more expensive, US$40 – US$50.

The ruins are located about a mile north and a mile east of town of Tulum. The entrance to the park is quite touristy with various shops, entertainers and attractions including a man who will allow you to photograph his iguana for US$5. There is a kiosk where you purchase your ticket, under US$10. From there it is a one mile level walk from the entrance area to the actual ruins, but a shuttle is available for an additional fee. Or you can hire a tour guide.

The ruins at Tulum have typical Mayan architecture characterized by a step running around the base of the building which sits on a low substructure. This type of architecture resembles a small scale version of the buildings at nearby Chichen Itza. Tulum was protected on one side by steep sea cliffs and on the landward side by a wall that averaged about 16 feet tall and up to 26 feet thick in places. This impressive wall makes Tulum one the most well-known fortified sites of the Maya.

Among some of the buildings at the site is the Temple of the Frescoes and the Castillo, which is 25 feet tall. A small shrine appears to have been used as a beacon for incoming canoes marking a break in the barrier reef that is opposite the site, one of the reasons Tulum later became an important trading locality.

The Tulum region includes four distinct areas – the village, the ruins, the Playa hotel zone, and Sian Kaán biosphere reserve. It is not easy to walk from one area to the next, but taxis are plentiful and fairly cheap. The village is mostly along both sides of highway 307 and contains about a busy mile of shops, restaurants, bars, vendors, cheap hotels, and all manner of business for the local population and tourists alike. The Playa or beach hotel zone is along the ocean east of town and is the home of many hotels (more expensive), and some restaurants, bars, etc., and establishments for the tourists including cheaper cabana type lodging. If you continue south of the Playa hotel zone you will end up in Sian Kaán biosphere reserve, a huge natural area reserved from further development. This area has its own set of ruins

Introducing El Pilar

The Maya ruins of El Pilar straddle the Belize/Guatemalan border. Including more than 25 plazas and approximately 120 acres, it is the largest set of ruins in the Belize River area. Twelve miles northwest of the town of San Ignacio, Belize, and 19 miles north of the town of Melchor de Mencos, Guatemala, El Pilar is easily accessible by road. Its network of five marked trails through the virgin forest makes it a favorite spot for birders.

The reserve is open to the public and has a series of trails providing access throughout the site which is currently being excavated by the University of California.

History

It is known that monumental constructions at El Pilar began around 800 BC, and by 250 BC there were major public works and an extensive population, as high as 20,000 people at its peak. It is believed that the site was occupied continuously and that monumental construction continued until about 1000 AD after which the monuments were neglected. The name “El Pilar” is Spanish for “watering basin,” reflecting the abundance of water in the area, a rarity for the Maya world.

There were large areas of fertile soil scattered about the area, where it is believed that nearby residents grew cash crops, such as cacao, tobacco and cotton. Others supplemented farming with production of stone tools, pottery and other basic household items.

The Park

The archeological site is part of The El Pilar Archeological Reserve for Maya Flora and Fauna. It was declared a cultural monument both in Guatemala and Belize, and covers 5,000 acres, half in each country, and it is jointly managed by the two countries. El Pilar is the largest site in the Belize River area with over 25 plazas and hundreds of other buildings, covering about 120 acres.

An archeological excavation project has been underway since 1993; however, most of the buildings are not exposed. This is a style of presentation known as “Archeology Under the Canopy” that leaves the monuments protected by forest foliage. The only fully exposed monument at the reserve is a house site called Tzunu’un. El Pilar also features a Maya forest garden to demonstrate traditional agricultural practices.

Archaeologists and biologists work at the site from February to June and are happy to chat with visitors and display their latest discoveries.

Major Attractions

Thus far, 12 pyramids and 25 plazas have been found at El Pilar, in addition to elite household compounds; however, there are no large-scale clearings. There are, however, significant consolidated structures open for the public including an underground corbeled tunnel, a standing temple and examples of elite architecture. El Pilar remains largely the same today as when it was discovered, as most structures are in the earliest stages of excavation or have been left intentionally uncleared to help preserve them. So, the visitor should expect to walk on a trail through the jungle and view buildings or parts of buildings covered by vegetation.

A number of buildings at El Pilar reach 50 to 70 feet in height, and the central plaza consists of temples, palaces, and housing for the elite. Large water reservoirs and ball courts are located within the center of the complex. A causeway (sacbe) extends from the eastern part of the ruins across the country border into Guatemala.

Included among the series of trails are two nature walks with the possibility of encounter with wildlife, since they are close to water sources. There are also three trails through the primary archaeological centers. There have been sightings of Scarlet Macaws, parrots and toucans, as well as armadillo, sloth, deer, tapir and jaguar.

How to Get There

Take the Bullet Tree Road north from San Ignacio. After crossing the Mopan River, follow the El Pilar signs. This all-weather road takes you the last seven miles to the site, but is recommended only for the experienced, as the road is steep.

The caretakers live by the road near the site. They can give you an over-all trail map, and are happy to show people around. Also, tours are readily available from San Ignacio costing about US$25 for a half-day trip. Taxi service to the site is also available.

Bonampak (pronounced bō-näm-päk’) means “painted wall” in modern Mayan, and that is exactly what this site is famous for – its ancient murals. This small but colorful park is an ancient Mayan archaeological site in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, deep in the Lacandón jungle about 20 miles south of the larger site of Yaxchilan.

The site, lying deep in the jungle close to a tributary of the Usumacinta River, was first seen by outsiders in 1946 when two Americans were led to the ruins by the local Maya who still visited the site to pray in the ancient temples. Bonampak is well-known for its murals, especially those located within Structure 1, also known as The Temple of the Murals. The structures date to the Early Classic period, 580 to 800 AD, during which time it was a satellite of the larger Yaxchilan to the north. Bonampak collapsed with Yaxchilan in the 800s.The site extends over 2.5 square kilometers, although all of the main attractions revolve around the group of buildings surrounding the main plaza. It is set in the jungle, and the wildlife of the area are becoming an attraction in their own right.

Since the construction of the Border Highway by the Mexican government in the early 1990s, Bonampak is much more accessible to tourists.

The Park

The Bonampak Archeological Park is open 7 Days a week; 8 am to 5 pm. The site charges a small admission of less than US$10. Rest rooms, parking and refreshments are available.

The entrance to the site is some distance from the ruins themselves, and it’s necessary to take a bus or drive your own car. You can also rent a mountain bike and make the 5 mile trip on a gravel road cut through the jungle.

Major Attractions

The major attraction of Bonampak is the set of three painted murals inside a building commonly known as the Temple of the Murals (building 1) on the main plaza. It is a long narrow building with three rooms on top of a low step-pyramid base. The interior walls preserve the finest examples of classic Maya painting, otherwise known only from pottery and occasional small faded fragments.

The paintings date from 790 and were made as frescoes, a technique of painting directly on wet plaster. The paintings reveal no seams in the plaster indicating that each room was painted in a single session during the short time that the plaster was moist. The frescoes (using natural colors of blue, red, sepia , yellow, mauve, purple and green) depict Mayan court life and warfare: the first showing the consecration of a child, the second a battle and torture and sacrifice of captives, and the third a celebration with dances and headdresses. It is best to see the painting in chronological order, and be prepared to wait a bit since only four people are allowed in a room at one time.

The murals have been reproduced full scale, and these reproductions may be seen in the National Museum of Anthropology & History in Mexico City.

How to get there

Due to its remote location between a huge national forest and the Guatemalan border, it is best to take a tour to Bonampak. Such tours are readily available in Palenque, about 100 miles (three hours) to the north. Even the tour buses drive in convoys leaving Palenque early in the morning, so if you drive yourself, you may wish to join such a convoy for safety. To drive there you take highway 199 located at the east end of Palenque and follow the signs. Be prepared to go through one or more “retenes,” military check points.

Both Bonampak and Yaxchilan are off the Frontier Highway, Highway 307 in Mexico. Don’t drive this highway after dark, and to be safe just travel with a bus convoy. You will be driving in a remote area with no gasoline stations or repair service. You will probably pass through at least one or more military checkpoints if you drive in Chiapas. Unless you are an experienced driver in Mexico, it is best to take a tour instead of driving yourself or taking the bus.

Public buses are also an option. You can take a three-hour bus ride from Palenque, but the bus does not stop at the park entrance. Instead it will drop you off about two miles away. You then take a local bus or hike to the ruins’ entrance. That is one of the advantages of booking a tour – the tour operators take care of such details.

Protect Yourself – This is jungle climate, hot and humid. Wear loose fitting comfortable clothes of cotton, no denim. Sturdy shoes are needed. Protect yourself with sun screen, bug spray, a hat, sun glasses and water. Drink water before you get thirsty.