Must-see attractions in Yucatán State & the Maya Heartland

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Just across the square from the monastery, this cultural center and museum showcases popular art from around Mexico. Explanatory cards in English give an…

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…

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…

Housed in the former archbishop’s palace, the attractive museum's impressive collection holds permanent exhibitions of three of Yucatán’s most famous…