Other sights in Yucatán Peninsula
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Becán
Located 8km west of Xpujil and 500m north of the highway, this must-visit site contains three separate architectural complexes. You should set aside at least two hours to explore it properly. The Maya word for ‘canyon’ or ‘moat’ is becán, and indeed a 2km moat snakes its way around this major site, with seven causeways providing access to the 12-hectare complex. The elaborate defense suggests the militaristic nature of the city which, from around AD 600 to 1000, was a regional capital encompassing Xpujil and Chicanná. A strategic crossroads between the Petenes civilization to the south and Chenes to the north, Becán displays architectural elements of both, with t…
reviewed
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A
Catedral de San Ildefonso
On the plaza Grande’s east side, on the site of a former Maya temple, is Mérida’s hulking, severe cathedral, begun in 1561 and completed in 1598. Some of the stone from the Maya temple was used in its construction. The massive crucifix behind the altar is Cristo de la Unidad (Christ of Unity), a symbol of reconciliation between those of Spanish and Maya heritage. To the right over the south door is a painting of Tutul Xiu, cacique (indigenous chief) of the town of Maní paying his respects to his ally Francisco de Montejo at T’ho (de Montejo and Xiu jointly defeated the Cocomes; Xiu converted to Christianity, and his descendants still live in Mérida).
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Hacienda Ochil
Lying about 44km south of Mérida, Hacienda Ochil provides a fascinating, though basic, look at how henequén was grown and processed. From the parking lot follow the ‘truck’ tracks – used by the small wheeled carts to haul material to and from the processing plant – to the right around the parklike, restored portion of the hacienda. You’ll pass workshops where you might see locals fashioning handicrafts for sale and a small henequén museum with exhibits illustrating the cultivating, harvesting and processing of the plant. These include pieces of machinery and photos of hacienda life. Iguanas abound.
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Calcehtok Caves
The Calcehtok caves are said by some to comprise the longest dry-cave system on the Yucatán Peninsula. More than 4km have been explored so far, and two of the caves’ 25 vaults exceed 100m in diameter (one has a 30m-high ‘cupola’). The caves hold abundant and impressive natural formations, human and animal remains and plenty of artifacts, including many haltunes (stone basins carved by the Maya to catch water). Archaeologists have found and removed ceramic arrowheads, quartz hammers and other tools, and you can still see low fortifications built by the Maya who sheltered here during the War of the Castes.
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Museo de Arte Sacro
Convento de San Francisco de Asís in Conkal now houses the new Museo de Arte Sacro. This is a small but well-done museum of religious art and artifacts, including 18th- and 19th- century altarpieces and carvings of saints, good historical and archaeological exhibits detailing the foundation (and later restoration) of Yucatán’s monasteries, and contemporary profane and religious artwork. Some of the latter is surprisingly racy. All labeling is in Spanish. Be sure to check out the architecture of the convent itself, including the noria (irrigation system) out back.
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El Tigre
Off Hwy 186, heading southwest from Escárcega is one of Campeche’s most recently uncovered Maya sites, El Tigre. Archaeologists are almost certain it is none other than Itzamkanac, the legendary capital of the Itzáes, though much remains to be explored. Unlike other Campeche sites, El Tigre occupies a wetlands environment crisscrossed by rivers, with two excavated pyramids amid swaying palms and diverse birdlife. From Candelaria take the road east to Monclova; a short distance beyond the village of Estado de México is the turnoff to the site. Buses will only take you to Candelaria.
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Xlapak
From the entrance gate at Sayil, it’s 6km east to the entrance gate at Xlapak. The name means ‘Old Walls’ in Maya and was a general term among local people for ancient ruins. The ornate palacio at Xlapak ( shla -pak) is quite a bit smaller than those at Kabah and Sayil, only about 20m in length. It’s decorated with the Chac masks, columns and colonnettes, and fretted geometric latticework of the Puuc style. The building is interesting and on a bit of a lean. Plenty of motmots (a colorful bird) brighten up the surrounding forests.
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B
Museo de Arte Popular de Yucatán
In a building built in 1906, the Museo de Arte Popular de Yucatán is six blocks east of the Plaza Grande. There’s a small rotating exhibit downstairs that features pop art from around Mexico, but honestly, you’re better off heading to any artisan market in the countryside – you’ll see the same style of work, and it won’t cost you a single peso, unless you want to buy something. The upstairs exhibits don’t have any explanatory signs yet, but they give you an idea of how locals embroider huipiles, carve ceremonial masks and weave hammocks.
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Xpuhil
Xpuhil boasts a surreal skyscraper that is a striking example of the Río Bec style. The three towers (rather than the usual two) of Estructura I rise above a dozen vaulted rooms. The central tower, soaring 53m, is the best preserved. With its banded tiers and impractically steep stairways leading up to a temple that displays traces of a zoomorphic mask, it gives a good idea of what the other two must have looked like back in Xpuhil’s 8th-century heyday. Go around back to see a fierce jaguar mask embedded in the wall below the temple.
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Parque Chankanaab
A popular snorkeling spot, especially when cruise ships are in port, is Parque Chankanaab. However, there’s not a lot to see in the water beyond some brightly colored fish and deliberately sunken artificial objects. The beach is a nice one, though, and 50m inland is a limestone lagoon surrounded by iguanas and inhabited by turtles. You’re not allowed to swim or snorkel here, but it’s picturesque all the same. The beach is lined with palapas and fiberglass lounge chairs, and you can rent snorkel and dive equipment.
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Balamkú
Discovered in 1990, Balamkú is 60km west of Xpujil (88km east of Escárcega). This small site’s attractions are its frescoes and an exquisite, ornate stucco frieze. Amazingly, much original color is still visible on both the frescoes and the frieze. You’ll notice toads dominate the designs at Balamkú. These amphibians, not only at home on land and in water, were considered to move easily between this world and the next. The toad was a revered spirit guide who helped humans navigate between earth and the underworld.
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Grutas de Loltún
These caverns are the largest, most interesting cave system on the Yucatán Peninsula, and a treasure trove of data for archaeologists. Carbon dating of artifacts found here reveals that humans used the caves 2200 years ago. Chest-high murals of hands, faces, animals and geometric motifs were apparent as recently as 20 years ago, but so many people have touched them that barely a trace remains. Now, visitors to the illuminated caves see mostly natural limestone formations, some of which are quite lovely.
reviewed
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Cristalino Cenote
On the west side of the highway south of Playa del Carmen is a series of wonderful cenotes. Among these is Cristalino Cenote, just south of the Barceló Maya Resort. It’s easily accessible, only about 70m from the entrance gate, which is just off the highway. Two more sinkholes, Cenote Azul and El Jardín del Edén, are just south of Cristalino along the highway. But Cristalino is the best of the three, as you can dive there (or just launch yourself off the rocks into the icy water below).
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C
Tulum Ruins
The ruins of Tulum preside over a rugged coastline, a strip of brilliant beach and green-and-turquoise waters that will make you want to tear up that return ticket home. It’s true the extents and structures are of a modest scale and the late post-Classic design, workmanship and ornamentation are inferior to those of earlier, more grandiose projects – but wow, those Maya occupants must have felt pretty smug each sunrise. Iguanas are everywhere, and many act as if they own the place.
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D
Museo Regional de Antropología
The massive Palacio Cantón houses Yucatán’s regional anthropology museum. Construction of the mansion lasted from 1909 until 1911, and its owner, General Francisco Cantón Rosado (1833–1917), lived here for only six years before his death. The palacio’s splendor and pretension make it a fitting symbol of the grand aspirations of Mérida’s elite during the last years of the Porfiriato, the period from 1876 to 1911 when Porfirio Díaz held despotic sway over Mexico.
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Maya Complex
This Maya complex is Cozumel’s only preserved ruins, and a prime example of the local government’s efforts to milk dollars out of cruise-ship passengers. San Gervasio is thought to have been the site of the sanctuary of Ixchel, goddess of fertility, and thus an important pilgrimage site at which Maya women – in particular prospective mothers – worshipped. But its structures are small and crude, and the clay idols of Ixchel were long ago destroyed by the Spaniards.
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Hormiguero
Spanish for ‘anthill, ’ Hormiguero is an old site, with some buildings dating as far back as AD 50; however, the city flourished during the late Classic period. It has one of the most impressive buildings in the region. Entering the site, you will see the 50m-long Estructura II, which has a giant Chenes-style monster-mouth doorway with much of its decoration in good condition. Also check out Estructura V, 60m to the north.
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Hacienda Yaxcopoil
This hacienda is 33km southwest of central Mérida. A vast estate that grew and processed henequén, many of its numerous French Renaissance style buildings have undergone picturesque restorations. There’s a small 17th-century museum offering glimpses at the (now defunct) giant rasping machines that turned the leaves into fiber. Frequent buses pass Yaxcopoil running between Mérida and Ticul, but it’s easiest to drive here.
reviewed
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San Gervasio
This Maya complex is Cozumel’s only preserved ruins, and a prime example of the local government’s efforts to extract dollars out of cruise-ship passengers. San Gervasio is thought to have been the site of the sanctuary of Ixchel, goddess of fertility, and thus an important pilgrimage site at which Maya women worshipped. But its structures are small and crude, and the clay idols of Ixchel were long ago destroyed by the Spaniards.
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E
Hacienda Mundaca
This hacienda is at the large bend in Avenida Rueda Medina, about 4km south of the town. Its story is perhaps more intriguing than the ruins that remain. A 19th-century slave trader and reputed pirate, Fermín Antonio Mundaca de Marechaja, fell in love with a local woman known as La Trigueña (Brunette). To win her, Mundaca built a two-story mansion complete with gardens and graceful archways, as well as a small fortification.
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Museum
The nearest town to Uxmal is Santa Elena. It was originally called Nohcacab, and was virtually razed in 1847 in the War of the Castes. ‘Ele-na’ means burnt houses in Maya. The Mexican government changed the name to Santa Elena in a bold PR stunt. There’s a small museum dedicated to a gruesome find: 18th-century child mummies found buried beneath the adjoining cathedral, and some henequén -related exhibits.
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F
Centro Cultural Olimpio
Adjoining Palacio Municipal is the Centro Cultural Olimpio, Mérida’s municipal cultural center. Attempts to create a modern exterior for the building were halted by government order, to preserve the colonial character of the Plaza Grande. The ultramodern interior serves as a venue for films, music and dance performances, and other exhibitions. Schedules for performances and frequent film showings are posted outside.
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Koolel Kab
Koolel Kab produces honey with indigenous melipona bees, which take up residence in hollow trees. Using techniques much like those of their ancestors, the women place sections of tree trunk under a shelter, capping each end of the trunk with mud. An average trunk yields 12L of honey, which is marketed chiefly for its medicinal properties as throat lozenges, eye drops, soaps and skin creams.
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Chicanná
Aptly named ‘House of the Snake’s Jaws,’ this Maya site is best known for one remarkably well-preserved doorway with a hideous fanged visage. Buried in the jungle 11km west of Xpujil and 400m south of Hwy 186, Chicanná is a mixture of Chenes and Río Bec architectural styles. The city attained its peak during the late Classic period, from AD 550 to 700, as a sort of elite suburb of Becán.
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Río Bec
Río Bec is the designation for a collection of small sites, 70 at last count, in a 100-sq-km area southeast of Xpujil. The remoteness of the site and ongoing excavations give it a certain buzz and mystique that’s lacking in established sites. Couple this with the fact that it’s nearly impossible to get here during the rainy season and you have the makings of a real adventure.
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