Mexico
Since I was a kid, Mexico was on my travel list. I knew about the Caribbean Sea and about the beautiful beach but I knew it was much more than that. Mexico is about the Mayan Culture, about the pyramids, about the jungle, about chocolate, about food, art and music.
The way I mentioned in the description of this website, the tour in Mexico was tailored by one of my friends who used to be a tour guide. It was when I really appreciated the value of someone who knows the area and best tips and tricks. I could have gone there to a nice 5 starts resort on the Riviera Maya and I could have missed so much culture, history and beautiful places.
Where did we start?
Our trip started in Mexico City (DF) and ended in Cancun. This tour was based on history, culture, food, music and sea side.
In order to understand the Mayan culture, we started at the Anthropological Museum in Mexico City (you can find it here: https://mna.inah.gob.mx). I had a chance to see a map on the Mayan Culture from Mexico to El Salvador, to understand where the name Mexico comes from and to picture part of the next few days in this amazing country since we were going to visit a few of the pyramids. One of the interesting facts for me was that the Mayans weren't the same as the Aztecs and in fact the pyramids belonged to both civilisations. I was surprised to find out that some Maya people still live today and still perform certain ceremonies in the old way.
Our next destination was the Main Temple (Templo Mayor) right in the centre of Mexico City that used to be part of the Aztec Empire and that the Spanish people demolished. Nowadays, it's a museum that holds an impressive collection and next to it is a beautiful Catholic Cathedral.
You might think museums are boring but after visiting them, I was able to see the symbols on the pyramids and understand the meaning of the symbol on the pyramids.
Of course the Mayan culture was based on corn so the Mexican food is based on the corn flower. Little did I know that there are so many types of corn and nowadays, it's still used in their food. (it comes in different colors).
Another part of the Mexican Culture is the music, so we went to listen to some Mariachis playing in the Garibaldi Square.
Yucatan
Next we went to Puebla (where we visited an old pyramid - Cholula), Oaxaca and we spent a few days in Merida.
In Merida (Yucatan) we visited a few ancient spots: Uxmal and Chichen Itza. 2 different places: Both of them belonged to the Mayans. Both beautiful. I think I liked Uxmal more because it's not as famous as Chichen Itza. To be honest, there were so many people trying to sell something at Chichen Itza that it almost felt like a tourist trap. With that said, it was an amazing experience to discover such an old place with such old traditions and believes.
We also enjoyed some Yucatan food: Cochinita Pibil that is pork dish wrapped in banana leaves and slow roasted in the oven. Yum!
Of course we didn't miss the Margaritas.
Riviera Maya
We spent a few days in Tulum and in Cancun, at the beach. The Caribbean Sea cost offers smooth sand, turquoise waters, palm trees and warm water all year long. Since it's in a jungle, the nature is beautiful.
Since the area is also known for natural pools (xenotes), we visited one of them. Xenotes belonged to the Mayans and it seems that they had different meanings to them: they were
considered sacred spaces since they could pass to Xibalba.
These places have a different energy. I felt quite relaxed around it.
When the tour finished, we both realised that we could have done a few things better that's why I think it's important to know somebody to trust in a destination.
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Andreea.
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