Customer Reviews

Ruta Maya Experience: Belize, Yucatan & Guatemala [VHS]

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I love the Yucatan and exploring Mayan ruins ... having been to Mexico many times, I personally explored: Chichen Itza twice, Tulum three times, and Coba once. I have visted Belize twice and explored these fantastic Mayan excavations, Xunantunich and Lamani. This video captures the sights and sounds of the region with authenticity and displays important and unique Mayan ruins in their splendor and glory ... just as they exist naturally.

This video takes one on a marvelous adventure first to Merida, the Mexican colonial city which is the capital of Quintana Roo. From there one can easily reach Chichen Itza, site of many well preserved Mayan buildings. The video captures the ball court, the main temple and beautiful scenery from the top of the temple. The narration is very helpful. The next visit is to a beach on the Mayan Riviera ... where the narrator books a cabana right on the beach for $10.00 a night. The amenities are basic, with only a bed and table, the floor being the natural sandy beach. Next, the ruins of Tulum are explored. It has the only Mayan temple built on a ledge over looking the Atlantic Ocean. It is the most recently occupied city where Maya still lived, about 800 - 900 years ago. An unusual Mayan ceremony is shown where four men dressed in native costumes, swing upside down on a pole ... each represents one of the four directions. It is done before planting time to ensure a good harvest ...

The next stop is Belize ... to Caracol, one of the largest Mayan cities, near Guatemala and a difficult to reach destination. It is off the main highway and accessible only by all terrain type vehicles or jeeps. It is not often toured. An archeologist explains her new find: a tomb located beneath what was once a residence. As with many Mayan sights, Caracol was abandoned by the Maya for unknown reasons. From there we travel to one of the largest and most important excavated sites in Central America, it is also the tallest, Tikal in Guatemala. The area is huge and has many buildings to explore.

This video shows the viewer many excellent places to visit along the Ruta Maya (Route of the Maya). In Belize, the narrator visits a Garifuna village and festival. The Garifuna are a mixed people of African and Indian descent who maintain their past through their music and rituals. Belize has the second largest coral reef in the world and is home to some of the best underwater scenery for coral and colorful exotic fish, which can be explored via snorkeling or scuba diving. The two main cities visited in Guatemala on this video are, Guatemala City and Antigua. The first is fast-paced and over-crowded with tall modern buildings, some old Spanish architecture, but mainly slums as far as the eye can see. Antigua is more charming with its colorful mainly Spanish architecture, it is closer to the indiginous Indian population whose main livlihood is based on farming and trading in market places. The narrator visits a market place, where food and woven fabrics are sold. The same weaving technique has been practiced by women for many hundreds of years. A local artist is interviewed who paints scenes of a by-gone era that is siowly dying. The artwork consists of people dressed in their native costumes farming and doing their everyday activities. The last part of the video is a visit to an active volcano. Viewed from a safe distance one sees molten red-hot glowing lava which is breath-taking and unforgettable. This video is most highly recommended for anyone interested in Mayan ruins and viewing the natural scenery and life in Mexico and Central America. Erika Borsos (erikab93)

A 47 minute tour of the Yucatan, Belize, and Guatamala, for anyone planning to travel there or just interested in the area. This video does not give alot of detail on any one destination, or much information on accomadations above the roughing it level. It does take the time to get in closer on some of the out of the way places, and is entertaining without being too heavy. Also, one of the few resources I have found that gives information on how Semmana Santa, the week before Easter and very big in Spain, is celebrated in this area so heavily influenced by Spanish customs.

Never a production to drone on, or focus on irrelevant tangents best left for a longer video, Lonely Planet comes up with another winner. A fascinating part of the world, it takes you on an adventure that miirors what I would want to do on vacation, rather than the somewhat elitist and, face it, boring travel videos you can run across.

I purchased this video before going on the same journey throughout Belize & Guatemala - this book provided meaningful advice, travel tips, and showed stunning images. I wish they had this on DVD!