México…I know what you will probably say: it´s dangerous and you are afraid to come, but I assure you that if you go to Mérida you are going to have so much fun and enjoy it 100%.
Last week I went to Mérida for spring vacations with my boyfriend and it was amazing. Since I am from México I´ve traveled and gotten to know some grate places in this beautiful country, but I can tell you, Mérida has made it to one of my favorite ones.
Mérida is in Yucatán, on the peninsula of México, near the sea, which means it´s hot, especially in spring time. It was between 35°C and 38°C all the time, just at night the temperature went a little bit down, but what is saying a little bit, it went down to 30°C-32°C, so it was still very hot.
We stayed for six days and dedicated ourselves to explore the surrounding area. We stayed in an Airbnb two blocks from the center of town, which allowed us to get to know the center and also taste all the amazing food they have there. The hostess is very kind, she left us mamey juice (a typical mexican fruit) and some mexican sweets. The house is tiny, but very beautifully decorated.
The first day we arrived and went out to get something to eat in town. The next day we woke up early to avoid the midday sun and went to the “Ruta Puuc” wich is a route that guides you through the archeological centers of Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil, Labná and Xlapak. It is worthy to mention that on Sundays the entrance is free for Mexicans with an ID, if else they have to pay around 140 mexican pesos, for foreigners the entrance is around 430 mexican pesos.
We rented a car so getting to the ruins wouldn’t be as difficult and we could schedule it as we liked it. This centers, were constructed by the Mayas, a mesoamerican culture that inhabited the southeast of México, Guatemala and Belice, before the Spanish arrived. This culture is known for their impressive use of numbers and advance in art and architecture and, saddly, for having extinguished themselves. Until today the exact source of their sudden disappearance stays unknown, there are only guesses.
First of all, we went to Uxmal, the biggest archeological center of the five. It is mostly reconstructed, and you can see the greatness the buildings once had. There is the “Pirámide del adivino” (Pyramid of the Sorcerer) and “El cuadrángulo de las monjas” (The Quadrangle of the Nunes). Those two are the most impressive of all buildings in this center.
Next in the list was Kabah, a much tinier archeological center, were some of the pyramids are still in reconstruction. The entrance costs around 45 mexican pesos for Mexicans. The most impressive thing here is a wall entirely made of stone masks, called “El palacio de los mascarones” (The palace of masks). There is also a palace and a great arch.
Lastly, we visited Sayil, the third archeological center on this route. The entrance was 55 mexican pesos for Mexicans. It was by far the most not reconstructed of the three and the emptiest of tourists. You could see many piles of stones covered by plants and some trees, probably some constructions that haven’t been saved and reconstructed yet. Some ruins were reconstructed, for example one that is right at the entrance but hidden behind some trees, so it´s hard to see. Then there is the palace, like in the other centers it is one of the most impressive buildings in there and the most reconstructed one. There is also a viewpoint that is very damaged except for two towers that stand at the top. The archeological center goes on for a large distance. My boyfriend and me walked some 15 minutes until we got to a monument of the god of fertility, there was not much else to see on the way.
All in all, the three archeological centers we got to see were huge and impressive. Getting to know the place were this incredible culture developed itself was an amazing experience, I really recommend at least seeing Uxmal if you happen to be in the region.
All in all, the three archeological centers we got to see were huge and impressive. Getting to know the place were this incredible culture developed itself was an amazing experience, I really recommend at least seeing Uxmal if you happen to be in the region.
We did a video of our day discovering the different archeological centers of the mayas. If you´d like to see all of the pyramids and the beautiful engravings I´ll leave you the link in here.
