Temple of Inscriptions in Palenque
Every tourist arriving in Mexico strives to spend their vacation as productively as possible, gaining as much useful and interesting information about the country, unforgettable impressions and new sensations as possible.
Even a child can list the world-famous 7 wonders of the world, created in antiquity and lost to this day. However, it is unfair to admire only the disappeared cultural monuments, while truly unique examples of architecture and daily life from different periods and peoples have come down to us. Let us consider the real Mexican wonders that can be seen in person even today.
Chapel of Del Rosario
This chapel, located in Mexico City at the Church of Santo Domingo, is the fruit of collaboration between Dominican monks and the local population (Indians). That is why in its design, Talavera (famous Mexican ceramics) in the facing and an abundance of gold objects and interior details coexist harmoniously. The paintings of incredible beauty depicting biblical scenes were done by José Rodríguez Cornerro.
Yaxchilan
Chiapas state. Yaxchilan is the modern name of the ancient city of Isankanak, once a major commercial and political center that reached its peak during the reign of King Shield Jaguar II. Today it is a fairly well-equipped city, yet preserving ancient monuments, among which Maya sculpture ('green stones') is represented.
Palace in Palenque
Palenque is an ancient city once inhabited by the Maya, located in the Mexican state of Chiapas, known for its constructions from 600-800 AD, as well as the pyramids of Palenque. The palace complex left by the Maya is a labyrinth of 240 by 300 m with courtyards, covered galleries and rooms. In the center stands a four-story tower, an astronomical observatory (according to researchers' assumptions), and on the first floor there are no traces of a staircase. The tower was previously destroyed and restored only in 1953.
The palace was rebuilt many times; today it is rather a complex of ruins with a mostly destroyed southern side, but nevertheless attracting a huge number of tourists, lovers of Maya culture and Mexico.
Xochimilco
A vacation in Mexico for an inquisitive tourist is unthinkable without visiting the capital of this country – Mexico City. In the Mexican capital there is a place called Xochimilco – this is one of the districts of Mexico City, located 28 km from the city center.
Despite the fact that the suburb is still a functioning part of Mexico City, it is part of the ancient Aztec city of Tenochtitlan. Once this ancient city was located on islands. Everyone knows that the Aztecs were the discoverers of the hydroponic method of growing plants. To this day, floating gardens – chinampas – exist, which must be reached by water.
Temple of Inscriptions in Palenque
The Temple of Inscriptions, which is a 24-meter pyramid, whose staircase has 69 steps, equal to the number of years spent on the throne by K'inich Janaab' Pakal, the ruler of Palenque. In the temple a slab was found on which 620 hieroglyphs are depicted, and besides, all the walls and steps of the temple are covered with them. Also found was a 5-ton sarcophagus slab.
Fort San Miguel
In 1999, UNESCO listed the Museum of Maya Culture as a World Heritage Site. It includes the Fort San Miguel with all its bastions – an example of indigenous creativity and lifestyle. The fort is unique in that it consists of 8 bastions, once serving to protect the city of Campeche from invasions by Caribbean pirates.
La Venta
A monument to the culture and daily life of the Olmecs, who once lived in the territory of Mexico and left a huge number of crypts, cult places, altars, unique images of human heads made of basalt, and pyramids. The population of the ancient city numbered 18 thousand people, and its area was 200 hectares, which by ancient standards is comparable to today's megacities.
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