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As the inauguration grows ever closer for the Maya Train, due to begin operations in December, the entirety of the Mexican Caribbean waits to be unlocked for the rest of the world by this billion-dollar project.
One such area that is expected to grow in popularity is the state of Campeche, the lesser-known of the states in the Mexican Caribbean, but definitely not without all the charm and majesty of its neighbors.
Littered with historical sites absolutely everywhere, this is an amateur archeologist playground, and with a new discovery announced by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) in ‘El Tigre”, you’ll want to buy a speedy ticket to take you there on the Maya train when the route becomes available.
El Tigre Archeological Zone History
El Tigre is one of the most recently uncovered Maya sites, situated in a wetlands environment surrounded by rivers, with two towering pyramids on the site with palm trees and birdlife as its backdrop.
Believed to have been first settled by Indigenous peoples more than 2,000 years ago, the site grew exponentially into a busy capital for the Chantal Maya civilization and resembles much of the architecture of the most popular archeological site in the Mexican Caribbean: Chichén Itzá.
Archeologists think that the site relates to the ancient Maya settlement called Itzamkanac, which devoted itself to the serpent god Kukulcán, which is also celebrated and highlighted in Chichén Itzá and other zones.
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An Exciting New Discovery
As the Mexican Caribbean celebrates an astounding year in tourism, with more of you coming to the destination than ever before, the government has been doing everything in its power to offer more to its visitors, with the Archeological Zone Improvement Program (Promeza) being a number one priority.
@elisolidum Campeche is such a vibe 💃🏽 have you visited?! #travel #tiktoktravel #travelblogger #mexico #parati ♬ Bloom (Bonus Track) – The Paper Kites
Now, up and down the region, once dormant sites filled with unknown treasures that lay hidden from the public are having their time in the spotlight.
Archeologists have actually been excavating El Tigre for decades but have only just recently uncovered an ancient circular structure, believed to have been a place of worship for a Maya cult 1,000 years ago, to Kukulkan (creator god, and god of the rain, wind, storms, and life).
The site now hosts impressive pyramids, temples, and ritualistic structures that give a more intimate insight into a way of life that was seminal to the way civilization was shaped beyond it.
The New Maya Train
With the preservation of archeological sites becoming such a huge priority thanks to Promeza, it is the hope that with the completion of the Maya train, many more tourists will want to experience the 950-mile route through the Yucatan Peninsula and witness everything that the stunning region has to offer.
It is no surprise that the first route, in the very throws of the busy winter high season, is going to be from Cancun to Palenque, Chiapas.
Cancun is the number one hotspot for tourists in the Mexican Caribbean, with Tulum and Playa Del Carmen not far behind it.
The first route will stop at some incredible places, such as the cities of Valladolid, Akumal, and Puerto Morelos, as well as some more well-known archeological sites like the infamous Chichén Itzá.
One huge benefit that this billion-dollar project will bring to tourists is the ease of its connectivity; what once would have been a more difficult endeavor to reach all of these places in a short space of time will actually become fairly easy, and for a very reasonable cost.
The Maya Train has come under fire from some critics who believe that its construction is actually harmful to environmental and historical zones that had once previously been left untouched.
As more archeological sites are uncovered and reopened to the public, this surely can only be seen as a good thing, as the appreciation and respect for an ancient culture that was so historically significant comes to the forefront of every tourist who gets the spectacular opportunity to witness them.
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