Honey: A sweet Maya legacy
The Maya people of the Yucatan have practiced beekeeping for thousands of years. The ancient Maya considered the bee to be a link to the spirit world, given to them by the bee god, Ah Muzen Cab. The honey was used as a sweetener, an antibiotic, and to make the fermented honey drink called balché, a ritual alcoholic beverage similar to the European mead.
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Yucatán Style Baked Marinated Salmon: Salmón Pibil
Ingredients
2 banana leaves, passed over a flame to soften
2 pound piece salmon filet
1 brick achiote paste (100 grams, about 2 ounces)
¾ cup bitter orange juice (or use half sw...
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Touring the Yucatan by motorcycle
"Ai-ee!" I yelled as the motorcycle flew into the air. We were riding double at 55 mph between Tulum and Playa del Carmen and I didn't see the sign for the elevated crosswalk ahead. My years of d...
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Touring Mexico's Yucatan ruins
We took an early morning ferry from Cozumel to Playa Del Carmen. The warm wind and sea spray felt good on our frost bitten faces, fresh from Northern California.
We had previously toured the Mayan rui...
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Yucatecan Baked Fish: Tikin-Xic
This visually appealing dish calls for achiote paste, a classic Yucatan spice paste made from the hard, orange seed of the annatto tree, blended with cumin, cloves and pepper. The market in Merida has ...
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Did you know? A plastic island is constructed in Mexico
An entire island has been constructed, not by Bob the Builder, but by Richie the Recycler!
Amazing but true: off the coast of Quintana Roo, Richie Sowa has painstakingly constructed an entire island,...
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Did you know? Mayan architects built world's oldest sound recordings
The Pyramid of Kukulkan, Chichen Itza
Photo by Tony Burton
Modern sound recordings usually involve tiny disks which can hold dozens of tracks, specially designed to be easily portable an...
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Did You Know? Mexico's kapok trees aided the U.S. war effort
Mexican kapok trees once helped the U.S. war effort.
During the Mexican dry season, a peculiar and very distinctive leafless tree often attracts attention because it appears to have large balls of flu...
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Cooking in the Yucatan: bright flavors and unique ingredients
One of the regions of Mexico most indelibly fixed in my mind is the Yucatan, probably because the sights, sounds, flavors and aromas are so sensual that they create truly visceral memories. When my hus...
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The Books Of Chilam Balam and the Trojan War Of Yucatan
In writing of the Persian Wars, Herodotus, our earliest Greek historian of note, declared that his purpose in writing of the attempts by the Persian kings Darius and Xerxes to invade Greece was to ensu...
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Beyond spring break: Cancun has something for everyone
Crystal clear waters that caress white sand beaches, wild spring break partying, Mexican food, Spanish petitions to clean your car for a quick peso… for the average American traveler these images com...
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The Mayan Civilization Time Line
Based on the 'Mystery of the Maya'
OVERVIEW
B.C.
1000-1000
Olmec
...
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Ask an old gringo: Mexico City, Cancun and moving to Mexico
Questions and answers about life in Mexico
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The Yucatan peninsula links
All regions in Mexico differ from each other, but some are profoundly different. The Yucatan Peninsula is one of the continent's newest territories, emerging from the sea roughly 60 million years ago a...
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Henequen and its role in the Yucatan's shifting fortunes
The Maya produced fibre from the henequen plant since the time of Christ.
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Merida: fiery mistress, seductive city
Merida is a most un-Mexican city. It feels more European; more reserved in a middle class sort of way.
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Cozumel - Island Of Many Faces
For many visitors to Cozumel, the island's downtown is merely a cruise ship stop or a blur out the taxi window on the way to one of the resorts that cluster on the north and south end. However, if you ...
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Evoking the ancient Maya: murals by Otoniel Baruck Sala
Maya-themed murals, which fuse shards of this ancient culture with elements of fantasy, are Sala's current focus.
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Nature's artist: Mexico's Alan Vazquez
"The topics that I address in my artwork are an SOS to protect our scarce natural resources of today."
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Yucatan Style Pickled Onions: Cebollas Encurtidas Estilo Yucateca
Both white and purple pickled onions are served as condiments in the Yucatan. The purple variety is generally served with cochinita pibil, and both make great additions to sandwiches. Blanching them...
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Mexico Economic Updates May 2006
International Reserves
The nation's foreign reserves stood at 68.678 billion dollars in mid-April, according to the Bank of Mexico, the nation's central bank. The reserves reached an all-time high of ...
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Lloyd Mexico Economic Report February 2006
Inflation at all-time low
The central bank (Banco de México) reports that inflation in 2005 fell to 3.33%. This is the lowest annual rate since the current method of calculation was first introduced ...
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Yucatan Fish Panuchos: Panuchos de Pescado
Combining the classic Yucatecan ingredients of achiote seasoning, black beans and pickled red onions, true panuchos need to be made with fresh tortillas that will inflate when placed on the comal or gr...
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Map of the classic period 250 A.D. - 900 A.D.
Rise and Fall of Cities and States
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The Maya civilization, cities of the Maya
The material splendor of the Maya culture is appreciated, more than in any other field, in the architecture and ornamentation of their cities. These city-states were the center of power for the king-pr...
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