Location:

Yucatan is located in southeast Mexico and bordered on the North by the Caribbean Sea and Golf of Mexico.

History & Highlights

Yucatan is best characterized as the preferred destination for world-famous archaeological sites, enchanting colonial cities, romantic haciendas and resorts, beaches, adventure travel and ecotourism, a wide variety of sports, shopping and fine dining.

MERIDA

The best way to discover Yucatan is to begin with Mérida, the “white city”, founded in 1542 over the last vestiges of the ancient Mayan city, Ichcaanziho, and built from the sacred stones of its temples. Mérida has beautifully conserved colonial buildings, such as the House of Montejo, the Government Palace, the Jose Peon Contreras Theater, the Museum of Anthropology and History of the Canton Palace, the Autonomous University of Yucatan and the Cathedral. A park tour in an elegantly adorned carriage, following the Paseo de Montejo and feeling the gentle sea breezes, is highly recommended.

IZAMAL

Yucatan offers a great variety of tourist attractions, such as Izamal, “Mexico's Magic town”, a place where The Pope John Paul II,  unified himself with the etnias and right now offers a light and sound spectacle, called “The light of the Mayans”, it takes place every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday in the Convent of San Antonio de Padua.

CHICHEN ITZÁ

The archaeological site of Chichén Itzá, today part of the New 7 Wonders of the World is located 120 km from Merida. Between 600 and 1250 A.D. this ancient city whose name means "at the mouth of the Itza well," was the center of political, economic, religious, and military power, not only in Yucatan but also in the entire southeaster part of Mesoamerica.

OTHER IMPORTANT SITES

The colonial city of Valladolid and the archaeological site of Ek Balam are part of the Puuc Route with Uxmal,  Sayil, Kabah, Labná and Xlapak, founded by the Mayans in the 8th century and considered one of the most important sites in Meso-America; as well as others like Oxkintok, Dzibilchaltún and Ake, that will make you see the Yucatan of the Mayans, the Great Old Yucatan; the convents which transports visitors to the 16th and 17th centuries with its majestic temples, churches and artistic treasures, actually offered at the Museum of Sacred Art in Conkal; and finally, ecotourism and adventure travel in various places such as Celestun, Rio Lagartos, San Felipe and El Palmar where you find flamingos and innumerable species of birds and the amazing  underground rivers called “Cenotes” where visitors may scuba dive or snorkel.