Mayapan has been called the last “capital” of the Maya, following the downfall of Chichen Itza. Buildings are of much poorer quality. It lasted less than a century and collapsed before the arrival of the Spanish. Tulum is a small, walled site, on the coast. Columbus probably saw lights from there when he passed by in 1502. The site was abandoned shortly afterward. El Rey is a late Maya village near Cancun. I took the photos in winter, 2001, except the Mayapan photos which I took in 2002. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. http://picasaweb.google.com/GaryLeeTodd/AncientMesoamericaTerminalPostClassicMayaMayapanTulumElRey#

Kabah, Labna, Sayil, & Xlapak lie in the Puuc Hills of Yucatan, near Uxmal. They bear a distinct and highly ornate architecture called Puuc Style. These Post-Classic sites are small and close to each other. Edzna & Oxkintok are probably transitional from Classic to Post-Classic, and lie a little farther south. None of these sites has a recorded history. I took the photos in winter, 2002. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. http://picasaweb.google.com/GaryLeeTodd/AncientMesoamericaPostClassicMayaKabahLabnaSayilXlapakEdznaOxkintok#

Chichen Itza & Uxmal, in the northern Yucatan, were the two greatest Maya sites of the Post-Classic era. The temple of Kukulcan (probably Mayan for Quetzalcoatl) at Chichen Itza is perhaps the most famous pyramid in America. Historical records are generally lacking, but architecture is among the finest in ancient Mesoamerica. I took the Chichen photos in winter 2001 and the Uxmal photos one year later. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. http://picasaweb.google.com/GaryLeeTodd/AncientMesoamericaPostClassicMayaChichenItzaUxmal#

Tenochtitlan was the capital of the Colhua Mexica (Aztecs) and was destroyed by Hernan Cortez & his Tlaxcalan allies in 1521. The Templo Major (Great Temple) was the site of thousands of human sacrifices to the war god Huitzilopochtli and rain god Tlaloc. Buried for centuries, it was rediscovered in the 1980s. Other photos of Aztec artifacts are in my INAH Museum album. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. http://picasaweb.google.com/GaryLeeTodd/AncientMesoamericaTenochtitlanAztecGreatTemple#

Teotihuacan (c. 200 BC – c. 600 AD) was once one of the largest cities in the world. It was given its name “City of the Gods” by the later Colhua Mexica (Aztecs), whose emperors made frequent pilgrimages. El Tajin was contemporary and perhaps related. It is located near Veracruz. Neither culture left a written history. I took the photos in spring, 2001. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. http://picasaweb.google.com/GaryLeeTodd/AncientMesoamericaTeotihuacanAndElTajin#