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This remote village 50 km (30 miles) south of Valladolid was where the great Mayan revolt of the Caste War began (see 1847: Caste War Begins); it still bears the battle scars. A small museum tells the whole story.

The name comes from the Mayan tsimin , a kind of demon, which was also used to describe the Spaniards when they first appeared on horseback. Today it’s the capital of Yucatán’s “cattle country,” between Valladolid and Río Lagartos. The pleasant twin plazas in the center are divided by two huge monasteries, which give Tizimín a distinctly Mediterranean appearance.

A Central Mexican god of rain and war, with strange, round “goggles” on his eyes.

Small bread rolls, available with as many different fillings as tacos.

Tizimín is the Yucatán’s cattle capital, and so its best restaurant’s specialty is steak, often cooked in thin strips (arracheras ).

All the region’s eco-parks are family-friendly, but Tres Ríos goes a bit further with a special Kids’ Club, where parents can leave small children to play and join in group activities in the forest and park (see Cancún and the North).

A huge area around a natural inlet and cenote rock pools on the coast has been made into an eco-park, with dense jungle, mangrove lagoons, reefs, and a delicious white beach all within it. Visitors can explore on foot, bicycle, horseback, or by kayak along well-marked paths and jungle streams. Other activities include snorkeling, diving, a Kids’ Club for small children, and “sensorama”, a guided walk using blindfolds, so as to experience the forest by touch and smell alone.

Thick forest, cenotes, jungle streams, mangrove lagoons, beaches, and reefs are all found within this big eco-park north of Playa del Carmen. Bikes and kayaks are included in the ticket; optional extras include horse riding, snorkeling, reef-runner tours, scuba diving, a kids’ club, paintball, and “sensorama” blind-folded walk to allow you to experience the forest through touch and smell (see Cancún and the North).