The Amazing Yucatan Peninsula

The ruins at Tulum have the Caribbean as a stunning backdrop.

How much better can it get than sipping cold beer on a Caribbean beach with pure white sand and waves crashing 10 feet away? I recommend this area to anyone wanting a tropical vacation on the beach mixed in with a little bit of archaeological exploration. I spent two weeks touring the three states on the Yucatan Peninsula and seeing some of the best beaches and ruins of my life.

Main cathedral in Merida. Construction was started in 1562.

Merida

The Capitol of the state of Yucatan, this vibrant city has the second oldest Spanish cathedral built on mainland America. It's main plaza in the heart of the old city is always bustling with indigenous street vendors selling local textiles as well as families and couples milling around. Most of the colonial architecture has survived even if it is a bit run down and houses a large number of museums, art galleries, and local art cooperatives. 

Celestun

This quiet fishing village fills up with locals looking for a fun day at the beach, but also draws in thousands of tourists a year to see the several groups of local flamingos in the Ría Celestún Biosphere Reserve. We took a boat tour out to the mangroves to see the birds, which are quite shy and were varying shades of pink. Apparently they get their unique color from the beta carotene in the shrimp they eat.  

Campeche

The main plaza in Campeche often hosts live music and festivities. 

This was by far my favorite city on the trip. Seated right on the ocean, this old colonial town isn't famous for it's beaches, but rather draws in tourists interested in history.  Being named a UNESCO World Heritage Site means that all of the old architecture has to be maintained and the buildings are all given fresh coats of paint on a regular basis, making a stroll down the streets feel like a step back in time. The most unique feature here is the old city walls that guard the city from many pirate attacks. Although they aren't fully intact, the sheer scale of them gives the impression of how severe the threat of plunder must have been for those who lived there.

Edzna

Standing in front of the main acropolis.

This was my first exposure to Mayan ruins and possibly one of the most memorable. A remote and little-known ruin that has impressively preserved temples and still allows you to climb most of the structures, Edzna, is difficult to reach as we found while we were navigating back roads winding through the hillside, but well worth it. It's a large site with only a handful of tourists and a range of architectural styles that contrast with the unique five-tier design of the main acropolis. 

                                                             Lol-Tun and Cenotes

Black hands placed here signify this was a sacred place for
communing with the underworld.

The Yucatan Peninsula has no topical rivers. Instead, its limstone bedrock is full of underground rivers that hold crystal clear cold water. Access points or pools of water linked to the surface are called cenotes and almost all major mayan sites have a cenote linked to them, which makes sense in such a dry area. Many of these cenotes have been opened to the public and you are allowed to swim in them. We had a chance to drop by a subterranean cenote, which was small, but lovely.






Later on, we stopped by the Lol-Tun Caves, where we were guided through the largest cave network on the peninsula. The history of humans in the cave dates back to prehistoric times where it was used for shelter and water collection. Much later on the same cave system was used by the Mayan slaves as a hideout from the Spanish hacienda owners.

"El Castillo", the main pyramid in Chitzen Itza hots the famous serpent 
shadow during the spring and fall equinox.

Chichen Itza and Uxmal


These two UNESCO World Heritage sites are the most visited Mayan ruins in Mexico with over a million visitors to Chitzen Itza alone each year. Not only are they easily accessible, but they are also incredibly well-preserved.

Chitzen Itza received decades of extensive reparation from international archaeologists, resulting in a better glimpse of how the structures and city itself would have looked when it was inhabited. One of the most famous symbols of this                                                                                            

The Magician's Pyramin in Uxmal is famous for its 
unique circular construction.

                                                                                     
site is the God "Chac Mool" who is lying on his back with a bowl resting on his stomach, waiting for human heads from sacrificial ceremonies. There are many other depictions of human sacrifice, including the famous ball court where the losers are shown losing their heads in a spray of blood.  

                        

Uxmal is less restored, but is set in a lush jungle and has a unique style of architecture. The stones here have a pink hue and the whole area has a strangely remote feeling despite the fact that you're surrounded by throngs of tourists.

Tulum

Although the main draw here is ruins placed on jagged cliffs above the sea, this town also has the best beaches I’ve seen so far in Mexico. The sand sparkles white and the clarity of the water makes it easy to spot schools of fish. There is a small reef a few hundred meters offshore where you can take an hour-long  snorkeling tour to see the coral and although it's not the best reef on the peninsula, it's well worth a stop if you're there a few days. There are also a number of excellent restaurants and a fun raggae bar in town.