We left Merida at 6am in order to beat the heat and the crowds at this extremely popular tourist site. So glad we did! The giant pyramid was impressive, and the many other structures in the area also represented a mammoth amount of human labour. So many stones! Built thousands of years ago.
We wandered around for two hours, thankfully there was a breeze and some cloud cover.
I could not believe the number of small stalls scattered throughout the site. Hundreds of them. They wheeled their trolleys to their various areas, unpacked their crates, laid them out on pieces of cloth and hoped someone would buy from them.
By the time we left at 10:30, the bus loads of tourists had arrived. Hordes of them, following along after their guides. Each person paying around $65 entrance fee.
Chris Godman 
Amazing ‘pyramids’ Very advanced Mayan culture. What was the Mayan era?? 👍
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Began approx 1500BCE, already settled in villages and practicing agriculture. Classic period 250CE until about 900, civilisation at its pinnacle. But it lasted until the Spanish arrived in the 16th Century. The Mayans came before the Aztecs. (I googled this!)
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Knew you’d have the answer Chris! Amazing it was happening in a similar era to Egypt but on the other side of the world! 👍
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Hope that $65 per person was being put to good use restoring the buildings!
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Evidently the price is high because they will have to close for a while to carry out work. But it is so popular and such a money-maker especially with day trips from the cruise ships, they don’t want to close it in a hurry!
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Consumerism paying for culture! So amazing what they could achieve without today’s technology, awe inspiring!
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