Yucatán

The state

Get to know Yucatán

The state of Yucatán occupies the northern part of the peninsula of the same name, a limestone plain covered by low jungle, with no surface rivers. Water runs underground and appears in cenotes, which the Maya considered sacred. It is the land of the great Maya cities and of a culture that remains alive in language, cuisine and embroidered clothing.

Chichén Itzá, near Valladolid, is the most visited archaeological site in the country, with the pyramid of Kukulcán (El Castillo), the ballcourt and the sacred cenote; it is a World Heritage Site. At the equinoxes in March and September, the shadow on the staircase often forms the shape of a serpent. To the south, Uxmal and the towns on the Puuc Route, such as Kabah and Labná, display facades covered in worked stone.

Mérida, the capital, has the cathedral on the Plaza Grande, the Paseo de Montejo with mansions from the sisal era and a busy cultural calendar. Valladolid is the colonial town near Chichén Itzá, with the Suytun and Ik Kil cenotes nearby. Izamal is the yellow town, with the convent of San Antonio de Padua atop an ancient pyramid. On the coast, Celestún often hosts flamingos in the estuary, and Progreso is the beach for Mérida’s residents.

Yucatecan cuisine is among the best known in Mexico: cochinita pibil, lime soup, panuchos, salbutes and relleno negro, seasoned with achiote and bitter orange.