Very hot (115 F +) extemely humid (98%) climate
 

I will be traveling to the Yucatan interior in June and want to know what fabrics are best for staying cool.

- Longsleeve or shortsleeve shirts? Long pants or shorts?

- Linen vs. a synthetic moisture wicking fabric (tactel, rayon, Coolmax, etc.)?

I've not been to Yucatan, but I'm from South Texas where the conditions aren't that much different and I'd wear as little clothing as possible! Linen is always nice.

well, I remember well from my days living in south Mississippi (where we similar humidity but temps usually just in the 90s) that if I had to be outside for any length of time, that sun protection was more important than just about anything.

I assume that in your case you will need protection from both the sun and mosquitos in equal parts if you're not beaching it. Loose fitting long pants and a camisole with a loose fitting long sleeve shirt would be good. Those pants with zippers that let you turn them into shorts might be a good way to go. Have you checked out the clothin at www.TravelSmith.com? They have some really good natural linen blends as well as manmade breathable fibers available.

What will you be doing? Hiking? Archaeological work? That might also help us give you apparel suggestions. If you're working in the sun all day you might not need the same bug protection as you would under cover of rainforest, for example.

100% cotton, even cotton gauze, wicks better than the synthetics. T-shirts,shorts daytime; long pants/not jeans for bugs and evenings. A portable slicker,ltweight, since it's rainy season. Bugspray/deet. Good walking/hiking shoes/lots of socks,cotton.

Thank you everyone for your replies - very helpful. Do you think the sun on your skin (short sleeve shirts) actually makes you hotter (I know it sounds counterintuitive but I've heard it)? Also, to be more specific, we will be visiting Mayan archeological sites (Chichen Itza, Uxmal,etc.) There is almost NO SHADE there.

Oh - one more thing. Does sunblock cause your body to feel more hot and sticky?

put the sunblock on while you're naked, wait ten minutes until it's completely dry and absorbed into your skin and then get dressed. that way it won't feel heavy or greasy.

the last time i was walking around in the heat without any shade, i was surprisingly cool in a loose-fitting 3/4length sleeve white linen shirt worn over a white camisole-style tank top. i wore capris, not full length pants, and i felt quite comfortable--this was wandering around El Morro and Old San Juan for about 5 hours before our flight. two of my travel mates had worn shorts and tank tops and were very hot and sticky and needed to shower before we left for the airport, but i felt comfortable and i passed the "stink test." if i had been wearing shorts and sleeveless shirts i would have been sunburned, despite the sunblock.

it's different for different folks, of course, but that's what works for me. i love traveling to the Caribbean wearing a camisole and an overshirt with sleeves. i had a friend from college who worked on various summer digs in the yucatan and she said that she felt more comfortable wearing as little as possible. she doesn't sunburn easily. she also mentioned that some days many of the women removed their tops altogether! :)