Yucatán and Campeche States
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Yucatán and Campeche States - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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21. Cenote Samulá
Perhaps the most photographed cenote in the Yucatán, this sinkhole is located across the road from Cenote X-Keken, about 5 km (3 miles) west of the main square. A narrow stairway leads to crystal clear water where tree vines dangle overhead and hundreds of birds nest between the stalactites. Don't be alarmed by the tiny Garra rufa fish that nibble at your feet—they are actually eating away the dead skin cells. Guides offer tours for tips.
Valladolid, Yucatán, MexicoSight Details
Rate Includes: MX$80 -
22. Cenote X-Keken
Five kilometers (3 miles) west of the main square, you can swim with the catfish in lovely, mysterious Cenote X-Keken, which is in a cave illuminated by a small natural skylight. There are toilets and changing facilities but no lockers. Directly across the street is the equally stunning Cenote Samulá. Guides offer tours for tips.
Valladolid, Yucatán, MexicoSight Details
Rate Includes: MX$80 -
23. Cenote Zací
A large, round, and beautiful sinkhole right in town, Cenote Zací—zací means "white hawk" in the Mayan language—is sometimes crowded with tourists and local boys clowning it up; at other times, it's deserted. Leaves from the tall old trees surrounding the sinkhole float on the surface, but the water itself is quite clean. If you're not up for a dip, visit the adjacent handicraft shop or have a bite at the popular, thatch-roof restaurant overlooking the water. We recommend paying the extra MX$30 to rent a life vest here.
Calles 36 and 37, Valladolid, Yucatán, Mexico985-856–0721Sight Details
Rate Includes: MX$30 -
24. Centro Cultural de Mérida Olimpo
Referred to as simply the "Olimpo," this is the best venue in town for free cultural events. The beautiful porticoed cultural center was built adjacent to City Hall in late 1999, occupying what used to be a parking lot. The marble interior is a showcase for top international art exhibits, classical-music concerts, conferences, and theater and dance performances. The adjoining 1950s-style movie house shows classic art films by directors like Buñuel, Fellini, and Kazan. The center also houses a planetarium with 60-minute shows explaining the solar system (narration is in Spanish); they run Tuesday through Sunday at 6 pm and Sunday at 10, 11, noon, 6, and 7—be sure to arrive 15 minutes early as nobody is allowed to sneak in once the show has begun.
Calle 62, Mérida, Yucatán, 97000, Mexico999-942–0000Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free; MX$56 for planetarium -
25. Centro Cultural y Artesanal Izamal
CentroBanamex has set up this small, well-organized art museum right on the main plaza. There are all kinds of high-quality crafts on display, from textiles and ceramics to papier-mâché and woodwork. The center also has a little on-site café and gift shop.
Calle 31 s/n No. 201, Izamal, Yucatán, 97540, Mexico9888-954--1012Sight Details
Rate Includes: MX$30, Closed Mon -
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26. Centro Cultural y Artesanal Izamal
Banamex has set up this small, well-organized art museum right on the main plaza. There are all kinds of high-quality crafts on display, from textiles and ceramics to papier-mâché and woodwork. The center also has a little on-site café and gift shop.
Calle 31 s/n No. 201, Izamal, Yucatán, 97540, Mexico9888-954--1012Sight Details
Rate Includes: MX$30, Closed Mon -
27. Chicanná
Of the four buildings surrounding the main plaza, Estructura II, on the east side, is the most impressive. On its intricate facade are well-preserved sculpted reliefs and faces with long twisted noses—symbols of Chaac. In typical Chenes style, the doorway represents the mouth of the creator-god Itzámná. Surrounding the opening are large crossed eyes, fierce fangs, and earrings to complete the stone mask, which still bears traces of blue and red pigments.
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28. Choco-Story México
Located on a cacao plantation near the Uxmal ruins, this museum highlights the history of cacao and cocoa (the product derived from cacao) and their relationship with Maya culture. Tours take place in traditional homes where you can learn about the cultivation of cacao and the process of making chocolate. At the end, you'll be treated to a traditional Maya drink, prepared with organic cocoa and local spices.
Carretera 261, Km 78, Uxmal, Yucatán, 97844, Mexico1999-289–9914Sight Details
Rate Includes: MX$140 -
29. Choco-Story México
Located on a cacao plantation near the Uxmal ruins, this museum highlights the history of cacao and cocoa (the product derived from cacao) and their relationship with Maya culture. Tours take place in traditional homes where you can learn about the cultivation of cacao and the process of making chocolate. At the end, you'll be treated to a traditional Maya drink, prepared with organic cocoa and local spices.
Carretera 261, Km 78, Uxmal, Yucatán, 97844, Mexico1999-289–9914Sight Details
Rate Includes: MX$140 -
30. Dzibilchaltún
Meaning "the place with writing on flat stones," Dzibilchaltún (dzi-bil-chal-toon) isn't a place you'd travel miles out of your way to see. But since it's not far off the road, about halfway between Progreso and Mérida, it's convenient and, in its own way, interesting. More than 16 square km (6 square miles) of land here is cluttered with mounds, platforms, piles of rubble, plazas, and stelae. Although only a few buildings have been excavated to date, scientists find Dzibilchaltún fascinating because of the sculpture and ceramics from all periods of Maya civilization that have been unearthed. The area may have been settled as early as 500 BC and was inhabited until the time of the conquest. At its height, there were around 40,000 people living here. The site's most notable structure is the tiny Templo de las Siete Muñecas ("temple of the seven dolls"). It's a long stroll down a flat dirt track lined with flowering bushes and trees to get to the low, trapezoidal temple exemplifying the late preclassic style. During the spring and fall equinoxes, sunbeams fall at the exact center of two windows opposite each other inside one of the temple rooms. Studies have found that a similar phenomenon occurs at the full moon between March 20 and April 20. Another attraction is the ruined open chapel built by the Spaniards for the indigenous people. Actually, to be accurate, the Spanish forced indigenous laborers to build it as a place of worship for themselves: a sort of pre-Hispanic "separate but equal" scenario. One of the best reasons to visit Dzibilchaltún, though, is Xlacah Cenote. The site's sinkhole, with crystalline water the color of smoked green glass, is ideal for a cooling swim after walking around the ruins. Before leaving, visit the small but impressive Museo Pueblo Maya, which contains the seven crude dolls that gave the Temple of the Seven Dolls its name. It also traces the area's Hispanic history, and highlights contemporary crafts from the region. To reach Dzibilchaltún from Mérida, drive north on Carretera Mérida-Progreso; after 10 km (6 miles), turn right at the sign for the ruins and continue another 3 km (2 miles) until you reach a village. Just after you pass the village, take your first right toward the archaeological site. If you don't have a car, you can come by cab from Mérida (about MX$350 one way) or Progreso (about MX$1,130, including round-trip transport and two hours at the ruins): alternatively, you can catch a colectivo (shared van) from Mérida's Parque San Juan or Progreso’s main dock.
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31. Ek Balam
The ruins at Ek Balam are best known for the amazingly well-preserved stucco panels on the Templo de los Frisos. A giant mask crowns its summit, and its friezes contain wonderful carvings of figures often referred to as "angels" (because they have wings)—but which more likely represented nobles in ceremonial dress. As is common with ancient Maya structures, this temple, styled like those in the lowland region of Chenes, is superimposed upon earlier ones. The temple was a mausoleum for ruler Ukin Kan Lek Tok, who was buried with priceless funerary objects, including perforated seashells, jade, mother-of-pearl pendants, and small bone masks with movable jaws. At the bases at either end of the temple, the leader’s name is inscribed on the forked tongue of a carved serpent. (Mayan culture ascribed no negative connotation to the snake.) A contemporary of Uxmal and Cobá, the city may have been a satellite city to Chichén Itzá, which rose to power as Ek Balam waned. This site is also notable for its two concentric walls—a rare configuration in the Maya world—that surround the 45 structures in the main sector. They may have provided defense or, perhaps, symbolized the ruling elite that lived within. In addition, Ek Balam has a ball court and many freestanding stelae (stone pillars carved with commemorative glyphs or images). New Age groups occasionally converge here for prayers and seminars, but the site is usually quite sparsely visited, which adds to the mystery and allure. This is one of the few Maya sites where visitors are permitted to climb the structures. Be aware, though, that the trend in the Yucatán is to prohibit such activity, so the situation could change at any time. Some visitors report a dizzying sensation on descent here; for safety's sake, we recommend not climbing the structures.
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32. Ermita de Santa Isabel
Several blocks south of the city center stands the restored Hermitage of St. Isabel, also known as the Hermitage of the Good Trip ("ermita" is the Spanish word for "hermitage"). Completed in 1748 as part of a Jesuit monastery, the beautiful edifice served as a resting place for colonial-era travelers heading to Campeche. It's one of the most peaceful places in the city and a good destination for a ride in a horse-drawn carriage, though it's typically open only during mass. Behind the hermitage are huge, lush tropical gardens, with a waterfall and footpaths, which are usually unlocked during daylight hours.
Calles 66 and 77, Mérida, Yucatán, 97000, MexicoSight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
33. Ex-Convento e Iglesia de San Antonio de Padua
Facing the main plaza, the enormous 16th-century former monastery and church of St. Anthony of Padua is perched on—and built from—the remains of a Maya pyramid devoted to Itzámná, god of the heavens. The monastery's ocher-painted church, where Pope John Paul II led prayers in 1993, has a gigantic atrium (supposedly second in size only to the Vatican's) facing a colonnaded facade and rows of 75 white-trimmed arches. The Virgin of the Immaculate Conception, to whom the church is dedicated, is the patron saint of the Yucatán. A statue of Nuestra Señora de Izamal, or Our Lady of Izamal, was brought here from Guatemala in 1562 by Bishop Diego de Landa. Miracles are ascribed to her, and a yearly pilgrimage takes place in her honor. Frescoes of saints at the front of the church, once plastered over, were rediscovered and refurbished in 1996. The monastery and church are now illuminated in a light-and-sound show of the type common at some archaeological sites. You can catch a Spanish-only narration and the play of lights on the nearly 500-year-old structure at 8 pm Thursday, Friday, and Saturday—buy tickets (MX$110) on-site at 7:30. Diagonally across from the cathedral, the small municipal market is worth a wander. It's the kind of place where if you stop to watch how the merchants prepare food, they may let you in on their cooking secrets.
Izamal, Yucatán, 97540, Mexico -
34. Ex-Convento e Iglesia San Bernardino
Five long blocks away from the main plaza is the 16th-century, terra-cotta Ex-Convento e Iglesia San Bernardino, a Franciscan church and former monastery. The church was actually built over Cenote Sis-Há, which served as a clean water source for the monks. You can view the cenote through a grate in the well house where much of the original stone still remains. If the priest is around, ask him to show you the 16th-century frescoes, protected behind curtains near the altarpiece. The lack of proportion in the human figures shows the initial clumsiness of indigenous artisans in reproducing the Christian saints.
Calle 41A, Valladolid, Yucatán, 97780, Mexico985-856–2160Sight Details
Rate Includes: MX$40, Closed Sat. and Sun. -
35. Ex-Templo de San José
The Jesuits built this fine baroque church in honor of St. Joseph just before they were booted out of the New World in 1767. Its block-long facade and portal are covered with blue-and-yellow Talavera tiles and crowned with seven narrow stone finials—resembling both the roof combs on many Mayan temples and the combs Spanish women once wore in their elaborate hairdos. You can ask the guard (who should be somewhere on the grounds) to let you in. From the outside you can admire Campeche's first lighthouse, built in 1864, and perched atop the right-hand tower.
Calles 10 and 63, 24000, Mexico981-816–2292 -
36. Fuerte de San Miguel
Near the city's southwest end, Avenida Ruíz Cortínez winds its way to this hilltop fort with a breathtaking view of the Bay of Campeche. Built between 1779 and 1801 and dedicated to the archangel Michael, the fort was positioned to blast enemy ships with its long-range cannons. As soon as it was completed, pirates stopped attacking the city. In fact, the cannons were fired only once, in 1842, when General Santa Anna used Fuerte de San Miguel to put down a revolt by Yucatecan separatists seeking independence from Mexico.The fort houses the 10-room Museo de la Arqueología Maya. Exhibits include the skeletons of long-ago Maya royals, complete with jewelry and pottery, which are arranged just as they were found in Calakmul tombs. Other archaeological treasures are funeral vessels, wonderfully expressive figurines and whistles from Isla de Jaina, stelae and stucco masks from the Mayan ruins, and an excellent pottery collection. Most information is in Spanish only, but many of the pieces speak for themselves. The gift shop sells replicas of artifacts.
Av. Francisco Morazán s/n, 24000, Mexico981-816–9111Sight Details
Rate Includes: MX$42, Closed Mon. -
37. Gran Museo del Mundo Maya
Whether or not the "Grand Museum of the Mayan World" lives up to its lofty name depends on your tastes and expectations, but the institution certainly makes a big architectural splash. The starkly modern building was designed to resemble a giant ceiba tree, sacred to the Maya, and it looms over the northern outskirts of town on the highway to Progreso. (Plan on a MX$50 Uber or DiDi ride from downtown.) The museum showcases an amazing collection of 1,100 Maya artifacts previously housed at the Palacio Cantón, where there was limited room for displays. Here, exhibitions wind through four themed halls: The Mayab, Nature, and Culture; Ancestral Maya; Yesterday's Maya; and Today's Maya. Much of the exhibit space is given over to multimedia presentations, and therein lies the problem for some museum purists. The interactive screens are enormously popular, especially with younger visitors. (One all-the-rage panel of screens lets you tap in your birth date, convert it to the corresponding date on the Maya calendar, and email yourself your Maya horoscope.) Museum officials have responded to criticisms about the inclusion of modern technology by saying that Maya culture isn't merely an artifact of the past but an evolving way of life that has adapted to modern times. So why not adapt a museum's teaching methods to modernity, too? Everything here—artifact labeling and multimedia narration—is trilingual (Spanish, English, and Mayan). An adjoining theater, named the Mayamax, screens films and there is a concert hall too.
Calle 60 Norte, Mérida, Yucatán, 97110, Mexico999-341–0430Sight Details
Rate Includes: MX$150, Closed Tues. -
38. Hochob
This small Maya site is an excellent example of the Chenes architectural style, which flowered from about AD 100 to 1000—though Hochob was occupied roughly beginning around AD 300. Most ruins in this area were built on the highest possible elevation to prevent flooding during the rainy season, and Hochob is no exception. It rests high on a hill overlooking the surrounding valleys. Another indication that these are Chenes ruins is the number of chultunes, or cisterns, in the area. Since work began at Hochob in the early 1980s, four temples and palaces have been excavated, including two that have been fully restored. Intricate and perfectly preserved geometric designs cover the temple known as Estructura II, which are typical of the Chenes style. The doorway represents the open mouth of Itzámná, the creator god, and above it the eyes bulge and fangs are bared on either side of the base. It takes a bit of imagination to see the structure as a mask, as color no doubt originally enhanced the effect. Squinting helps a bit: the figure's "eyes" are said to be squinting as well. But anyone can appreciate the intense geometric relief carvings decorating the facades, including long cascades of Chaac masks along the sides. Evidence of roof combs can be seen at the top of the building. Ask the guard to show you the series of natural and man-made chultunes that extend into the forest. If you're driving from Campeche, take Carretera 180 toward Holpechén and continue until you reach Carretera 261. Follow the road approximately 40 km (25 miles) toward Dzibalchén, then take the dirt road toward the town of Chencoh until you reach Hochob, 15 km (9 miles) ahead.
Dzibalchén–Chencho Rd., Mexico981-816–9111-in Campeche CitySight Details
Rate Includes: MX$45 -
39. Hormiguero
The buildings here were constructed roughly between 400 BC and AD 1100 in the Río Bec style, with rounded lateral towers and ornamental stairways, the latter built to give an illusion of height, which they do wonderfully. The facade of Estructura II, the largest structure on the site, is intricately carved and well preserved. Estructura V has some admirable Chaac masks arranged in a cascade atop a pyramid. Nearby is a perfectly round chultun (water-storage tank), and seemingly emerging from the earth, the eerily etched designs of a still-unexcavated structure. Hormiguero is Spanish for "anthill," referring both to the looters' tunnels that honeycombed the ruins when archaeologists discovered them and to the number of enormous anthills in the area. Among the other fauna sharing the jungle here are several species of poisonous snakes. Although the snakes mainly come out at night, you should always be careful of where you walk and, when climbing, where you put your hands.
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40. Iglesia de la Tercera Orden de Jesús
Just north of Parque Hidalgo is one of Mérida's oldest buildings and the first Jesuit church in the Yucatán. It was built in 1618 from the limestone blocks of a dismantled Maya temple, and faint outlines of ancient carvings are still visible on the west wall. Although a favorite place for society weddings due to its antiquity, the church interior is not ornate. The former convent rooms in the rear of the building now host the Pinoteca Juan Gamboa Guzmán, a small but interesting art collection. The most engaging pieces here are the striking bronze sculptures of indigenous Maya crafted by celebrated 20th-century sculptor Enrique Gottdiener Soto. On the second floor are about 20 forgettable oil paintings—mostly of past civic officials.
Calle 60, Mérida, Yucatán, 97000, Mexico999-924–9712Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free
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