mayan posts
by Elizabeth Seward (RSS feed) (2 months ago)
Feb 28th, 2013 at 10:00AM:
It's nearly impossible to avoid Maya culture in the Yucatan, particularly during the month of December in 2012, when conspiracy theories detailing the "predicted" Maya doomsday were running wild like a pack of wolves through the Internet, dirtying websites with their footprints. When you can't beat them, you're instructed to join them. And so I went to Mexico in December alongside the wolves ...
by Sean McLachlan (RSS feed) (4 months ago)
Dec 26th, 2012 at 11:00AM:
Revelers at an Apocalypse party at the ancient Mayan site of Tikal in Guatemala have damaged one of the pyramids, AFP reports.
Temple II, built at Tikal's height around 700 A.D., was damaged when a crowd of partygoers ignored signs saying it was off-limits and climbed up it anyway. An official at the site didn't reveal how extensive the damage was but did say it was permanent.
About 7,000 ...
by Elizabeth Seward (RSS feed) (5 months ago)
Dec 20th, 2012 at 1:00PM:
Every other billboard seemed to mention 2012 as I drove along that famously flat stretch of road from Cancun to Playa del Carmen. I was on my way to spend a couple of days relaxing at Grand Velas Riviera Maya, but the easiest way to reach Riviera Maya is via Carretera Federal 307 and 307 is ornamented with billboards, as anyone would expect. Riviera Maya is a popular vacation destination, and ...
by Elizabeth Seward (RSS feed) (5 months ago)
Dec 19th, 2012 at 11:00AM:
If you want to meet Maya people, go to the Yucatan. More specifically, go to the city of Merida. Merida's population is nearly at a million and 60% of all inhabitants are of Maya ethnicity. Roughly a third of the population of Merida speak Mayan - the Yucatec Maya language. Fighting for space for my body on the crowded sidewalks and space for my car on the congested streets, my time in Merida ...
by Elizabeth Seward (RSS feed) (5 months ago)
Dec 18th, 2012 at 12:00PM:
A charismatic and talkative man of Maya descent approached me one lively Friday evening just outside of La Plaza Grande in Merida, Mexico. With infectious enthusiasm, he discussed the history of the Maya in the Yucatan and Merida with me; his face gained color and animation as each topic rolled over into a new one. My Spanish isn't very good, so my husband, who is half Mexican, translated that ...
by Sean McLachlan (RSS feed) (1 year ago)
Mar 4th, 2012 at 2:00PM:
An exhibition coming to Philadelphia will tackle this year´s hottest pseudo-archaeological topic: the Mayan prophecy that the world will end in 2012.
"Maya 2012: Lords of Time" at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology will explain the Mayan civilization's complex interlocking calendar systems through interactive displays and a rich collection of art and ...
by Elizabeth Seward (RSS feed) (1 year ago)
Jan 4th, 2012 at 9:30AM:
Belize is the only country in Central America with English as the official language. The small country, measuring 180 miles long and 68 miles wide, is a popular vacation destination for tourists whose native language is English. But Belize is good for much more than just lounging in white sand while watching the shimmering teal waves roll in and out while drinks, ordered in English, are ...
by Kraig Becker (RSS feed) (2 years ago)
Apr 30th, 2011 at 8:00AM: Archaeologists have used modern technology to uncover an ancient Mayan city buried deep in the jungles of Guatemala. More than two millennia ago, the city was home to 2000 people, but in the centuries since it was abandoned, it has been reclaimed by the jungle, and now sits beneath several feet of dirt and plant life. It is for that reason that it has remained undiscovered for so long.
The ...
by Sean McLachlan (RSS feed) (2 years ago)
Dec 4th, 2010 at 1:00PM:
A rancher in the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico, has destroyed a large Mayan residential complex to make way for pastureland, Fox News Latino reports.
The 2,300 year-old site covers 250 acres and includes many homes, temples, and other buildings. Much of the center of the site was bulldozed away so the rancher could graze his animals there. The rancher claims he recently bought the land and didn't ...
by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) (3 years ago)
Jan 19th, 2010 at 1:00PM: After the toll that 2009 took on your spirit and your body, it's time for you to commit to a relaxed and steady 2010. Fairmont Hotels & Resorts in on board with this and is kicking in some amazing deals through its Willow Stream spa brand, which is available around the world. So, if you're planning to hit Monte Carlo, Miami or the Mayan Riviera, you'll have a top-shelf treatment ready and ...
by Katie Hammel (RSS feed) (3 years ago)
Dec 14th, 2009 at 9:00AM:
Imagine walking down a lush green aisle to a small open-air wooden structure where billowy white curtains frame a view of a valley spread below and blueish mountains in the distance. An intimate group of family and friends has gathered to watch you say your vows on this hilltop and after the ceremony, they'll join you to celebrate as the sun sets and the lights of the village beneath you and ...
by Katie Hammel (RSS feed) (3 years ago)
Dec 10th, 2009 at 10:30AM:
A hammock
Hammocks aren't just places for tourists to relax, they are a way of life for the people in Honduras. A lack of modern conveniences like air-conditioning in a place where the tropical heat can be oppressive means that families tend to do their socializing and relaxing outdoors. So everywhere you look, hung between trees or strung up on porches, you'll see a hammock. Bring a little ...
by Katie Hammel (RSS feed) (3 years ago)
Dec 4th, 2009 at 9:30AM:
tweetmeme_url = 'http://www.gadling.com/2009/12/04/what-to-do-honduras/'; tweetmeme_source = 'Gadling';
After a week in Honduras, ziplining through the canopy, drinking $1.50 beers on a deserted white sand beach, slaughtering my Spanish pronunciation as I bought a grilled pork skewer from a street vendor, horseback riding through coffee fields, and eating a few too many corn tortillas, I ...
by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) (3 years ago)
Oct 11th, 2009 at 11:00AM:
tweetmeme_url = 'http://www.gadling.com/2009/10/11/where-to-take-your-final-vacation/'; tweetmeme_source = 'Gadling';
Most people focus on their next vacations – not their final ones. And who could blame them? Nothing is quite so ghoulish as planning anything based on your demise. It's a bit different, however, if you can work from a specific point in time. If you know the world is ...
by Karen Walrond (RSS feed) (3 years ago)
Jun 29th, 2009 at 7:30PM: Today I've been keeping a close eye on the happenings in the Honduras -- it appears that even though military troops have sent President Jose Manuel Zelaya into exile, and there have been a few skirmishes between demonstrators and the Honduran police, the country remains relatively calm. Here's hoping they remain that way. And in the meantime, take a look at this wonderfully cozy kitchen in a ...
by Jeremy Kressmann (RSS feed) (4 years ago)
Apr 26th, 2009 at 5:00PM:
I've always dreamed of visiting the Mayan ruins of Central America, so Flickr user pirano's image from Copan immediately caught my eye. Deep in the jungle of countries like Honduras and Guatemala lie the remains of huge temples, ballcourts and statues, scattered across a number of separate sites. This particular specimen has quite the fearsome visage, wouldn't you say? Pirano mentions he is a ...
by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) (4 years ago)
Apr 13th, 2009 at 3:00PM: A great massage needs no embellishment. The simple act of kneading stress from your body is enough. Warm Jacuzzi waters afterward complete the experience, especially when washed down with crisp cucumber water. A twist that enhances the experience, though, can matter, as I learned at the JW Marriott's spa in Cancun, Mexico.
The on-site spa infuses its treatments with Mayan ritual, adding a sense ...
by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) (4 years ago)
Mar 18th, 2009 at 4:00PM: Latin America is becoming a hot spot for green travel, but most adventure-seekers look to Honduras and Nicaragua ... rather than El Salvador, with which they share a border. With the country's civil war in the past, a destination marketing campaign has been launched, and a new web portal can give prospective travelers a place to start. Art and anthropology museums and other cultural venues dot ...
by Jerry Guo (RSS feed) (5 years ago)
Dec 22nd, 2007 at 4:00PM: I talked yesterday about a little known alternative to Machu Picchu. Today, I bring you the Mayan version: the ruins at Tikal in Guatemala. But here's the zinger: they're actually more impressive than the much better known pyramids at Chichen Itza in Mexico. Here's what one American had to say about the place. "I saw the Pyramids [in Egypt] ... This is better, because you can go on top of them, ...