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Our first exploration of the ancient Maya world...and we were hooked.

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1000places > It all started here - our intense interest in all things ancient. From August 24 to September 4, 1991, we discovered a new world 1500 years old - the world of the ancient Maya and the mysterious pyramids that were to fascinate us from that point on.

[NOTE: 1991 was obviously a few years before the advent of digital cameras, so the images in this gallery are scanned from film negatives.]

1000places > VILLAHERMOSA, MEXICO - We began at the Museum Park of La Venta where the artifacts of the Olmecs - a predecessor culture to the Maya - were on display. Here our traveling companions take a stroll through the park, approaching one of the most intriquing of pre-Mayan stone heads carved by the Olmecs.

1000places > VILLAHERMOSA, MEXICO - This monolithic sculpture of basalt weighs around 25 tons. It was sculpted between 1000 and 800 BC and probably represents an Olmec king wearing a helmet perhaps for a ritual ballgame played by the Olmecs and later by the Maya.

1000places > VILLAHERMOSA, MEXICO - This Olmec statue, called "The Grandmother" from La Venta is thought to represent a dwarf.

1000places > VILLAHERMOSA, MEXICO - Were these strange phallic sculptures the early predecessors of the stelae that would later record the great accomplishments of Classic Maya kings?

1000places > VILLAHERMOSA, MEXICO - We also saw this crocodile farm in Villahermosa. Crocodiles occupied an exalted place in the Maya pantheon and it is believed they were protected rather than offered in religious rites since no interment has been found that included crocodile remains.

1000places > VILLAHERMOSA, MEXICO - Senor de Tabasco Cathedral is the main catholic temple of Villahermosa, located in the same place where the Senor de Esquipulas church - constructed in 1776 - was destroyed during the anti-clerical campaign unleashed by the governor Tomás Garrido Canabal between the years of 1928 and 1934. Construction of the new Cathedral began in 1963. Its two high towers can be seen from virtually any place in Villahermosa.

1000places > PALENQUE, MEXICO - The next morning, with great anticipation, we made our way up a wooded pathway. The fog was just lifting, and we were approaching our first Maya pyramid.

We have our good friends Gary and Nancy to thank for our interest in ancient ruins. In 1991, they invited us to join them for a road trip across Mexico - from Tabasco, through Chiapas and the Yucatan - then provided a running commentary throughout the trip that enlightened, educated, and entertained us.

> We have our good friends Gary and Nancy to thank for our interest in ancient ruins. In 1991, they invited us to join them for a road trip across Mexico - from Tabasco, through Chiapas and the Yucatan - then provided a running commentary throughout the trip that enlightened, educated, and entertained us.

We have our good friends Gary and Nancy to thank for our interest in ancient ruins. In 1991, they invited us to join them for a road trip across Mexico - from Tabasco, through Chiapas and the Yucatan - then provided a running commentary throughout the trip that enlightened, educated, and entertained us.

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Keywords: ruins maya tulum palenque merida uxmal chichen itza kabah olmec la venta

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