Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula is home to some of the best-preserved examples of architecture and urban settlements from the pinnacle of Maya culture, the Late Classical Period (A.D. 800-1000). (...)
Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula is home to some of the best-preserved examples of architecture and urban settlements from the pinnacle of Maya culture, the Late Classical Period (A.D. 800-1000). Among the ancient cities populating in the region are Aké, Ek Balam, Kabáh, Labná, Santa Rosa Xtampak, Chichen Itza, and Xocnaceh, all of which are noted for their ceremonial centers boasting temple pyramids, palaces, plazas, and structures such as ritual ball courts. Distinctive features of Maya architecture are raised platforms and façades of finely carved stone ornament. It is also well known, in many instances, for its near-total integration with surrounding vegetation and thus for related difficulties in protecting it due to deterioration from harsh environmental threats. These spectacular sites are resilient and have endured, albeit often in a somewhat ruinous state because they could only resist the advances of the surrounding jungle so much before being evocative of the ingenuity of the architects and builders who created them and the effects of flora of the region.
