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Unspoilt Mexican Jungle in the Yucatan before it all got ruined...

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xj900uk

Active member
MOD EDIT: Friendly reminder: Under no circumstances are people allowed to be featured in photographs posted in this forum, even if most everyone's backs are facing the camera. The forum description explicitly reads, "no people". There can be no exceptions. As such, the first image of this post has been removed.

Ever been to a place called Coba, in the Yucatan? The Conquistadores missed it when they came passing by, because it had already been abandoned and reclaimed by the jungle.

Whilst the view from the top is simply amazing, or rather was. A beautiful unspoilt verdant green canopy of Mexican jungle, flat as a pancake, as far as the eye can see in any direction. And, with the air so unpolluted and clear, you could see a pretty long way.
I deliberately said 'was', because since then a big railway line, and also an even bigger motorway/freeway able to take big cars and lorries has been carved through the Mexican jungle as far down as Tulum, where they have been building a new airport and further ruining what unspoilt jungle and mangrove swamps remained....
Still, I guess I was glad to photograph it before it all got ruined...

mexico 2008 082.jpg

BTW if you look very closely you can just about make out another smaller, Mexican pyramid poking through the jungle tree-tops...
Sadly, I understand that smaller one has now been demolished to make way for the new motorway/freeway, although they did do a full archaelogical sweep of the site first.
 
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migoz2 said:
The images aren't displaying for me, which is a shame because I'd like to see them.

*Which raises a question @Otto Von Herunterhängen: is there a time limit on when posts can be edited here?
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Well thank you for letting me know, migoz2. In case there is some sor tof problem I have deleted and re-instated the two photos.
Please let me know if you can see them now.
 
migoz2 said:
I can indeed. Looks like it was a great trip.
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Yeah, it was back in August 2008 before they built the big motorway/freeway through there and also the railway line to the new airport at Tulum. Such a shame, it was so unspoilt and beautiful...
 
xj900uk said:
Yeah, it was back in August 2008 before they built the big motorway/freeway through there and also the railway line to the new airport at Tulum. Such a shame, it was so unspoilt and beautiful...
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I hate it when they do that........
 
Otto Von Herunterhängen said:
No, I haven't set that. If I decide in the future I need to I will put it in the announcements. VoD did of course have limits, I may decide they are necessary also.
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It's called 'progress'. It seems to happen a lot. Especially in the Americas...
No respect for nature. No respect for indigenous cultures or past history...
What a terrible, utter waste... 😠
 
Fantastic pictures. Unfortunately, they are witnesses to a past that can no longer be restored. According to your description, it is unfortunately no longer possible to recreate these photos because the environment has changed. Sad.
 
DeanMcStabs said:
Demolishing a pyramid for a highway is depressing. What a beautiful place that was.
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Well to be honest the jungle had reclaimed completely that smaller pyramid, and it had been completely wrecked and pushed apart by tree roots. And they did a complete and thorough survey of the area, apparently it was the best place to build the new thoroughfare which would cause minimum disruption and impact on the other archaelogical sites
I do agree completely though, should have just left it as an eerie ruin - I didn't get to visit it because it was dangerous, big lumps of stone likely to fall off of it.
 
I love the Yucatan, and have been there many times. You're right, xj900uk, Coba is a great ruin! But you can't climb it anymore--too many tourists!

I'm going to "geezerize" myself and say "I remember the good Ole days when PDC and Tulum were actually quaint little towns that weren't overrun by tours from the All-Inclusives--the dim past before Xcaret was built and Isla Mujeres was slathered in concrete from end to end..." (Cue the closeup of aged and wrinkled senior gazing wistfully at the light pollution of the Cancun zona hoteleria.)

You'll have to go further afield now for some great pyramid views. Ex Balam near Chichen Itza has a great one, and Calakmul in the far south is epic! (And there's still the "Star Wars" view from Temple IV at Tikal--a view that's actually getting better as archeologists Continue to excavated the site!)
 
You can not climb it any more? Oh that's a great shame Dolungbridge. It is one of hte most fascinating of Mayan sites, even better than Chichen Itza (IMO - climbed that as well!) because it is literally a ruin other than just one side from which the jungle has been gently combed back to make it accessible. Or rather it used to be. Mind you this is around 2008 when I was last there.

Been to Xcaret. and Xpu Ha as well. And even Xel Ha Mr Dolungbridge. All in the 2000's. Mind you we were very imprssed at the levels of eco-tourism and how nothign had been ruined any more than it already was, even the ruins at Tulum facing the ocean had a touch of ancient grandieur about them.
Oh how even now Mexico has succombed to the tourist blight and ruined all its ruins to accomodate them...
 
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