Beautypically

According to liuxers.com, the main secret of the success of Mexico as a tourist destination is that there are actually two of them. One – a five-star hotel, beach and sunbathing and entertaining and decorative – is available at all popular resorts in the country and is especially loved by American tourists, where there are even more of the latter than Germans on Turkish beaches. But “Mexico No. 2” is the unearthly pyramids of Teotihuacan, the Indian-colonial Oaxaca, the magical Uxmal and many other places that are directly related to the mysterious Mayan civilization that has disappeared over the centuries. Maybe you won’t bring a southern tan from a trip to the ancient monuments of the country, but the impressions of such a trip will certainly last longer than a dark skin tone.

In the Mexican city of Guanajuato is the Museum of Mummies, the exposition of which is made up of the bodies of people, mummified in a natural way.

Teotihuacan (“The place where the gods are born”) – it is still unclear when the first people began to settle here and why the city was abandoned, but its architectural monuments are amazing. The pyramids of Teotihuacan are located about 40 km northeast of the capital, Mexico City. Taxco, a picturesque mountain town under the auspices of UNESCO as a monument of world culture, has retained the layout and buildings with typical cobbled streets and houses characteristic of the colonial period.

Southeast of Mexico City, in Cholula, there are the ruins of a huge “matryoshka pyramid”, lined with giant stone slabs covered with ornate carvings.

Puebla is located about 100 km east of Mexico City at the foot of the Popocatepetl volcano and was founded in 1531. It has preserved such outstanding religious buildings as the Cathedral of the 16th and 17th centuries, beautiful buildings like the old palace of the archbishop, as well as a number of residential buildings with walls lined with colored tiles – “azuleijos”.

Oaxaca is located in the southeast of Mexico and is the capital of the state of the same name. The city was founded in 1532 by Spanish settlers who came after Hernan Cortes. The special charm of Oaxaca lies in the combination of Indian traditions and colonial splendor. It is also famous for the fact that it produces a special kind of tequila – “Mescal”.

Monte Alban is the ritual center of three civilizations. Inhabited for more than 1.5 thousand years by successive peoples – the Olmecs, Zapotecs and Mixtecs – the Monte Alban complex, with its terraces, dams, canals, pyramids and artificial hills, was literally carved out of the mountains, becoming a masterpiece of sacred topography. The Yucatan Peninsula is the cradle of the Maya civilization and the center of a huge number of archaeological sites.

Mexican entertainment center KidZania (KidZania) is a small copy of a real city for children. It includes buildings, shops, theaters and urban transport. Younger guests can spend the whole day here, choosing any of the 70 professions.

Uxmal (“Three Times Built”) is another important Mayan ceremonial center in the Yucatan. The local historical monuments are simply countless – the Great Pyramid, the Wizard’s Pyramid (“Dwarf’s House”) 38 m high, the building of the ruler’s palace with its famous “throne of the two-headed jaguar”, the Temple of the Phalluses, the Turtle House, the quadrangle of the Monastery of the Nuns and the Pyramid of the Old Sorceress.

Palenque is a historical mystery of the country. This famous Mayan city is located in the mountain selva and is surrounded on all sides by tropical vegetation. More than 1400 of its beautifully preserved buildings cover an area four times the size of any known Mayan city.

Merida is the capital of the state of Yucatan. The city was founded in 1542 on the ruins of one of the Mayan cities. Merida is famous for one of the best traditional markets in Mexico. It is here that you can buy a hammock for every taste (family, for two, for one, colored and just white), all of them are of excellent quality.

Chichen Itza – this sacred place was one of the greatest centers of the Maya in the Yucatan Peninsula. For about a thousand years of history, various peoples have left their mark on the appearance of the city. The ideas of the Maya, Toltecs and Itza about the world and the universe were reflected in stone monuments and works of art.

Monday is generally a public holiday at all theatres, museums and archaeological sites.

Holidays and events

A separate reason for traveling to Mexico is endless holidays and festivals. New Year in Mexico is celebrated magnificently: with bells, fireworks, colorful processions and the obligatory breaking of a piñata – a hollow papier-mâché vessel filled with sweets, fruits and festive tinsel. The main state dates are Constitution Day (the first Monday in February), Victory Day at the Battle of Pueblo on May 5, Independence Day on September 16, and Revolution Day on November 20.

February 24 – Flag Day. According to legend, the eagle depicted on it showed the ancient Aztecs the place where the first city was built, destined by the god Huitzilopochtli.

The most famous Mexican holiday is the Day of the Dead on November 1: a tribute to the memory of departed ancestors and at the same time an ode to life, beauty and optimism. The February carnival is comparable in scale to the legendary Mardi Gras: people walk the streets in masks, dance, sing, compete in contests and eat their fill before Lent.

In July, in the state of Oaxaca, Guelagueza is held in honor of the indigenous peoples: processions in traditional costumes, performances, the election of a queen, tequila by the river. November 22 – Day of Saint Cecilia, the patroness of mariachis: languid musicians in sombreros play in Garibaldi Square. Well, December 25 is everyone’s favorite Christmas with theatrical performances on biblical motifs, warm feasts and gifts.

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