Mérida
Paseo de Montejo, which runs parallel to Calles 56 and 58, was an attempt by Mérida’s 19th-century city planners to create a wide boulevard similar to the…
Must-see attractions in Yucatán State & the Maya Heartland
Chichén Itzá
Called El Caracol (the Snail) by the Spaniards for its interior spiral staircase, this observatory, to the south of the El Osario, is one of the most…
Templo & Exconvento de Los Santos Reyes
Yucatán State & the Maya Heartland
The Church of the Three Wise Kings and the attached convent (on opposite sides of Calle 51 on the plaza) was built in 1563 by the Franciscans. It's…
Yucatán State & the Maya Heartland
The House of the Turtles, which you'll find on top of a hillside overlooking the Juego de Pelota (Ball Court), takes its name from the turtles carved on…
Yucatán State & the Maya Heartland
The ornate palacio at Xlapak (shla-pak), also spelled Xlapac, is quite a bit smaller than those at nearby Kabah and Sayil, measuring only about 20m in…
Yucatán State & the Maya Heartland
You'll learn more than you ever wanted to know about chocolate at this interesting chain museum that follows a circuit through six exhibition spaces…
Chichén Itzá
Thought by archaeologists to have been a palace for Maya royalty, the so-called Edificio de las Monjas (Nunnery), with its myriad rooms, resembled a…
Yucatán State & the Maya Heartland
There's no lodging (or old house) here, but it provides an interesting look at how henequén was grown and processed. From the parking lot, follow the…
Chichén Itzá
The Ossuary, otherwise known as the Bonehouse or the Tumba del Gran Sacerdote (High Priest’s Grave), is a ruined pyramid to the southwest of El Castillo…
Iglesia de San Antonio de Padua
Yucatán State & the Maya Heartland
Because of the number of Maya ruins in the vicinity, from which building blocks could be acquired, and the number of Maya in the area 'needing' conversion…
Yucatán State & the Maya Heartland
Just 5km from San Felipe, tiny Isla Cerritos was an important Maya port city back in the day. And while the entire island was covered with buildings…
Chichén Itzá
The Platform of Skulls (Tzompantli in Náhuatl, a Maya dialect) is between the Templo de los Jaguares y Escudos and El Castillo. You can’t mistake it,…
Museo de Arte Popular de Yucatán
Mérida
In a building constructed in 1906, the Museo de Arte Popular de Yucatán has a small rotating exhibition downstairs that features popular art from around…
Valladolid
The original edifice of Valladolid's main church was built in 1545, but was demolished and rebuilt in the early 1700s following a violent atrocity the…
Chichén Itzá
This ceremonial site directly in front of the El Castillo is most notable for its huge, ornate and superbly preserved plumed serpent heads extending on…
Yucatán State & the Maya Heartland
Six kilometres northwest of Tizimín, this community-run cenote comes as a lovely surprise after the grittier town. It's well run, clean, set in pretty…
Izamal
Just across the square from the monastery, this cultural center and museum showcases popular art from around Mexico. Explanatory cards in English give an…
Iglesia de San Francisco de Asis
Yucatán State & the Maya Heartland
Constructed at a snail's pace from 1640 to 1693, this Franciscan convent is remarkable for its ornamental facade, at the center of which is a stone statue…
Mérida
The pretty little Parque Santa Lucía has arcades on the north and west sides; this was where travelers would get on or off the stagecoaches that linked…
Museo Fernando García Ponce-Macay
Mérida
Housed in the former archbishop’s palace, the attractive museum's impressive collection holds permanent exhibitions of three of Yucatán’s most famous…
Yucatán State & the Maya Heartland
West of the Gran Pirámide sits a structure whose roofcomb is latticed with a pattern reminiscent of the Moorish pigeon houses built into walls in Spain…
Mérida
The Museo de la Ciudad is housed in the old post office and offers a great reprieve from the hustle, honks and exhaust of this market neighborhood. There…
Mérida
Founded as a livestock ranch in 1683 and converted into a henequén plantation in the 19th century, today Hacienda Teya is a restaurant, hotel and popular…
Yucatán State & the Maya Heartland
The two-lane road to Xcambó is flanked by gorgeous wetlands often inhabited by flamingos. The seldom-visited ruins, 3km south of Hwy 27, formed part of a…
Plataforma de las Águilas y los Jaguares
Chichén Itzá
Adjacent to the Platform of Skulls, the carvings on the Platform of the Eagles and Jaguars depict those animals gruesomely grabbing human hearts in their…
Mérida
Across from Parque de la Mejorada stands Iglesia La Mejorada, a large 17th-century church. The building just north of it was a monastery (el Convento de…
Mercado Municipal Lucas de Gálvez
Mérida
Mérida’s main market is an ever-evolving mass of commerce, with stalls selling everything from panuchos (fried tortillas stuffed with beans and topped…
Yucatán State & the Maya Heartland
Off the southeast corner of the Palacio del Gobernador’s platform is a small complex, now largely rubble, known as the Casa de la Vieja. In front of it is…
Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán
Mérida
The modern Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán was established in the 19th century by Governor Felipe Carrillo Puerto and General Manuel Cepeda Peraza. Inside…
Valladolid
Locals come to this good, authentic Mexican market to shop for cheap clothing, produce and what-have-you, and to eat at inexpensive taquerías. The east…
Templo de los Jaguares y Escudos
Chichén Itzá
The Temple of the Jaguars and Shields, built atop the southeast corner of the ball court’s wall, has some columns with carved rattlesnakes and tablets…
Valladolid
Previously a 16th-century convent, San Roque has models and exhibits on the history of the city and the region. Other displays focus on various aspects of…
Valladolid
The upstairs section, the Salón de Los Murales, has an interesting series of murals of figures that illustrate the history of the region.
Mérida
Head six blocks east of Calle 60 and you'll find this pleasant square flanked by a pretty colonial-era monastery.
Valladolid
The Virgin of Candelaria, the Patron of Valladolid, is celebrated at this church on February 2 (Candlemas).
Mérida
Originally built in 1542, the Palacio Municipal was twice refurbished, in the 1730s and the 1850s.
Mérida
This 18th-century church stands on the north side of Parque de Santa Ana.
Chichén Itzá
From the Plataforma de Venus, a 250m rough stone sacbé (path) runs north to the huge sunken well that gave this city its name. The Sacred Cenote is some…
