Do you believe in ghosts? Even if you don't already, you might as you wander through a land where shadowy jungle sits side-by-side with crumbling pyramids and temples of ancient civilisations.

For this is the land of the Mayas, who flourished in Mexico's Caribbean-facing Yucatan region for more than 1,000 years until they were crushed 500 years ago by the gold-hungry conquistadores of imperial Spain.

The Yucatan is a fast-developing hub of tourism, which is attracting increasing numbers of British visitors. It offers white sands and turquoise water along the palm- shaded strand of the Gulf of Mexico, plus the bustle and excitement of American-flavoured Cancun.

But above all, behind the screen of 20th century life lies a romantic country displaying the glories of its past.

Some tourists, visiting the relatively newly-established Cancun, indulge in first-rate water sports, enjoy the miles of fine beaches, soak up the night life and go no further.

Those who want a quieter beach-based start or finish to their holiday can head for nearby Playa del Carmen, a once tiny fishing village whose white sands and lush palms are just the place to unwind.

But even the most determined beachaholic is likely to be tempted to take one of the many day excursions to see the archaeological treats a few hours' drive away.

Tulum is the only remaining Mayan city found on the coast and was built in the civilisation's later period, around the 13th century, so it was only occupied for a relatively short period.

But in that time, brilliant craftsmen left a feast of stone fortifications, temples and other buildings, some constructed with great mathematical and astronomical skill to chart the movement of the heavens. All this is perched in an unrivalled setting high above the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, where sightseers bathe.

Inland, the ruins of Kabbah also attract an increasing number of visitors. Here one is confronted in the jungle by a lonely gateway arch and the clear outline of a Mayan road, as straight as a Roman highway, stretching some 14 miles through dense woodlands to one of the greatest Mayan sites - Uxmal.

This city, graceful legacy of the Classical Period Mayans, was founded around the sixth century on a site occupied since 800 BC, and flourished for some 500 years.

Despite temperatures of well over 100 degrees when I was there, the challenge of climbing the Pyramid of the Magician was compelling, although accomplished while clutching firmly on to a decidedly hot iron chain fastened to the steep and very narrow steps. Then there is another great pyramid to climb when you arrive at Chichen Itza, largest and best- preserved city of the Mayans.

To sit below it for the nightly sound and light show is a must, and an eerie experience as the echoes of the past ring out and flicker around you.

Through the jungle nearby, one comes to the gruesome site that gave its name to the 1,500-year-old city, for Chichen means "Mouth of the Well".

And what a mouth! For this is the notorious Cenote de los Sacrificious - a haunting, naturally-created deep pool nearly 200 feet across with sheer sides.

There, from a temple on its rim, Mayan priests would cast specially "honoured" children, bound hand and foot, drugged to alleviate terror, and bedecked in gold and jade, to a watery grave to placate the all-powerful rain god.

The blood-thirsty gods also exacted their tribute in the ball court, seen at Chichen Itza and elsewhere. At the end of a ceremonial "game" the victorious or vanquished captain - no one is sure which - was beheaded.

Amid all the splendours of the Yucatan, it was the quiet and lonely site of Coba, set in jungle and lakes some 65 miles south of Cancun, that gripped the imagination most.

Here, with few tourists around, you can explore what was a great ceremonial centre of the Mayans, so impenetrable to the outside world that even the Spaniards, incredibly, never found it.

To walk along a wide, straight road, built more than 1,000 years ago and still in good condition, to listen and hear nothing but the crackle of twigs under one's own feet, to peer through the seemingly endless trees and foliage and spy the immense wreckage of a lost world, was both eerie and awe-inspiring.

It takes only a little imagination to hear the distant chants of priests or the cries of a crowd gathered to pay homage to the gods.

Although beauty and cruelty walked hand in hand in ancient Mayaland, it is only the beauty which now remains. Go there and enjoy being haunted by it.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.