# Must See Maya Ruins



## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

1) Tikal
2) Tonina
3) Tulum
4) Coba
5) Palenque

There are more but start there - especially Tikal. Magic.


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

Tikal
Copan
Palenque
El Mirador
Balam Ku


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Uxmal and Palenque are my favorites.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

My favorite is Yaxchilán in the jungle with howler monkeys providing the sound track.


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

Yaxchilan and Bonampak slipped my mind but are both an easy drive from Palenque. If one is traveling to these wondrous ruins, one should not miss Tonina - an indescribable mountainside, steep ruin of a greatly important city and rival of Palenque which is largely unheralded these days but not to be missed. Just outside of the Zaptista stronghold of Ocosingo about 2 1/2hours out of San Cristobal de Las Casas and the same distance, more or less, from Palenque. The drive from SanCristobal to Palenque is beautiful and takes one from alpine forests through coffee country to tropical jungles that are a feast for the eyes and other senses. Along the way are indescribably beautiful cascades worth interim stopovers but eat in these ejido controlled parks with precaution.

A reminder that I started this thread writing of Tikal in Guatemala. Spectacular, mind-bending. Well worth the trip south of the border. Easily my favorite Maya ruin.


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

Your are correct, Tikal is probably #1 of all Maya cities, I remember they were working on and there was scaffolding on Temple 2 when I visited in 1967....


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## perropedorro (Mar 19, 2016)

chicois8 said:


> Your are correct, Tikal is probably #1 of all Maya cities, I remember they were working on and there was scaffolding on Temple 2 when I visited in 1967....


Went to Tikal 20 years ago, awesome and particularly surreal in the morning mist. Found that the only food concession inside the park to be incongruous, a Dunkin Donuts franchise which I hope is not still there. Then there was a group of hippy-dippy Germans who lounged on the monuments for hours-on-end, reciting from the Popol Vuh---as if tourists had come to see and take pictures of them. OTOH my son, age 3 at the time, mounted Chac Mool like a mechanical horse and expected it to go somewhere.


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## Meritorious-MasoMenos (Apr 17, 2014)

Hound Dog said:


> 1) Tikal
> 2) Tonina
> 3) Tulum
> 4) Coba
> ...


Well, Tulum showed that at least one Mayan city founder had the long distance vision for beach front property,

I understand recent translations of newly discovered carvings showed the Tulum king offered an early version of timeshares, with the sales pitch lasting three days instead of three hours. It was said that some timeshare holders who fell behind on payments were so distraught, they lost their hearts, the first tentative translation shows.


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

perro, don't remember ever seeing Chac Mool in Tikal...


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## Howler (Apr 22, 2013)

*Copán?*



chicois8 said:


> Tikal
> Copan
> Palenque
> El Mirador
> Balam Ku


Copán is located further south in Honduras. Amazing ruins, but I last visited there in 1989... However, the violence & crime have increased sharply in Honduras recently so it may not be a safe trip. If you can find a safe & organized tour there, it would be worth it, though. Otherwise, you may have to wait for the danger factor to dies down.

PS - don't confuse "Copán" (with a "P") in Honduras, with "Cobán" (with a "B") in the center of Guatemala!


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

*Original Post*



Hound Dog said:


> 1) Tikal
> 2) Tonina
> 3) Tulum
> 4) Coba
> ...



Howler, Yes I know where Copan is located, The OP asked for a five best Maya ruins, did not mention any country, in fact his #1 is in Guatemala...I visited Copan and Tikal in 1967,can't help it there are problems in Honduras now a days...and I know the difference between a P and a B......LOL
During that `67 trip I also visited in Guatemala the Kaminaljuyu and Mixco Viejo sites.....


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## Howler (Apr 22, 2013)

chicois8 said:


> Howler, Yes I know where Copan is located, The OP asked for a five best Maya ruins, did not mention any country, in fact his #1 is in Guatemala...I visited Copan and Tikal in 1967,can't help it there are problems in Honduras now a days...and I know the difference between a P and a B......LOL
> During that `67 trip I also visited in Guatemala the Kaminaljuyu and Mixco Viejo sites.....


Not a problem... I was of the mind he was listing ruins particularly in Mexico. Copán jumped out at me because I had been there while in Honduras with the Army... obviously not in Mexico. You're right, he was listing Mayan ruins without regard to their location. I'd still like to visit them all!


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