Cancún - Archaeology

Cancún is known for it's beaches and partying but there is more to Cancún.

Taking the bus southbound I stopped between km 17 and km 18, at Playa Delfines. One of Cancún's best and biggest beaches, It's far enough from the most busiest strip of the Hotel Zone and it's a public beach. There's plenty of space.

It's also where the most famous Cancún sign stands. It is, without a doubt, the busiest tourist attraction of Cancún. The queue to take the iconic picture was insane! I took a photo of someone else posing for a photo and I was happy with that. LOL

The queue for the photograph.

At Playa Delfines you can find El Rey archeological site. 

Admission fee is MXN$65 (£2.5, US$3.20) and it is open every day 8am-5pm.

El Rey is made up of 47 structures of varying functions, though a few have been reduce to foundations. Evidence suggests that El Rey began as a small fisherman's settlement sometime in the 2nd century but soon became an important centre for the production of salt, which was essential to cure meat and seafood.

Residential platforms followed the Costa Oriental architectural style which consists of low-lying structures, single chambers and flat roofs. The vast majority of the population of the settlement would have lived in homes made from perishable materials. They buried their dead amongst the foundations with the bodies generally in a sitting position and a minimum of funerary items.

The tallest structure is a small pyramid which, in 1975, archaeologists discovered to be a burial site of a nobleman, complete with a copper axe and ritual ornaments made of seashells and bone.

A Palace like structure is made up of a platform with a series of 18 pillars that once held up its flat roof. Benches were imbedded into the back and sides of the interior walls with an altar in the centre. This construction was used by the ruling class for administrative and/or residential purposes.

A columned structure with benches, flat roof, a private room and a more open space for daily activities. It was used as a residence and in their inner shrines ceramic incense burners with images of the Gods were lit.

The site is small, only 520x70m so don't expect much. It is well maintained and it has clean toilets. Apart from me there was only another couple visiting so not very busy.

There is an abundance of lizards. They are everywhere and blend easily with the ruins. The site has a fair amount of signs warning against disturbing the lizards. There are no signs advising against climbing the ruins. Priorities are clear!

Walking northbound along Avenida Kukulcán, 30min later I reached Maya Museum of Cancún.

Admission fee is MXN$85 ($3.20, US$4.20) and it includes San Miguelito archeological site. It's open Tuesday-Sunday 9am-6pm.

The museum was deserted and I was followed around by one of the staff. It felt as they were making sure I wouldn't touch any of the artefacts but it was a bit creepy. The aircon was a bliss though.

In El Rey all information on-site was written in Spanish, English and another language which I am assuming is a local dialect. At the museum it's Spanish only.

Mayan hieroglyphics are so cute!

Some objects have a very contemporary feel.

250-600 AD

Some objects have a very Asian feel.

600-850 AD

There is a very pretty shaded garden on the underside of the museum's building. The building is a very pleasant modern structure.

San Miguelito archeological site is part of the museum's site. 

San Miguelito was a major Maya settlement around 1250-1550 AD. It was part of a large complex of temples, shrines, palaces and houses arranged along a road that runs parallel to the coastal dune line, providing a trade network. These dunes protected the inhabitants from hurricanes and erosion as well as providing them with highly valuable plants and animals for their subsistence.

A trail runs along the ruins.

Some of the colours (red) can still be seen.

The pyramid is the tallest building and it was a temple. In its time it would have been decorated with cornice and painted predominantly in red and bue.

A well camouflaged lizard.

Again, lizards are abundant. They camouflage so well and are so used to people that one needs to be sharp. I was distracted walking along the ruins and on the shade of the trees that I almost missed the small lizard.

I saw the medium sized lizard.

But then turned around suddenly and missed the big lizard. When I did see it, there was the typical jump & scream. From then on I was very careful where to put my feet. I had flip-flops and kept thinking that they may bite my toes. Silly, right?