![]() ![]() Spur-and-groove reefs start at a depth of 25 feet (7.5 m) and most reefs are above a depth of 100 feet (30 m). It is home to colorful corals, sea fans and sponges, and countless numbers of reef fishes. ![]() Just a short boat ride offshore of the Riviera Maya is the second-largest coral reef system in the world. The Mayan language is still widely spoken throughout the Riviera Maya region. Some modern Maya live much as their ancestors did centuries ago, working as farmers and craftsmen. ![]() Today’s Mayan descendants number about 6 million, making them the largest single block of indigenous peoples north of Peru. The Spanish controlled the region for 300 years. Their once glorious temples and palaces had started to crumble and were covered by thick jungle growth by the time the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the late 16th century. 900 they disappeared from the radar screen. The Maya struggled with failing crops and warfare between city-states for several centuries until, mysteriously, around A.D. Regardless of which version is correct, the game was definitely one a player could “lose his head” over.) (Some scholars theorize that the winning team was the one sacrificed. Competition was fierce, as the losing team was routinely sacrificed to the gods. The object of the game appears to have been to throw a ball made of natural rubber through a vertical stone hoop that was positioned about 20 feet (6 m) above the ground. Two teams competed on a rectangular field. The game was played in a large stone amphitheater. The Maya are regarded as having developed an early version of basketball, called Pok-ta-pok. Warring and ritual sacrifice were practiced as ways of pleasing the gods, for whom the Maya depended upon for a plentiful corn harvest. the Maya adopted a hierarchical system of government ruled by nobles and kings who sought guidance from the heavens. Their hieroglyphic language is still pondered by modern scholars.Īround 300 B.C. In addition to their impressive earthly accomplishments, the Maya also turned their gaze skyward, tracking celestial movements and the passage of time to create sophisticated calendars - including calculating the solar year at 365.242 days. The Maya established an advanced civilization, building elaborate ceremonial structures including temple pyramids, palaces and observatories - all without metal tools or beasts of burden. 250 in present-day southern Mexico, the Mayan empire once covered Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Originating in the Yucatan around 2600 B.C., the Maya are probably the best-known of the classical civilizations of Mesoamerica. It holds many of Mexico’s most significant archaeological sites, which were once home to the ancient and mysterious Mayan people. Today it’s come alive as an international vacation destination for scuba divers, sun lovers, naturalists and explorers.īeginning 18 miles (29 km) south of the Cancun International Airport and extending south to Punta Allen, the region features 75 miles (120 km) of white-sand beaches and the world’s second-largest barrier reef system. Just a few years ago it was a collection of sleepy fishing villages dotting the Caribbean coast. Sandwiched between the high-rise glitz of Cancun and the ancient Mayan ruins of Tulum along Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, and atop a magical underground river sits the marvelous Riviera Maya. ![]()
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