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Playa del Carmen is one of the favorite destinations for tourists, especially for those who are seeking to enjoy a swim in the turquoise waters, walk the famous 5th Avenue (yes, Playa del Carmen’s most popular and colorful avenue), or simply relax by the beach. Playa del Carmen used to be a small fishing village. Over the years, this “fishing village” has been shifting into a more cosmopolitan city thanks to the cultural diversity of its residents, the developing scene of high-end restaurants, hotel boutiques, and of course, shopping areas.  Planning a trip to Playa del Carmen may seem simple, […]

Having a hard time finding the best cenotes near the Cancun area? Today, Alma’s LDS Tours would like to share with you our top 5 choices to visit during your vacations. Everyone wants to know where the best cenotes in the Riviera Maya are, but first, are you sure what a cenote is? A cenote is one of the most popular attractions found in the Riviera Maya. These natural sinkholes of crystalline water are connected by a network of underground rivers. A cenote can take hundreds of years to form its particular rock formations. There are three common types of […]

For more than 30 years, Alma’s LDS Tours has operated tours in Cancun and the Peninsula of Yucatan, always with the solid purpose of providing the best experience to hundreds if not thousands of families from around the world. Since day one, our company has been committed to create wonderful memories and help our customers enjoy each minute shared with us. As we know, Cancun is a very popular destination, and it will keep increasing its popularity not only because of the crystal clear water and its beautiful beaches but because it is becoming the favorite spot where you can […]

A Tzompantli is a type of wooden rack or palisade, used for the public display of human skulls, typically sacrificial victims or war captives.  The word Tzompantli is derivated from the Nahuatl language and was used to refer to the skull racks found in many Aztec cities. A large number of these structures have been documented throughout Mesoamerica, and range from Epiclassic through early Post-Classic.  There are different theories about the meaning and purpose of these edifications. Still, one of the most accepted theory is that the skulls belonged to people who had been sacrificed in rituals. As we know, many Pre-Columbian […]

If you have ever been on a tour to Chichen Itza with Alma’s LDS Tours, surely you remember the ball-court where the Mayan used to play Pok ta’pok, the Mayan ballgame.  The Mayan ballgame or better known as Pok ta’pok was an ancient sport played since the Pre-Columbian time. The game had an important ritual significance, as the Mayan culture would play it to promote the movements of stars, but also represented some other aspects related to astronomy, war, or even fertility.  The rules of the game remain uncertain, but the prevailing theory indicates that players struck the ball with their hips aiming […]

Many of you have asked us about what a tour to Chichen Itza is like, so we thought you might enjoy this email we recently received from one of our clients sharing her experience on an LDS Tour to Chichen Itza with Alma’s LDS Tours. Please, check it out! Stacey Hann, from Bountiful, Utah wrote: “I just want to let you guys know what an incredible job Arny did on our tour, and how much fun it was for my whole family to be on this tour. We’ve done many tours in the past, but we’ve never done an LDS […]

The Zumpul-ché best known as Temazcal (Temazcalli in Náhuatl), is a steam bath used in rituals and religious ceremonies used by the Mayan and other cultures of Mesoamerica. The Zampul-ché took place in a small structure no more than two square meters. This structure may be rectangular, but it is important to mention that one of the main purposes the Mayan people built it that way was to simulate the mother’s womb. Heat is an essential component of this ceremony, so to produce it, four groups of thirteen volcanic stones were placed inside the structure, each one of them representing a door, and all of them […]

The Day of the Dead is a Mexican tradition that dates from the pre-Columbian era. For humankind, what happens after death has always been a mystery. That same curiosity has led people to create diverse traditions and sacred rituals to venerate, frighten, and even mock death. There are records in many ancient Mexican cultures, indicating that people prepared the tombs where their beloved ones will rest for eternity, with tools, supplies, and even treasures to undertake the trip to that place where all the souls would go after their passage through the earth. For the Mexica civilization, and other cultures in Mexico, Mictlán or the Chiconauhmictlán, was the […]

Today, Alma’s LDS Tours wants to share about the history and meaning of the sacred ritual Calputzihil, where the Mayan performed a ceremony very similar to baptism. Calputzihil ceremony The expression Caput zihil or Calput zihil, literally means ‘two times born.’ William F. Hanks, the author of the book “Mayan in the Age of the Cross,” states: “It is the phrase used to denote the resurrection of Christ as well as the baptism. Rather than translate the term baptism per se, it describes the doctrinal meaning of baptism, the original threshold where a new man is born.” Calputzihil was a ritual performed by the […]

The legend of Ixchel Ixchel was a Mayan princess of great captivating beauty, capable of conquering the heart of numerous suitors, including the heart of the prince and great Mayan priest from Bacalar, Itzamná. A prince from another city arrived and immediately fell in love with Ixchel. He was determined to fight for her affection, without knowing that her heart already belonged to Itzamná. Ixtab, sister of Ixchel, knowing that both men were deeply in love with the princess Ixchel, urged them to fight to the death to win her heart.The fight was arduous since both loved Ixchel; Itzamná was […]