Mexico

Staying at Playa del Carmen which is named for Our Lady of Mount Carmen, the patron saint of Cancún. The first recorded visitors to the beaches of what is now Playa del Carmen came during the Early Classic Period of the Mayan civilization. Then called Xaman-Ha, or "waters of the north," Playa del Carmen was a rest stop of sorts for travelers making their way from the great cities of the Mayan world to the island of Cozumel.

Mexico

Mayan Temple pyramid, Coba
View from the Mayan Temple pyramid, Coba
The Yucatan Peninsula has no surface rivers, instead, it sits on a bed of limestone. The extensive forestation forces roots through the limestone to the underground rivers. Sinkholes, locally called cenotes are formed when the ground collapses under the weight of the trees above.
Colourful parrots of Mexico

The Toucan
Mayan Temple pyramid, Coba
Chichen Itza boasts the largest ball court in ancient Mesoamerica. It measures 166 by 68 meters. The imposing walls are 12 meters high, and in the center, high up on each of the long walls, are rings carved with intertwining serpents
Mainly populated by lizards, the Playa Del Carmen golf course remained empty for all of my stay.

The Chac-Mool depicts a human figure in a position of reclining with the head up and turned to one side, holding a tray over the stomach. The meaning of the position or the statue itself remains unknown, but some say the tray was to receive human sacrifice.
Mexican lady making Tortilla bread
Mexican lady in traditional dress
El Castillo in Chichen Itza served as a temple to Kukulkan. During the spring and autumn equinoxes the shadow cast by the angle of the sun and edges of the nine steps of the pyramid combined with the northern stairway and the stone serpent head carvings create the illusion of a massive serpent descending the pyramid.

El Castillo at Chichen Itza. Tourists have since been stopped from climbing the steps to the temple. The pyramid served as a Mayan calendar
View from the top of El Castillo, Chichen Itza, immediately after a massive thunderstorm
These days it is forbidden for people to climb the pyramid.

Replica authentic Mayan dwelling
The four Amigos!

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Mexico

Playa Del Carmen

St Lucia, West Indies

Originally a small fishing town, tourism to Playa del Carmen began with the passenger ferry service to Cozumel, an island across the Cozumel Channel and world famous scuba diving destination. While passing through, many people realized that it was a nice place to relax away from the crowds of Cancún but with the same quality beaches and turquoise waters. Perhaps just as impressive as Cozumel, Playa del Carmen's coast offers good scuba diving opportunities.

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