YUCATAN
The charming and magical city of Merida is the capital city of the state of Yucatan and is located about 35km (22 mi) from the Gulf of Mexico coast and 320 km (198 mi) from Cancun. With its tropical climate and cool winds that blow in from the coast, with an average temperature of 33º C (91º F) throughout most of the year.
Merida was founded in 1542 by a Spanish conquistador known as El Adelantado, and was built upon the ruins of the Mayan city Ti’ho. It was originally built as a walled city to protect the residents from attacks by the Mayas. The city is known today as the White City, as it was originally constructed using white limestone, which is still evident in the buildings seen today. Much of Merida’s architecture from the colonial period and through the 18th and 19th Century in the central city area, with beautiful and solidly built colonial buildings that house the city’s history, art, traditions and culture. Located in the Historic Center of Merida is an impressive 16th century cathedral, the oldest in North America. Merida is full of culture, with a vast range of exquisite art galleries, interesting museums, such as the Yucatan Museum of Archaeology, and wonderful tourist shops. The Paseo Montejo, the city’s main avenue, is lined with 19th century mansions and world class hotels.
The local cuisine of Merida is renowned for its unique style and flavour, different from the rest of Mexico. It successfully mixes influences from the local Mayan culture, Caribbean, Mexican, European, and Middle Eastern cultures. There is a wide variety of exquisite dishes characteristic of Yucatecan cuisine, such as papadzules and panuchos, which are made with stuffed corn tortillas and bathed in hot sauce, and the traditional cochinita pibil made from pork marinated in orange juice and served with beans and red onion.
Just outside of Merida you can visit old henequen haciendas, many of which have been beautifully restored and converted into luxurious hotels. There are also some amazing cenotes (sinkholes) in the underground river systems, great for diving and swimming, and you visit the beautiful natural scenery at the Reserva de la Biosfera Ria Celestun, a biosphere reserve and habitat of hundreds of pink flamingos. Not to forget the various spectacular archaeological sites surrounding Merida, including Uxmal and Chichen Itza.
(CHICHEN ITZA)
Chichen Itza is a pre-Columbian archaeological site built by the Mayan civilization, located in the eastern region of the state of Yucatan, 120 km (74 mi) east of Merida. The climate is hot and dry, with an average temperature of 34º C (93º F).
Here you can visit some stunning ancient structures and marvel and at the brilliance of the Mayan culture and architecture. Declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO, Chichen Itza was once a very important city of power and wealth during the Maya Classical period. The site features many stone structures, all in varying states of preservation, which were once used a temples, palaces, baths, markets, stages and ballcourts. One of the most impressive structures is El Castillo, also known as the Pyramid of Kukulcan. Here you can see a natural phenomenon, which only occurs each year during the spring equinox, where the corner shape of this structure causes the movement of the sunlight to create a shadow image of a plumed serpent slithering down the pyramid’s stairs. The Temple of Warriors is a stone structure built on top of a step pyramid, its interior columns are carved into the likeness of warriors. The Juego de Pelota, the largest ball court in Mesoamerica, measuring 168 meters (554 feet) in length and 70 meters (231 feet) in width, is indeed an impressive site. Once used to play the Mesoamerican ballgame, its large walls are sculpted with images of teams of players, with the losing team’s captain being decapitated. There’s also the El Caracol (The Snail), named because of the interior’s round spiral shape, which was a sacred observatory.
At Chichen Itza you can also visit the spectacular Cenote Sagrado, or the ‘Cenote of Sacrifice’, which was sacred to the people. It is a large sinkhole that measures 60 meters (198 feet) in diameter. Many fantastic treasures were thrown into the waters as a sacrifice to the Mayan rain god, Chaac. It is also believed that, during times of drought, young women were also sacrificed to this god in order to appease him so that he might bring rain. Many treasures including rings, necklaces, gold and jade objects, as well as the bones of young women have been discovered in the waters.
