DK Travel : Cancún and the Yucatán : History & Culture

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Maní Monastery

The first of all the Franciscan missionary monasteries in the Yucatán, consecrated in 1549, was built very simply, with a massive stone façade and cavernous cloister. Set within the façade was an external altar or “Indian Chapel,” so that open-air services could be held in the square. In 1562, after the Franciscans discovered that many Mayans were practising their old religion in secret, an auto da fé was held in the square, during which the friars burned hundreds of Mayan manuscripts and pagan relics(see Maní).
Mayapán

The last major Mayan city, which dominated the Yucatán from 1200–1450, has striking painted frescoes.
Mérida

The Yucatán’s capital, founded by the Spaniards in 1542 on the site of the Mayan city of Ti’ho, has a seductive appeal. Whitewashed Spanish houses with shaded patios provide delightful places to stay. Despite the bustle of its market (and traffic), amid the city’s old squares life still proceeds at a leisurely, friendly pace.

Tiled icon at Santa Lucia, Mérida
Mérida

Perhaps the most seductive of all the colonial cities in Mexico. Elegant architecture, shady patios, great markets, a distinct friendliness, the soft music of boleros and the jarana heard in free concerts in 16th-century squares, and fiestas enjoyed by all ages every Sunday – the town’s appeal is plentiful and varied.

Cafés, Mérida
Mérida Cathedral

The first cathedral completed in mainland America was built by local conquistadores in a style that the church leaders considered far too extravagant. The design is, in fact, quite simple, with few decorative flourishes, and the church’s soaring white stone interior has great solemnity. The figures that you pass on the way in, flanking the imposing main entrance, represent saints Peter and Paul (see Cathedral).
Muyil

A very old Mayan site next to the Sian Ka’an reserve, with several pyramids amid the forest.
Oxcutzcab

The south of Yucatán near the Puuc hills is a fertile, fruit-producing region. Oxcutzcab has a huge market, where Mayan women in huípiles (white dresses with bright embroidery) preside over stalls stacked with succulent mangoes, papaya, oranges, watermelons, and more. Above them is the lofty tower of the town church, finished in 1645.
Oxkintok

Ancient city just west of the Puuc area. It rivalled Uxmal in size, and has a bizarre temple-labyrinth.
Progreso

Mérida’s port and favorite beach town is a place to get close to ordinary Yucatecan life. The harbor is stuck at the end of a long (6-km/4-mile) pier, and so the shallow waters around the beach remain blissfully tranquil. Until the weekend, that is, when Meridanos spill out onto the sand and into the warm blue waters. There are excellent fish restaurants along the seafront, too, with big, convivial outside terraces for socializing.
Río Lagartos

This quiet village on the remote north coast is at the head of over 20 km (12 miles) of man-grove lagoon and mud flats, with the Yucatán’s largest colonies of flamingos and a dazzling variety of other birds. Local boatmen provide good-value tours (see also Río Lagartos, Río Lagartos and San Felipe).