Chichen Itza Travel Guide: Travel and tourist information, things to do and see in Chichen Itza

Deep within the jungles of Mexico and Guatemala and extending into the limestone shelf of the Yucatan peninsula lie the mysterious temples and pyramids of the Maya. Few are more impressive than the remains of Mayan city of Chichen Itza located between Cancun and Merida.

This incredible sight is a 'day trip' must for those on holiday in the Cancun area. While Europe was still in the midst of the Dark Ages, these amazing people had mapped the heavens, evolved the only true writing system native to the Americas and were masters of mathematics. They invented the calendars we use today. Without metal tools, beasts of burden or even the wheel they were able to construct vast cities across a huge jungle landscape with an amazing degree of architectural perfection and variety, marking their place in history with a legacy of stone.

Population: 106.202.900
Languages: Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regiona
Currency: Mexican peso
Currency code: MXN
Local Times:
Mexico - Federal District - Mexico City

Country Dialling Code: +52
Voltage: 127V 60Hz
Electrical plugs:
2 parallel flat prongs

Mexico forms a bridge between the slick first-world commerce of North America and the more chaotic Latin tempo of its southerly neighbour. Mexico is a traveller's paradise, crammed with a multitude of opposing identities: desert landscapes, snow-capped volcanoes, ancient ruins, teeming industrialised cities, time-warped colonial towns, glitzy resorts, lonely beaches and a world-beating collection of flora and fauna.

Shaped by the Mayan and Aztec civilisations, Mexico has suffered the destructive force of human nature. the Conquistadors, European colonial rule, civil and territorial wars, rebellions, dictatorships, recessions and earthquakes have all shaped Mexico into the story it tells today through it's varied sites, culture and infrastructure.

Mexico's buildings tend to resemble a quite unique combination of colonial and pagan architecture, blending together Art Nouveau, Baroque, Art Deco and Native American design into the structure of their churches and public structures. Mexico's culture displays a similar blend of the traditional and the modern.

Mexico is much more than just unique culture and fascinating ancient sites and cities. The country also boasts several hundred miles of beautiful coastline extending down through the Pacific and the Caribbean. Beach resort cities such as Acapulco, Cancún and those of the Baja California peninsula are accepted vacation havens. The countryside is also rich in archaeological treasures with pyramids, ruins of ancient cities and great stone carvings of ancient gods standing as testament to a country once ruled by the Aztecs and Mayans.

Chichen Itza Travel Guide

Chichen Itza Suitability Profile