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Mexico

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11 Photos
The Catedral Metropolitana de la Asuncion de Maria (Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary) on the Zocalo (main square) in Mexico City.
Beach resort of Costa Maya at Quintana Roo.
The east-side view of El Castillo (The Castle), the famous pyramid at Chichen Itza in the Yucatan peninsula, shows both restored and unrestored portions of the structure. The Maya center of Chichen Itza, which became a World Heritage Site in 1988, was founded in the fifth century A.D. A second settler infusion by migrating Toltecs from central Mexico occurred in the 10th century. A blending of Maya and Toltec architectural traditions developed in the following centuries until the site was abandoned about the middle of the 15th century.
One of the smaller step pyramids at the massive archaeological site of Teotihuacan (approximately 40 km or 25 mi northeast of Mexico City).
The Chacchoben Maya temple pyramid in the state of Quintana Roo dates to about A.D. 700; it was originally painted red and yellow.
Excavated Maya walls at Chacchoben, Quintana Roo.
Traces of red paint still visible on a Maya carving at Chacchoben, Quintana Roo.
A view of the Palace of Palenque, in Chiapas State. Palenque is one of the most beautiful and archaeologically important lowland Maya sites; it reached its maximum extent between A.D. 600–700. The Palace, located in the center of the site, is the largest building complex in Palenque measuring 97 m by 73 m at its base. The most unusual and recognizable feature of The Palace is the four-story structure known as The Observation Tower. The Palace Complex is built atop an immense low platform, and was expanded and remodeled over the centuries.
The poinsettia, the traditional holiday plant, is native to Mexico and Central America and is found in the wild in mid-elevation tropical dry forests and on Pacific-facing slopes in steep canyons. The Aztecs used the plant for red dye and for medicinal purposes. The poinsettia’s association with Christmas dates back to the 17th century when Franciscan friars in Mexico used them in holiday celebrations. The star-shaped leaf pattern came to symbolize the Star of Bethlehem and the red color Jesus’s sacrifice at the crucifixion. The plant derives its name from the first US Ambassador to Mexico, Joel Roberts Poinsett. In 1825, while visiting Taxco, he became fascinated with the plants and sent some to his home in South Carolina. Poinsett, a botanist, propagated the plants and gave them to friends and to botanical gardens. In 1833, the plant was named after him. Robert Buist, a nurseryman, received some of Poinsett’s plants and is believed to be the first person to sell the plant in the US. Poinsettias became popular beginning in the early 1900s and remain synonymous as a holiday decoration in homes, churches, offices, and elsewhere across North America. Picture courtesy of USDA/Peggy Greb
Flamingos on Isla Holbox off the Yucatan Peninsula. Photo courtesy of NOAA.
Mexico's towering and unpredictable Popocatepetl is the country's most-active volcano and second-highest peak. The 5,462 m stratovolcano, located approximately 70 km (43.5 miles) southeast of Mexico City, is shown spewing ash, smoke, and gas during a January 2024 eruption. Popocatepetl means "Smoking Mountain" in the indigenous Nahuatl language. Photo courtesy of NASA.
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