The southern Quintana Roo region has a tremendous wealth of Maya archeological remains. Although no extremely detailed historical information, such as period chronicles, is available, and despite the fact that Maya hieroglyphs have not been satisfactorily deciphered, study and observation of the stone cities provide a reasonable idea of Maya art, scientific knowledge, religion and way of life.

Specialists have divided Maya culture into three periods: the Preclassic, from 1500 BC to 292 AD; the Classic, from 292 to 900 AD and the Postclassic, from 900 to 1527 AD. The Preclassic covers the first settlements, the beginnings of agriculture and the construction of the original temples. The second stage corresponds to the apogee of Maya culture, when it reached the peak of its civilization and built its most important cities. These cities still conserve the beauty of their art and the depth of scientific knowledge: the Mayas created abstract concepts such as the mathematical zero long before their European counterparts and were therefore able to develop a highly precise calendar that described astronomical phenomena, regulated agricultural cycles and governed public life. They were able to precisely forecast eclipses and also calculated the solar year of Venus. Finally, the arrival of the Toltec influence during the Postclassic period brought about features such as militarism and decadence.

In Quintana Roo, the southern archeological sites of Kohunlich, Oxtancah, Dzibanché and Chakambakam correspond to the Classic period. The same is true of the northern cities of Cobá, El Rey and San Gervasio, as well as many other localized sites that may also be visited.
Tulum, on the other hand, dates to the Postclassic. It is very cornrnon to find archeological remains throughout the state, even in cities such as Chetumal, where excavations have uncovered the remains of ceramics, vases and metallic objects. It is also easy to see the ruins of isolated buildings or carved stones along the roadsides.

Nevertheless, rnany features of Maya culture are still shrouded in uncertainty, though their stone rnonuments still remain, forever guarded by the jungle. We may now visit sites such as Oxtancah, Kohunlich, Dzibanché and Chakambakarn by following a route that blends cultural experience and admiration for an ancient civilization with the possibility of enjoying the tropical jungle just as the ancient Mayas knew it.