Even though Mexico generally makes headlines around ... - Dedeman

Palenque’deki yolculuğunuza uçsuz bucaksız, zümrüt yeşili bir
orman, derinden gelen su sesi, maymunların bağırışları ve
renkli tukanlar eşlik edecek.
(şimdi yarasalara yuva olmuş) odalarına, tapınaklara,
Mayalardan kalma evlere girebiliyorsunuz. Uxmal’ın en
göz alıcı yapısı ise 39 metre yüksekliğindeki, eliptik bir
koni biçimindeki görkemli Casa del Adivino tapınağı.
Orta Meksi̇ka’ya Doğru
Yucatán’ı geride bırakarak batıya, ülkenin içlerine
doğru ilerlemek isteyen çoğu kişinin ilk durağı
Zapatista hareketinin ve Subcomandante Marcos’un
yurdu Chiapas eyaleti oluyor. Chiapas’taki en önemli
konaklama noktası ise 80 bin nüfuslu, adını hemen
yanı başındaki Maya şehrinden alan ve aslında pek de
şirin olmayan Palenque. Ancak antik Palenque, Maya
harikalarına Yucatán’da alışmaya başlamanıza rağmen
sizi etkilemeyi başarıyor. Yanınızdan geçen ve “ruinas,
ruinas!” (İspanyolca’da ‘harabeler’ manasına geliyor)
diye bağıran minibüsler sayesinde antik şehre ulaşmak
pek zor değil.
Chiapas, Yucatán’dan daha yüksekte bulunduğu için
daha çok yağış alıyor, ve bunun sonucunda da daha
ormanlık bir yapıya sahip. Palenque de böyle uçsuz
bucaksız bir ormanın ortasına kurulmuş ve çok geniş bir
alana yayılmış bir Maya şehri. Tulum’da turkuaz renkli
denizin yaptığı etkiyi Palenque’de zümrüt renkli orman
yapıyor: dev ağaçların oluşturduğu tropik ormanda
ilerlerken karşınıza aniden sanki içindeki son Mayalar
kapıyı kapatıp çıktığından beri ellenmemiş gibi duran
addition to the Temple of the Jaguars and the Temple of
the Warriors, another important building in Chichen Itza is
the watchtower Spanish explorers called El Caracol (snail)
due to its shape. El Caracol is one of the largest concrete
signs of the Mayans’ astronomy culture, which still surprises
scientists and historians to this day.
The largest city on the peninsula is Mérida, located west
of Chichen Itza, closer to the shore Yucatán shares with the
Gulf of Mexico. With a capacity of 800 thousand people as
well as buildings with colonial architecture, narrow streets,
spacious squares and traditional café and restaurants,
Mérida is much closer to current Mexican culture than
the destinations we left behind. Even though the effects of
tourism are still felt, the residents of this relatively large city
are busy with their own work. Yet Mérida’s most defining
characteristic remains its location as a hopping stone to the
touristic spots in the south.
Located a little south of Mérida, Uxmal is definitely one of
the most important Mayan ruins in Yucatán. Even though it
is a little smaller than Chichen Itza, here tourists are freer
to get close to the monuments. You can climb up the pyramid
and look out at the entire city from above, or you can enter
the rooms (now bat nests) of the Place of the Governor, the
temples and the Mayan houses. The most striking structure
in Uxmal is the magnificient 39-meter-tall temple of Casa
del Adivino, which is shaped like an elliptical cone.
Towards Central Mexico
The first stop of most people who want to leave Yucatán
behind and move west towards the interior country is the
state of Chiapas, home of the Zapatista movement and
Subcomandante Marcos. The most important lodging spot in
Chiapas is Palenque, a not-so-cute area with a population
of 80 thousand that gets its name from the Mayan city
nearby. But ancient Palenque manages to impress you,
even though you started getting used to Mayan wonders
from Yucatán. Thanks to the minibuses passing by that yell
“ruinas, ruinas!” (which means “ruins” in Spanish), it isn’t
that difficult to reach the ancient city.
Because it is higher in altitude than Yucatán, Chiapas
receives more rainfall, and as a result, it has a more forested
structure. Palenque is such a Mayan city that’s situated in
the middle of an endless forest and spread out over a very
wide area. The emerald-colored forest in Palenque creates the
same effect as the turquoise-colored sea in Tulum; as you’re
moving forward in the tropical forest created by giant trees,
you can suddenly encounter Mayan houses that look like
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