Pollution here hangs in the valley
Mexico City is the capital and largest city of Mexico - the most populous city in North America and one of the most important cultural and financial centers in the world. It is located in the Valley of Mexico within the high Mexican central plateau, at an altitude of 2,240 meters (7,350 ft).
Coat of Arms of Mexico
Central Courtyard
Toltec Atlas Figure
Toltec Sculpture
Giant stone head of the Olmec civilization
Frieze of Placeres
Mayan Head Mask
Teocalli of the sacred war
Ocelotl-Cuauhxicalli
Moctezuma's Quetzal feather headdress - replica The original is in Vienna where the Austrians refuse to return it
Aztec Sunstone - calendar
Painted replica
The National Museum of Anthropology
Platform along the Avenue of the Dead
Temple of the Feathered Serpent - architectural detail to the right of the steps.
Avenue of the Dead links the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, the Pyramid of the Moon and the Pyramid of the Sun
Male anthropomorphic urn with the representation of the god with a snake mouth mask
Restored portion of Teotihucan architecture showing the typical Mesoamerican use of red paint complemented on gold and jade decoration upon marble and granite.
UNESCO World Heritage Site description: Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan
The holy city of Teotihuacan ('the place where the gods were created') is situated some 50 km north-east of Mexico City. Built between the 1st and 7th centuries A.D., it is characterized by the vast size of its monuments – in particular, the Temple of Quetzalcoatl and the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, laid out on geometric and symbolic principles. As one of the most powerful cultural centres in Mesoamerica, Teotihuacan extended its cultural and artistic influence throughout the region, and even beyond.
Pyramid of the Sun - The name Pyramid of the Sun comes from the Aztecs, who visited the city of Teotihuacan centuries after it was abandoned. It was constructed in two phases. The first construction stage, around 200 CE, brought the pyramid to nearly the size it is today. The second round of construction resulted in its completed size of 225 meters (738 feet) across and 75 meters (246 feet) high making it the third-largest pyramid in the world, though still just over half the height of the Great Pyramid of Giza. The second phase also saw the construction of an altar atop of the pyramid which has not survived into modern times. Over the structure, the ancient Teotihuacanos finished their pyramid with lime plaster imported from surrounding areas, on which they painted brilliantly colored murals
Parroquia San Francisco de Asis
Palacio Municipal de Mérida-City Hall
Catedral de San Ildefonso
Mérida, the vibrant capital of the Mexican state of Yucatán, has a rich Mayan and colonial heritage. The city’s focal point is Plaza de la Independencia, bordered by the fortresslike Mérida Cathedral and white limestone Iglesia de la Tercera Orden, both colonial-era churches built using relics from ancient Mayan temples.
Uxmal, (Mayan: “Thrice Built”)
Uxmal was founded in c 700 AD and had about 25000 inhabitants.
The Great Pyramid
The Great Pyramid-At 30 metres high, it’s almost as tall as the Pyramid of the Magician (five metres short). The nine sections of this structure, built in the mid-eight-century, are crowned with great views of the site
Governor's Palace
The Nunnery Quadrangle - built from 900-1000
House of the Pigeons
UNESCO World Heritage description: Pre-Hispanic Town of Uxmal
The Mayan town of Uxmal, in Yucatán, was founded c. A.D. 700 and had some 25,000 inhabitants. The layout of the buildings, which date from between 700 and 1000, reveals a knowledge of astronomy. The Pyramid of the Soothsayer, as the Spaniards called it, dominates the ceremonial centre, which has well-designed buildings decorated with a profusion of symbolic motifs and sculptures depicting Chaac, the god of rain. The ceremonial sites of Uxmal, Kabah, Labna and Sayil are considered the high points of Mayan art and architecture.
Masks of Chaac
El Cuadrángulo-North Palace
Pyramid of the Magician ...
... or the Pyramid of the Dwarf
The Ball Court
Cenote
Two big cenotes on the site made it a suitable place for the city and gave it its name, from chi (“mouths”), chen (“wells”), and Itzá, the name of the Maya tribe that settled there.
Temple of the Warriors
UNESCO World Heritage Site description: Pre-Hispanic City of Chichen-Itza
This sacred site was one of the greatest Mayan centres of the Yucatán peninsula. Throughout its nearly 1,000-year history, different peoples have left their mark on the city. The Maya and Toltec vision of the world and the universe is revealed in their stone monuments and artistic works. The fusion of Mayan construction techniques with new elements from central Mexico make Chichen-Itza one of the most important examples of the Mayan-Toltec civilization in Yucatán. Several buildings have survived, such as the Warriors’ Temple, El Castillo and the circular observatory known as El Caracol.
Chac Mool sculpture
El Castillo or Temple of Kukulcan
The Temple of the Warriors
Cenote of Sacrifice
A legendary tradition at Chichén was the Cult of the Cenote, involving human sacrifice to the rain god, Chaac, in which victims were thrown into the city’s major cenote (at the northernmost part of the ruin), along with gold and jade ornaments and other valuables.
El Caracol (“The Snail”), an observatory
Palacio Nacional Guatemala
National Cathedral of Guatemala
Palacio Nacional Guatemala
Palacio Nacional Guatemala
UNESCO World Heritage Site description: Tikal National Park
In the heart of the jungle, surrounded by lush vegetation, lies one of the major sites of Mayan civilization, inhabited from the 6th century B.C. to the 10th century A.D. The ceremonial centre contains superb temples and palaces, and public squares accessed by means of ramps. Remains of dwellings are scattered throughout the surrounding countryside.
Iximche is a late Post Classic (1250-1525) capital of the Kaqchikel Maya. Iximche is a K’iche’ Maya word, which translates to “maize tree” in English. The name is thought to have been chosen by the Mayan people because of the fertile land and the abundance of maize in the surrounding area. This ancient city was a powerful political and ceremonial center during the late Postclassic period of Mayan civilization.
Lake Atitlán is a body of water in a massive volcanic crater in Guatemala’s southwestern highlands. Ringed by steep, verdant hills, it’s known for its Mayan villages and volcanoes with striking pointed cones.
Eruption - Volcan Fuego
Steam clouds containing a little ash rose about 1,000 m above the summit, beginning before dawn on 11 September. The eruption was preceded by felt earthquakes on 6 September at 2206 and 9 September at 0420 and was accompanied by harmonic tremor. On 12 September, emission of voluminous brown to black clouds was nearly continuous, frequently broken by 10-20-second intervals of quiescence. At 2130, incandescent bombs and ash were ejected. Ash emission was continuous on 13 September and harmonic tremor amplitude increased. Some ash fell on the W flank, at Yepocapa. The eruption had ended by 14 September
It’s known for its open-air craft market and indigenous Maya culture. 98.5% of the municipality's population is indigenous Mayan K'iche.
16th-century Santo Tomás Apóstol Church
Santo Tomás Apóstol Church
UNESCO World Heritage Site description: Antigua, the capital of the Captaincy-General of Guatemala, was founded in the early 16th century. Built 1,500 m above sea-level, in an earthquake-prone region, it was largely destroyed by an earthquake in 1773 but its principal monuments are still preserved as ruins. In the space of under three centuries the city, which was built on a grid pattern inspired by the Italian Renaissance, acquired a number of superb monuments.
Eruption - Volcan Fuego
