LetiziaManzoni
Oct 5, 20193 min
Updated: Jun 26, 2020
Riviera Maya is the coast of Mexico that overlooks the Caribbean Sea, on the Yucatan peninsula. Being a sunny and warm place all year long, it is a major destination for tourists of every country.
Tulum is the third city of the Riviera Maya. It’s smaller than Cancun and Playa del Carmen but it’s very much authentic. Its centre is characterized by a long avenue flanked by colorful shops and murales, which end in the main square where stands the twelve rocks of the Mayan calendar. The best food that I ate was a Burrito in the restaurant “Burrito Amor” and drunk my first ‘Agua de Sabores’, typical Latin American water mixed with fresh fruits such as banana, mango, coconut or papaya. It rapidly became my favorite thirst-quenching drink!
Tulum: very close to the municipality, these ruins are not very big but enjoy an amazing view of the Caribbean Sea. They were called by the Mayas Zama, which means sunrise
Chichen itza: one of the major focal points of the Mayan civilization, and nowadays considered one of the seven wonders of the world. It is situated in the state of Yucatan, so at around twenty minutes from the city of Valladolid. Its main pyramid is the temple of Kukulkan.
An amazing fact about it is that if you stand at the foot of the Western side and you clap you hands, you will hear coming from the top an incredibly realistic roar of a jaguar!
Coba: located in the exact middle on the road from Tulum to Chichen Itza, Coba is an archeological site completely immersed in the forest. This is the only site where you will be able to climb the biggest pyramid. It is pretty steep but the view pays off! In this site you will also be able to see the field of the famous ‘Juego de la Pelota’. This is a sort of Mayan football in which they had to thread a ball through a ring, using all the parts of their body but the hands and the feet.
In the park of Xcaret a part of the show features a match of the Juego de la Pelota. The actors are really players!
The other incredible uniqueness of the Yucatan peninsula is the presence of Cenotes. These are ponds of unsalted water located in caves or natural spaces. The water is not stagnant, but always moving thanks to subterrean connections, which can be very deep. It’s still a mystery how they got created, but the legend says that it was because of a meteorite which fell on the on the Yucatan Peninsula. Mayas used some cenotes for sacrificial offerings, thinking they were a gateway for afterlife. Some cenotes worth visiting are Cenote Ik kil, Jardin del Eden y Xunan-Ha.
If you are brave enough you could go to Casa Cenote, but be careful: I swam very close to a crocodile sleeping on the rocks!
I hope you enjoyed my article. Let me know if you have questions about things to do in the Riviera Maya and check my experience as a Receptionist in the Bahia Principe!