Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Things You’ll Need:
- Time
- Interest
- Curiosity
- An Open Mind and Heart
Step1
Investigate on the Internet. The internet has a lot of good information about the Mayans and their history and culture. A common misconception is that the Mayans are a "lost" people, but nothing could be farther from the truth. Southern Mexico and Guatemala are full of the descendants of the Mayans who built places like Chichen Itza and Tikal.
Step2
Plan a trip. If you want to find out more about their philosophy and cosmology, there is nothing like going to where they live. Plan a trip to the Yucatan. Stay in Merida, a large colonial city in the center of the Yucatan Peninsula. From there, you can go to various Mayan archaeological sites for day trips, while still enjoying modern comforts and urban entertainment in the evenings.
Step3
Sign up with a reputable tour group to see the archeaological sites. Turitransmerida or Yucatan Trails in Merida provide day trips to all of the big ones: Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Edzna, Dzibilchaltun, Mayapan, etc.
Step4
If you REALLY want to learn about the spiritual philosophy of the Mayans, take a tour with Iluminado Tours, also based in Merida. Trudy Woodcock runs Iluminado Tours, which pairs travelers with a Mayan shaman or two to visit the archaeological sites. With her tours, travelers participate in Mayan rituals on and off the sites, and learn about the local people, while still having the convenience of traveling with an English speaking guide.
Step5
The best way to learn more while you are visiting Merida would be to sign up for a course at the Mayan Cosmic University, a local training center that features lecture courses on everything from the 13 Mayan Cosmic Salutations to the still-existing rituals and the meaning and uses of the 3 Mayan calendars.
Mayan ruins at Palenque
Novice 
Comments
Ladybugblue said
on 5/24/2008 This was a great article and very interesting!