* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Sunday, July 27, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Top 5 entertainment news: Sandeep Reddy Vanga regrets trimming Animal’s runtime by 7-8 minutes, Akshay Ku – Times of India

    Top 5 Entertainment Highlights: Sandeep Reddy Vanga Reveals Why He Trimmed Animal’s Runtime by 7-8 Minutes, Plus Akshay Ku Updates

    Cote de Pablo reveals how Michael Weatherly used his soap opera roots to put her at ease in “NCIS” love scene – yahoo.com

    Cote de Pablo Reveals How Michael Weatherly’s Soap Opera Background Made Their “NCIS” Love Scene Easier

    City of Pelham announces entertainment district plans for former Oak Mountain Amphitheatre site – WVTM

    Pelham Unveils Exciting New Entertainment District Plans for Former Oak Mountain Amphitheatre Site

    Black Box Players presents ‘The Three Musketeers’ – CBS 19 News

    Experience the Adventure: Black Box Players Bring ‘The Three Musketeers’ to Life!

    AP Entertainment SummaryBrief at 1:51 p.m. EDT – Channel 3000

    Entertainment Highlights: Key Updates You Can’t Miss

    ‘Devil Wears Prada 2’ casts Anne Hathaway’s love interest replacing Adrian Grenier’s Nate – Entertainment Weekly

    Devil Wears Prada 2′ Casts New Love Interest for Anne Hathaway, Replacing Adrian Grenier’s Nate

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology

    Eagle Unveils Revolutionary X-Ray Technology at Pack Expo

    Validea’s Top Information Technology Stocks Based On Peter Lynch – 7/25/2025 – Nasdaq

    Validea’s Top Information Technology Stocks Based On Peter Lynch – 7/25/2025 – Nasdaq

    WhoFi: New surveillance technology can track people by how they disrupt Wi-Fi signals – Tech Xplore

    WhoFi: New surveillance technology can track people by how they disrupt Wi-Fi signals – Tech Xplore

    Google Cloud Announced as a Key Technology Partner for Odoo Connect 2025 in San Francisco – GlobeNewswire

    Google Cloud Announced as a Key Technology Partner for Odoo Connect 2025 in San Francisco – GlobeNewswire

    Behind the Screens: The Impact of Technology on Real Estate – TRREB

    Behind the Screens: How Technology is Transforming the Future of Real Estate

    Sustainserv and Palau Announce Technology Partnership to Leverage Innovative AI Platform to Advance Sustainability Reporting – Business Wire

    Sustainserv and Palau Team Up to Transform Sustainability Reporting with Breakthrough AI Technology

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Top 5 entertainment news: Sandeep Reddy Vanga regrets trimming Animal’s runtime by 7-8 minutes, Akshay Ku – Times of India

    Top 5 Entertainment Highlights: Sandeep Reddy Vanga Reveals Why He Trimmed Animal’s Runtime by 7-8 Minutes, Plus Akshay Ku Updates

    Cote de Pablo reveals how Michael Weatherly used his soap opera roots to put her at ease in “NCIS” love scene – yahoo.com

    Cote de Pablo Reveals How Michael Weatherly’s Soap Opera Background Made Their “NCIS” Love Scene Easier

    City of Pelham announces entertainment district plans for former Oak Mountain Amphitheatre site – WVTM

    Pelham Unveils Exciting New Entertainment District Plans for Former Oak Mountain Amphitheatre Site

    Black Box Players presents ‘The Three Musketeers’ – CBS 19 News

    Experience the Adventure: Black Box Players Bring ‘The Three Musketeers’ to Life!

    AP Entertainment SummaryBrief at 1:51 p.m. EDT – Channel 3000

    Entertainment Highlights: Key Updates You Can’t Miss

    ‘Devil Wears Prada 2’ casts Anne Hathaway’s love interest replacing Adrian Grenier’s Nate – Entertainment Weekly

    Devil Wears Prada 2′ Casts New Love Interest for Anne Hathaway, Replacing Adrian Grenier’s Nate

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology

    Eagle Unveils Revolutionary X-Ray Technology at Pack Expo

    Validea’s Top Information Technology Stocks Based On Peter Lynch – 7/25/2025 – Nasdaq

    Validea’s Top Information Technology Stocks Based On Peter Lynch – 7/25/2025 – Nasdaq

    WhoFi: New surveillance technology can track people by how they disrupt Wi-Fi signals – Tech Xplore

    WhoFi: New surveillance technology can track people by how they disrupt Wi-Fi signals – Tech Xplore

    Google Cloud Announced as a Key Technology Partner for Odoo Connect 2025 in San Francisco – GlobeNewswire

    Google Cloud Announced as a Key Technology Partner for Odoo Connect 2025 in San Francisco – GlobeNewswire

    Behind the Screens: The Impact of Technology on Real Estate – TRREB

    Behind the Screens: How Technology is Transforming the Future of Real Estate

    Sustainserv and Palau Announce Technology Partnership to Leverage Innovative AI Platform to Advance Sustainability Reporting – Business Wire

    Sustainserv and Palau Team Up to Transform Sustainability Reporting with Breakthrough AI Technology

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home General

How travelers can hunt for Mexico’s lost Maya cities

November 23, 2023
in General
How travelers can hunt for Mexico’s lost Maya cities
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Travel

Jade-filled tombs. Ages-old ball courts. Bloodletting rituals. Visit Chiapas to experience the ruins and secrets of the ancients.

ByErick Pinedo

Published November 22, 2023

• 8 min read

“Lost Cities Revealed with Albert Lin” premieres on National Geographic Channel and Disney+ November 23.

The ancient Maya thrived for some 3,000 years and created a monumental legacy that still inspires pop culture, from animated series to video games. Their stepped stone pyramids and glyph carved temple walls can be found in Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico, home to the well known sites of Tulum, Chichén Itzá, and the Uxmal pyramids.

But the lesser known, lesser trafficked Maya settlements and worship sites of Chiapas—Mexico’s southernmost state—are also worth discovering for their combination of archaeology and nature.

The most famous and largest of them, Palenque, is the focus of the first episode of Season 2 of “Lost Cities Revealed with Albert Lin,” which premieres on the National Geographic Channel and Disney+ November 23. In it, the scientist and National Geographic Explorer Albert Lin uses high tech methods to delve into the storied site.

“Palenque is where Maya archaeology began, from that first glimpse of glyphs and pyramids in the jungle,” says Lin, referring to the site’s rediscovery by 18th-century Spanish explorers.

Here’s how to dive into this influential history amid the mountains and jungles of Chiapas.

An ancient temple and trade route

Maya society thrived at Palenque between the 5th and 9th centuries A.D., powered by the site’s location on a commercial route between central Mexico and the Yucatán Peninsula. Traders ferried in flint and obsidian from Guatemala and “artisans were able to model stucco in a very advanced stylistic manner,” says archaeologist Carlos Miguel Varela Sherrer, field chief of the site.

Today, most visitors reach the modern city of Palenque by air from Mexico City (1 hour 40 minutes) or Cancún before taking a 15-minute drive through ceiba tree-shaded foothills to the UNESCO World Heritage-recognized site. Hundreds of Maya buildings—many yet to be excavated—sprawl over 3,700 acres of tropical jungle. 

The site’s central area, which functioned as a residential, governmental, and religious center, is dominated by the impressive Temple of the Inscriptions, a 75-foot-tall, stepped limestone pyramid. This stone tribute to the region’s most famous ancient ruler, Pakal the Great (615-683 A.D.), was excavated between 1949 and 1954. His jade death mask is now displayed at Mexico City’s National Museum of Anthropology, but the Palenque Site Museum holds a replica of it and the burial chamber.

The tomb beneath the pyramid, closed to the public to prevent damage, has stone walls carved with stylized reliefs of Pakal, his family, and the underworld, as well as an enormous sarcophagus made from a single piece of stone. 

“The inside looks like a crystal cave because the limestone has leaked calcite into little stalactites,” says Lin, who entered the tomb and used lidar (light detection and ranging) to explore it on the show. “All along the walls you see inscriptions, the origin story of Palenque.”

(See the Maya underworld in Belize—if you dare.)

Palenque also holds more than 1,500 other Maya structures, including the Cross Group, a trio of temples built at different elevations, most likely meant to represent the sky, the Earth, and the underworld. Its “El Templo de la Calavera” (The Temple of the Skull) has a relief of a human skull carved at its base. The ruins of a central palace, thought to be Pakal’s, have a four-story stone tower as well as indoor plumbing and a steam bath.

“The region has a lot of stone, which allowed for unique architectural work,” says Varela.

A Maya trail through Chiapas

Beyond Palenque, you can follow the Maya trade route through Chiapas. Eighty miles south, the city-state of Toniná was inhabited from the first to 16th centuries A.D. by Palenque’s ancestral enemies. They erected the tallest extant pyramid in the Americas in the 14th century A.D., the 1,049-foot-high “Acropolis.” 

It’s the anchor of a site where temple-pyramids are arranged on earthen terraces high above a central plaza where Mayas played pelota, a kind of handball. Recent archaeological studies posit that the people of Toniná combined the ashes of their deceased rulers with rubber to make pelota balls.

(Discover Maya history on Mexico’s first long-distance trail.)

A three-hour drive west, the ruins of Yaxchilán skirt the banks of the Usumacinta River (the natural border between Mexico and Guatemala). You’ll probably encounter more howler monkeys than tourists amid the intricately carved stelae and temples where the “Jaguar” clan thrived from 500 to 700 A.D.

A five-hour drive east from Yaxchilán, Bonampak holds crumbling structures such as the Temple of the Murals, where colorful frescoes of Maya court life adorn the walls. Scenes depicting ritual bloodletting as well as parades of musicians hint at a complex culture that fascinates us to this day.

what to know

Seeing the sites: Though you can explore on your own, it may be easiest to navigate via guided tours by companies such as Palenque Mágico or Olmar Travel. 

Where to stay and eat: Base yourself in Palenque, where hotels include Piedra de Agua and Quinta Chanabnal. Sample local dishes such as cheese-stuffed plantains or tamales with mole and olives at El Bambu or Café Jade.

Mexican journalist Erick Pinedo is a former editor at the Latin American edition of National Geographic. Follow him on Instagram.

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : National Geographic – https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/mayan-sites-chiapas-albert-lin-palenque

Previous Post

What I discovered about my heritage while visiting the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe

Next Post

Taylor Swift Wore These $10 Sheer Tights & You Can Still Grab a Pair: Shop the Style Here

Energy landscapes direct the movement preferences of elephants – besjournals

Energy landscapes direct the movement preferences of elephants – besjournals

July 27, 2025
At United Nations Summer Program, Computer Science Student Examines AI Ethics – Georgetown University

At United Nations Summer Program, Computer Science Student Examines AI Ethics – Georgetown University

July 27, 2025
Return of wolves to Yellowstone has led to a surge in aspen trees unseen for 80 years – Live Science

Wolves’ Return to Yellowstone Sparks Unprecedented Aspen Tree Boom After 80 Years

July 27, 2025
‘Bluey’ Is Growing Up: BBC Plots All-Ages Expansion For The Franchise As A Full-Fledged Lifestyle Brand – Cartoon Brew

‘Bluey’ Is Growing Up: BBC Plots All-Ages Expansion For The Franchise As A Full-Fledged Lifestyle Brand – Cartoon Brew

July 27, 2025
Katie Ledecky, Summer McIntosh and a race for the ages at World Swimming Championships – NBC Sports

Katie Ledecky and Summer McIntosh Ignite an Epic Showdown at the World Swimming Championships

July 27, 2025
5 ways Trump has shaped the economy in 6 months – The Hill

5 Game-Changing Ways Trump Transformed the Economy in Just 6 Months

July 27, 2025
Flutter Entertainment Announces Pricing Of $1.272 Bln Of Additional Senior Secured Notes Due 2031 – Nasdaq

Flutter Entertainment Raises $1.27 Billion in Major Senior Secured Notes Offering Due 2031

July 27, 2025
KFF Health Tracking Poll: Public Views on Recent Tax and Budget Legislation – KFF

How the Public Really Feels About the Latest Tax and Budget Changes

July 27, 2025
Dollar falls against yen as markets weigh new trade deal, Japanese politics – Reuters

Dollar falls against yen as markets weigh new trade deal, Japanese politics – Reuters

July 27, 2025
Clinch County Schools prepare for students’ return with new policies, technology – WALB

Clinch County Schools Prepare for Students’ Return with Exciting New Policies and Cutting-Edge Technology

July 27, 2025

Categories

Archives

July 2025
MTWTFSS
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031 
« Jun    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (741)
  • Economy (765)
  • Entertainment (21,645)
  • General (16,133)
  • Health (9,803)
  • Lifestyle (773)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (767)
  • Politics (774)
  • Science (15,980)
  • Sports (21,262)
  • Technology (15,746)
  • World (748)

Recent News

Energy landscapes direct the movement preferences of elephants – besjournals

Energy landscapes direct the movement preferences of elephants – besjournals

July 27, 2025
At United Nations Summer Program, Computer Science Student Examines AI Ethics – Georgetown University

At United Nations Summer Program, Computer Science Student Examines AI Ethics – Georgetown University

July 27, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version