Welcome to Maya Ruins! This website began after my first visit to the Yucatán in 1995 as a way to share photos and impressions of the astonishing ancient architecture which I had the privilege to see.
The ancient Maya created monumental ceremonial spaces, often astronomically aligned, within which ritual and political theater could take place.
I wanted to build interactive maps and navigation paths through my photos to reinforce spatial relationships and create a sense of place, plus make it easy to jump directly to photos of the ruins.
The organization of the website mimics my own use of maps and old books as I tried to figure out where I had been and what I had seen.
I enjoy reading the reports of early explorers and archaeologists at these sites. Wherever possible, I paired their original engravings, diagrams, and expedition reports with my own photographs.
I have benefited greatly from the Maya resources offered by my alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, and from Penn Museum's impressive Maya collections.
For many years, Penn Museum sponsored yearly “Maya Weekends” with speakers ranging from dirt archaeologists fresh from the field to epigraphers presenting tutorials on their latest discoveries (many now available on YouTube).
The Museum’s PreColumbian Society offered monthly meetings featuring a Glyph Group meeting in the morning and a lecture after lunch. Today this group continues to meet via Zoom and all are welcomed.
The modern photos presented here were taken during seven trips I made to Mexico and Central America from 1995 to 2004.
Marion Canavan organized all of these trips—to Mexico, Belize, Honduras and Guatemala. She brought great ideas and enthusiasm to her task, plus an enormous sense of fun, love of the Mayan people and knowledge of the area.
December 2025 saw the launch of our bimonthly newsletter, MayaRuins Insights, which explores special topics and new research in the field. Please take a look at past issues or subscribe for free.
I hope you enjoy your visit to MayaRuins.com, and welcome your comments and suggestions!
Barbara McKenzie: barb@mayaruins.com
Warminster, Pennsylvania
