Surprising Mayan architecture
The Maya rivalled each other in prowess and daring in the construction of their impressive city-states. These cities experienced an initial period of prosperity, known as the classical period, between the 3rd and 10th centuries, then, after the decline of certain urban centers, a second period of effervescence, known as the post-classical period, between the 11th and 16th centuries. Their powerful stone architecture was the symbol of power and religion, and was organized in a highly codified manner. The city is divided into two parts. On the one hand, there's the ceremonial heart of the city, often accessed via an archway, which concentrates pyramids, temples, palaces, ball games, observatories and cisterns or chultunes, all organized around large areas reminiscent of agoras. This was the residence of priests and high dignitaries. The population, on the other hand, lived away from the city, close to fields carved out by irrigation canals and low stone walls, in elongated, oval, one-room huts with a wooden structure and thatched roof. An art of living that continues to this day in many Mayan villages. All these spaces, as well as the city-states between them, are linked by sacbés, straight roads built of limestone and slightly raised above ground level. This mastery of urban planning was complemented by a mastery of architecture, expressed in all its splendour in the ceremonial centers. This is all the more extraordinary given that the Maya used only the most rudimentary tools, made of stone or wood. The preferred building material was limestone, and the Maya used a crushed limestone mortar to bind the blocks together, before developing a stone-cutting technique that allowed the blocks to be fitted together. Surfaces are covered with plaster and painted with mineral and organic pigments. Generally speaking, the city's buildings were erected on stone bases of varying sizes. The landmark building is the pyramid, nicknamed El Castillo. It's not a burial site like the Egyptians', but a platform on which a sanctuary is built. Vertical architecture, to stand as close as possible to the gods. The pyramids are stepped, with impressively steep staircases, and terraced levels that progressively narrow in a consummate art of proportion and perspective. Nothing is left to chance, and astronomy and mathematics preside over the construction of each structure. This is particularly true of the rounded observatories, often equipped with spiral staircases, whose openings are calculated to allow precise observation of the stars. The Maya are the only American people to have made extensive use of the so-called "false vault" technique, consisting of a superimposition of mortar-bonded stones that overlap and eventually meet, but without the central stone acting as keystone to support the whole, hence the term "false vault" or corbelled vault, and hence the fact that the spaces cleared by this structure are of low height. Maya architecture is also richly decorative, using a resolutely epic style. In particular, the Mayans mastered the art of bas-relief and mosaics (the fruit of standardized, prefabricated production!), which can be found on the entire façade or just on the ridges and lintels, emphasizing the structure. There are several styles. The Puuc style, of which the Uxmal site is known as the great masterpiece, is characterized by walls that are relatively sober at their base, but whose upper part is adorned with complex mosaics alternating geometric motifs, masks of Chaac (the rain god) and interlacing religious symbols, with the snake in the lead. The Rio Bec style, found on the Xpujil site in particular, is characterized by long platforms and buildings flanked by towers with rounded corners, often in pairs and then built in a perfectly parallel fashion. The Chenes style can be recognized by its façades entirely covered with Chaac masks, while the Chichen-Itza site highlights a Maya-Toltec style that combines the sobriety of sculpted Toltec columns with the geometric richness of Maya lintels. The Yucatán peninsula is home to hundreds of Mayan sites, not to mention all those that have yet to be discovered! But among the most astonishing, don't miss : Tulum, the only example of a city built on the sea, recognizable by its fortifications and walls; Uxmal, with its incredible Pyramid of the Soothsayer and its Temple of the Governor of impressive proportions; Chichen Itza with its Pyramid of Kukulcan (the serpent god), whose orientation was designed so that the shadow cast during the equinoxes would bring the snakes decorating it to life, and its beautiful observatory; or Coba, linked to the other sanctuaries by 40 sacbés, and Kabah with its richly decorated arch. At many sites, you'll also notice the presence of several structures within a single edifice: this is because the Maya always rebuilt in the same place, as if to put down roots and survive in a nature that was constantly changing.
Colonial heritage
The first aim of the Spanish colonists was to evangelize the New World, so the first evidence of their presence were religious buildings. Initially made of wood, clay and thatch, these buildings were later erected in stone and took on the appearance of veritable fortresses with crenellated towers and buttresses... The aim was to impress the inhabitants of the New World while protecting the missions, which were veritable cities within the city, grouping together church, monks' cells, school, hospital, library, gardens... Among the most famous buildings with their fortified silhouettes are : the San Francisco de Campeche convent, the Muna convent, or the imposing fortified church not far from Mayapan, which boasts two towers and even a parapet walk. The first buildings are very often built on ancient Mayan sanctuaries, or even with the very stones of ancient temples, generally near a cenote (like the Mayan cities), and often have an open chapel, as if to better attract the Mayans, who are used to open-air ceremonies. A strange "cohabitation" between an understanding of the ancestral rites of the original peoples and a fierce desire for forced assimilation.. Gradually, the buildings lost their austere appearance and took on the trappings of the Renaissance, with its symmetry and sense of proportion, as seen in Mérida Cathedral, with its porticoed facade and superb barrel vaulting; before following the more exuberant codes of the Baroque period, with its fluted pilasters, niches and engaged columns, even if, in the Yucatán peninsula, the Baroque is less abundant than in the rest of Mexico, the exteriors remaining relatively sober. It's inside that the greatest decorative wealth is to be found, with most of the churches boasting exquisite gilded wood altarpieces. The convent of Saint-Antoine de Padoue, in Izamal, is a fine blend of these influences. Built on the base of an ancient Mayan temple, its church dominates the surrounding area, while the superb 7,800m2 atrium surrounded by impressive colonnaded galleries is a sight to behold. At the same time, the Spaniards built numerous cities, most of which followed a checkerboard pattern, with the main avenues meeting at the Plaza Mayor, the city's main square, lined with arcades and home to the city's major buildings: cathedral, municipal palaces, etc. In terms of residential architecture, colonial architecture was functional. Single-storey houses are organized around a cool patio, while interior spaces feature high ceilings for better heat dissipation. Civil architecture underwent a stylistic evolution similar to that of religious buildings, initially borrowing from Renaissance codes, as shown by the superb facade of Casa Montejo in Mérida, whose finely chiseled stone conquistadors and ochre and ivory ornaments are borrowed from the Plateresque Renaissance in vogue in Spain, before becoming Baroque with beautiful, colorful facades embellished with balconies and wrought-iron gates. But it's in Valladolid that you can best appreciate this colonial atmosphere. Its colorful alleyways, its beautiful San Bernardino de Siena convent and its central square adorned with a superb garden have made it one of the country's Pueblos Magicos...: the network of magic villages! Colonial architecture is also defensive. The finest example of this military architecture is Campeche, Mexico's only fortified city, with its fine polygonal ramparts and bastions, and forts such as San José and San Miguel. Fort San Felipe de Bacalar, with its star-shaped structure, is another fine example.
Eclectic effervescence
Between the end of the 19th and the middle of the 20th century, the Yucatán peninsula experienced an astonishing architectural effervescence. As wealthy families grew rich from trading the region's natural resources, they were keen to show off their new status. Manor houses, castles and small urban palaces sprang up in the major cities. The architects in charge of these constructions were often French or Italian, which explains the presence of very European styles. To admire these beautiful residences, you'll need to visit Paseo Montejo, Mérida's "Champs-Elysées". The Palacio Canton, with its Doric and Ionic columns, medallions and imposing white marble staircase, is a fine example of Baroque and Renaissance influences integrated into a neoclassical ensemble. Theaters, too, bear witness to this architectural effervescence. With its glass, metal and wood doors, glass rosettes and elaborate mirrors, the Théâtre Armando Manzanero is a superb (and jarring!) example of Art Deco. These wealthy families are often the owners who run the haciendas whose traditional fireplaces dot the countryside. These are truly self-contained complexes comprising the Casa Grande or owner's house, with its French chateau or English manor allure, a chapel, a school, an infirmary, a cemetery, a prison, workers' houses, gardens, orchards and fields for cultivation; the whole organized around a large central square and small patios lined with colonnaded galleries. Some of these haciendas are protected by large surrounding walls and watchtowers, turning them into veritable fortresses. Today, many haciendas are being restored and transformed into sumptuous hotels. The Xcanatun hacienda in Mérida and the San José Cholul hacienda in Tixkokob are superb examples.
Contemporary renewal
In 1956, the painter and sculptor Romulo Rozo designed the Altar de la Patria, the Altar of the People, a monumental Mayan-inspired rotunda adorned with sculptures of the nation's great figures and Mayan symbols, and housing an eternal flame, the symbol of the country's independence... A highly symbolic achievement, reflecting the need to be anchored in a tradition, in a heritage. The same applies to Chetumal. Destroyed by a hurricane in 1950, the city was rebuilt in a rational manner around wide avenues, but with a strong Caribbean influence, as seen in the small yellow, green and blue houses, reminiscent of the unique position of the Yucatán peninsula, nestled between the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Built ex-nihilo at the end of the 1960s to satisfy the growing influx of tourists from the United States, Cancun, a forest of concrete hotel complexes, seems to make a clean break with the history and heritage of the peninsula. And yet, in the heart of the most famous part of the city, the Isla Cancun or Zona Hotelera, on the site of El Rey, you can actually see a small Mayan pyramid! The Riviera Maya is dotted with numerous resorts, including many golf courses and marinas, yet some have the merit of maintaining a link with history, such as the Xcaret eco-archaeological park, which surrounds the ruins of Polé, a large Mayan coastal settlement. But for those who prefer the discreet charm of authenticity, it's best to steer clear of the highly touristy areas and take advantage of the growing trend towards ecotourism, which offers stays in cabanas- small wooden huts typical of fishing villages, recognizable by their palm-leaf coverings and the hammocks that swing from their structure - or in hotels that blend perfectly into the natural surroundings thanks to the use of natural materials. Tulum boasts two fine examples: the Jungle Keva Hotel, with its palm-leaf roofs and walls plastered with chukum, a local bioresin, and the Azulik complex, which features the beautiful IK LAB art gallery, with its rounded, plant-covered walls and floor combining smooth concrete and rough wooden surfaces. Museums abound on the peninsula, bridging the gap between tradition and modernity. One of the most beautiful is undoubtedly the Grand Museo del Mundo Maya de Mérida by 4A Arquitectos/XYZ tech, whose facade of intertwined metal ribbons evokes the trunk and foliage of the Ceiban, the sacred Mayan tree. The Palais de la Musique is organized around a large patio and features a beautiful green roof that blends harmoniously into the city. In the coming years, Mérida is also set to welcome the Estadio Sostenible, a large arena designed by Populous, whose circular façade is inspired by the ring of the Mayan ball game, while its white color is a nod to "the white city" as Mérida is nicknamed. The Yucatán peninsula never ceases to surprise!
