Trip Ideas Explore the Mexican Jungle and the Ancient Mayan City of Calakmul in This Episode of 'Walk With T+L' This thousand-year-old city is about to see a tourism boom. By Hillary Maglin Hillary Maglin Instagram Twitter Hillary Maglin is an associate editor and writer who's been covering travel products since 2018. Before that, she spent three years as a news, entertainment, and lifestyle writer. She has been published in Travel + Leisure, People, InStyle, and more.Hillary covers travel, luggage, comfortable shoes, stylish travel apparel, beauty, and lifestyle products. She has written hundreds of product roundups for Travel + Leisure, People, Instyle, Real Simple, and Rachael Ray In Season. Prior to joining T+L, she was a freelance writer covering current events, pop culture, fashion, and celebrities.Experience: Hillary Maglin joined Dotdash Meredith in 2018. She started her career as an editorial intern for Rachael Ray In Season before becoming an assistant editor and then associate editor, covering products and shopping for Travel + Leisure, People, InStyle, and more. While at Travel + Leisure, she also worked on the brand's Webby Award-nominated social media team.Before finding her niche in product writing, Hillary spent some time on the news and entertainment side of journalism, reporting live on television and covering events like the Tribeca Film Festival, New York Fashion Week, award shows, music festivals, movie premieres, and more. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines Published on November 9, 2021 Share Tweet Pin Email In the middle of the Campeche jungle, at the base of the Yucatan Peninsula, lies the largest natural protected area in Mexico and one of the country's most underrated attractions: the ancient Mayan city of Calakmul. Or, at least, what remains of it. In this episode of Walk With T+L, Campeche tourism coordinator Erik Mendicuti Polanco guides viewers through this maze of stone and forest. Comprised of various stone pyramids and other structures, Calakmul emits the same sort of mystical energy found in other ancient Mayan sites throughout Mexico, such as Chichen Itza. Though Calakmul, Polanco points out, is about 1,000 years older than its more famous counterpart. "How could this not be my favorite place in the Mayan world?" Polanco quips from the top of Calakmul's largest structure, a pyramid referred to as Sacred Mountain. It's here that Polanco regales viewers with a story of the time an American tourist climbed the pyramid with him and wept at the sprawling sight from the summit. Related: The Top 5 Cities in Mexico But incredible views aren't Calakmul's only draw. Google will tell you the city is an archaeological site, but Polanco rejects that as Calakmul's only definition. "Calakmul is much more than an archaeological site," he explains. "There's so much to see." Polanco suggests walking the trails that surround Calakmul to learn more about nature and the culture of the ancient Mayans. He also describes these trails as "paradise" for birdwatchers. Still, the guide says Calakmul is an immensely important factor in helping archaeologists, historians, and travelers understand Mayan culture. The city is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and welcomes tourists from all over the world to walk the grounds and climb Sacred Mountain (which Polanco suggests doing from the side, no matter how tempting the front may be). You can book your tour and travel to a nearby city here. Hillary Maglin is a digital editor who splits most of her time between New York City and Pittsburgh. You can find her on Instagram @hillarymaglin, where her DMs are always open to discuss travel gear, wine bars, and Taylor Swift's latest record. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit