Tradition and culture: Mexico through its historic addresses

Teotihuacan, an Aztec site where the height of the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon gives a sense of the scale of this city, the largest in the pre-Columbian world. Rise above it all aboard a hot air balloon to admire the beauty of the archaeological site and take in the surrounding landscape. When the sun is still low, it's the ideal moment to drift gently above Teotihuacan, whose name curiously means “the place where the gods were created”, or “the city where men become gods”.

About fifty kilometres from Mexico City, two majestic volcanic mountains stand face to face: Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl. Revered by local inhabitants, they are at the origin of a legend passed down from generation to generation.

Long ago, a warrior and a beautiful princess fell deeply in love. But the King did not look favourably on this relationship. So when the man came to ask for his daughter's hand, the King agreed, on one condition: that he go to war against the enemies of Oaxaca and return with the head of their chief.
The valiant warrior left his beloved behind, determined to return to her. Unfortunately, the King led his daughter to believe that her lover had died. Heartbroken, she died of grief. When the young man returned and learned the news, he kept endless watch over his beloved's body, torch in hand. Moved by sorrow, the gods transformed them into mountains. She became Iztaccíhuatl, “the sleeping woman”, and he became Popocatépetl, “the smoking mountain” — for he expresses his anger by spewing plumes of ash.

The Ruta Puuc is a route lined with archaeological sites south of Mérida, making up the Puuc, a hill region in northeastern Yucatán.
Heading south from Mérida, the first stop is the ancient city of Uxmal, the largest site in the region after Chichén Itzá, found at the heart of the jungle. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this city — now favoured by iguanas basking in the sun — features the round Pyramid of the Magician, the Governor's Palace, the Nunnery Quadrangle and the House of the Turtles. Its pale pink limestone cladding is dotted with finely carved details on the building façades.
Continuing southeast, the route reaches Kabah, home to the Palace of the Masks of Chaac (the Mayan rain god). The tightly clustered buildings give the site an impression of grandeur.
Further south lies Sayil, known for its striking three-tiered palace, a city also being gradually reclaimed by the jungle.

Heading east from there, you reach Xlapak, home to several groups of ruins, mostly palaces, some with columns, in an ostentatious style. The carved decorations on the façades, often depicting Chaac, rise above roof level.

Finally, at Labná, the arch built using the corbelled vault technique marks the end point of this journey. Alongside the arch, the site also holds a partially demolished pyramid.

A former private estate, Hacienda Santa Rosa, located in the western Yucatan Peninsula not far from the Ria Celestun biosphere reserve, stands out for its brightly coloured walls dotted with ancient columns, its lush gardens and its Mayan atmosphere.

Its name, meaning “well of the Itzá,” refers to the cenotes, which served as sources of drinking water, sites of offerings to Chaac, the god of rain, or places of human sacrifice. But more than the water-filled sinkholes, it is above all the Pyramid of Kukulkán, dedicated to the feathered serpent god of the same name, that draws visitors.
This 25 m high structure, with four staircases representing the cardinal points, is a true Mayan calendar: its 365 steps represent the days of the year, its 18 terraces symbolise the 18 months of the Mayan calendar, and its 52 interior panels represent the years of each sacred cycle.
Every year, at the spring and autumn equinoxes, the sun creates the illusion of a serpent climbing or descending the steps of the pyramid — a spectacle unlike any other in the world.