Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan

Sun Pyramid of TeotihuacanLocation: Teotihuacan, Mexico State, Mexico (Near Mexico City)
Visited:
January 2, 2011
August, 2009
November, 2001

Opinion and Background:
It is my very biased opinion that few know, and take care of their historical sites like Mexicans. This site is no exception. These huge pyramids are well preserved and breath taking as soon as you arrive. The only down side is that without a tour group, foreigners have a tough time arriving here without a huge price hike (‘foreigner price’). The area is quite vast and takes a few hours to walk around and take in. Even though I’ve been here three times, I hadn’t noticed the small museum at the south end with original excavated masks and even human bones until the last time I went in Jan 2011. The site’s main draws are the Sun (large) and the Moon (slightly less large) Pyramids.

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Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty

Sejong's Tomb 2Location: Yeoju, Gyeonggi-do Province, South Korea
Visited: October 3, 2011

Opinion and Background: 
This was definitely more interesting to me than it would be to the average person who doesn’t really know Korean history (or lived in Korea for that matter). I must note that this is a bit of a cheat. The UNESCO inscription includes all 40 tombs of the Joseon Dynasty, scattered all over Korea in 18 different sites. While I have visited other Joseon tombs, I decided to review only this site that includes three tombs because:

a) It contains the most important king in Korean history (Sejong the Great).
b) It is easier to give an assessment about something that is in a single location.
c) It is the best of the Joseon Tombs that I have visited.

The tombs are very well kept and the entrance is full of replicas of accomplishments by King Sejong. However, most of the things displayed are not originals, as they have been lost by repeated Japanese invasions. In addition, considering that King Sejong is THE most important historical figure in Korean history, I expected this site would have more, grandeur.

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