This is a six-part story series on the magic of Merida, Mexico rated as one of the best cities to travel to in 2022. (In Oct 2023 I have returned to Merida as part of a 6 month journey through Mexico. I have slightly updated this story and reposted to include new photos.)
There are over 200 archaeological ruins throughout the Yucatán peninsula. In close proximity to the city of Merida, there are at least four Mayan ruins that make for a great a day trip. The Mayapán ruins are less than an hour from Merida and are pretty awesome. In fact, it was once considered the capital center of Mayan civilization in all of Yucatan. The ruins are both majestic and inspiring, allowing you to visualize what this community looked like in its heyday and experience how Mayan culture persists to this day.
In fact, the Mayapán ruins once represented a community of over 12,000 people contained within 2.5 square miles, surrounded by walls to protect it. I walked and climbed through what is left of a dozen structures that once were homes, and institutions of worship, government and commerce. One can only imagine what living in those times must have been like. The Mayan civilization reigned from 1200 to 1400 AD before they were crushed by the Spaniards, although they (Mayan) continue to this day to leave their imprint on the Yucatán region.
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