INTERACTIVE

Take a photo tour of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula

Special to CNN Interactive from Rick Perera
Photos by Rick Perera and Richard Perera Sr.

(CNN) -- For most travelers to Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, the first and last stop is Cancún, the glittering vacation mecca on the Caribbean. And if what you're after is surf and sun, you won't be disappointed.

But if you want to know the real Yucatán, ancient heartland of the fascinating Maya civilization, you'd do better to leave the beach behind. This region has more history per square kilometer than most of the New World.

Start, instead, in Mérida, capital of Yucatán state and a focal point for Mayan pride. Spanish conquistadors made this the center of government for the peninsula, and the central city retains its colonial elegance.

True to form, civic life in Mérida centers on the Plaza Mayor, or main square. Ranged around it are the massive Cathedral (finished 1598), the 19th-century Palacio de Gobierno, seat of the state government, and the graceful Palacio Municipal (town hall). Free folk-dancing performances are held here on Monday evenings.

Mérida boasts a number of fine old hotels, many of them modestly priced, and all within walking distance of the Plaza Mayor. Gran Hotel features a majestic quadrangle, ringed with marble columns and wrought-iron verandas. The smaller, cheaper Hotel Trinidad is quirky and comfortable, with its cozy courtyard, unstuffy antiques, and offbeat modern art. (Not all rooms are air-conditioned; be sure to ask, as Mérida can get very steamy.)

Get your first taste of the Mayan world at Los Almendros. This unpretentious but excellent restaurant features authentic Yucatecan cuisine, quite distinct from standard Mexican fare. Staples include pork and turkey, seasoned with onions, peppers, and limes. The house specialty is poc chuc, a spicy pork dish that's an approximation of what Mayan nobility once feasted on.

Once you've had your fill of Mérida's colonial charm, it's time to head off exploring. The capital city makes a convenient base for excursions to the region's spectacular ruins. You can take guided tours from Mérida (most hotels advertise them), or rely on Mexico's extensive bus routes. But by far the most convenient way to get around is by rental car. The Yucatán's roads are surprisingly good, and with a decent map (and a few words of Spanish) you'll get along fine.

The old-fashioned VW Beetle is a no-frills ride, but you'll fit right in -- lots of folks in Yucatán drive them

If you're adventurous, nostalgic, or just stingy, rent an old-fashioned VW Beetle. These are bare-bones vehicles -- no radio, air conditioning, or automatic transmission -- but they're cheap and fun to drive. The local Avis franchise cuts the roofs off and makes its own convertibles. Be sure to ask for one with a full canvas top; some have a partial cover that leaves the back seat exposed.

Tops on most Yucatán itineraries is Chichén Itzá (pictured above), a breathtaking ancient city first settled between 550 and 900, and mysteriously abandoned in the 14th century. It is possible to visit on a daytrip from Mérida, but you're better off spending the night nearby and getting an early start, before the sun gets too hot.

Chichén Itzá has inspired a great deal of speculation about Mayan culture. Everywhere there are signs of a brutal, death-obsessed civilization: from the sacred cenote (limestone reservoir) where sacrificial victims were thrown, to the temple encircled with death's-head motifs, to the massive ball court carved with images of freshly beheaded players. Local guides spin elaborate tales about the meanings of the ruins -- of the ritual ball game, for example, half will tell you the winning team had the "honor" of being executed; the other half will say the losers got the chop. In reality, no one knows for sure.

At the heart of Chichén Itzá is its great pyramid, built to exacting astronomical specifications -- the Maya had an amazingly accurate calendar. An extraordinary spectacle awaits those who visit on the vernal or autumnal equinox (the first day of spring or fall): shadows cast by the pyramid's giant steps create the illusion of a giant snake climbing the staircase. In fact, the pyramid is dedicated to the god Quetzalcóatl, the feathered serpent -- an import, like Chichén Itzá's angular architecture, attributed to northern invaders.

Time out for a refreshing dip in a cenote, or limestone sinkhole. These served as the Mayans' water supply. This one is at Dzitnup is about 25 miles from Chichén Itzá

If you press on another 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Chichén Itzá , your reward is a dip in Dzitnup cenote. Like others all around the peninsula, this shallow cave once served as a reservoir. Swimming in its brilliant blue water is a sheer delight after a tough day of sightseeing. Even the "changing room," an open area among the stalactites, is an experience.

For a counterpoint to Chichén Itzá, head south to Méridato Uxmal, a site that is more classically Mayan, but no less impressive. American archaeologist John L. Stephens, who explored the ruins in 1840, was so astounded by the architecture here that he declared it a candidate for the pantheon of ancient greats, "not unworthy to stand side by side with the remains of Egyptian, Grecian and Roman art."

First on the agenda, for those with sturdy legs and a penchant for giddy heights, is a climb up the 39-meter (128-foot) Pyramid of the Magician (like most structures here, the modern name has no bearing on its original function, which is unknown). From here you look down on the so-called Governor's Palace, its broad facade an enigmatic jumble of columns, cornices, and serpents. The view from the pyramid takes in the whole site of Uxmal, including unexcavated structures that appear as tree-covered mounds in the distance.

Throughout the city you'll see ferocious stone masks with a huge nose pointed heavenward. This is Chac, the Mayan rain god -- a crucial deity in this bone-dry region. Pervasive drought is one theory why the Maya suddenly abandoned Uxmal around 900.

Southeast of Uxmal, a pleasant day's drive takes in the Puuc Route, an impressive series of smaller ruins that dot a once-thriving Mayan domain. These are less crowded than the major sites, and you may have the luxury of visiting one completely alone. Haunted and half-consumed by jungle, they invite you to play Indiana Jones.

At Kabah, the astounding Palace of Masks is covered in Chac faces -- almost 300 of them. Chac's nose even serves as a doorstep for entrances punctuating the facade. Further along the Puuc Route, the site of Sayil is dominated by the gigantic El Palacio, its impressive facade tumbling into rubble at one end.

Rounding out the Puuc Route is a refreshing escape from the heat: the caverns of Loltún, site of 2,500-year-old human artifacts. Highlights include early cave paintings, stone tools, and a pair of giant hollow stalactites that ring out two notes when you strike them -- suggesting the name "Lol-tún." The caves are accessible by guided tour only -- which is available in English.

As you make your way among the ruined splendors of this ancient empire, you'll come face-to-face with its modern descendants. The Maya are by no means a vanished race; many people here still speak a Mayan dialect as their mother tongue. Women wear "huipiles," traditional dresses with colorful embroidery. And the simple thatched-roof hut, furnished with little more than hammocks, has been home to ordinary Maya since time immemorial. You can see images of the hut, or "na," on some of the great stone monuments at Uxmal and at Labná on the Puuc Route -- proof that everyday life hasn't changed so much over the centuries.

If the ruins have piqued your curiosity about the Maya, be sure to visit the Anthropology Museum back in Mérida, for a more thorough grounding in this fascinating culture. Many of the smaller artifacts removed from excavated sites are on display here, along with exhibits detailing what is known about how the great cities functioned in their heyday.

There's so much to see and learn, you could run yourself ragged in Yucatán -- but don't. It's hot, and in a place that counts its history in millenia, you'll feel a little silly speeding about at a late-20th-century pace. Besides, all sightseeing and no play makes for an exhausting vacation. There is, after all, always the beach....