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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

Just north of this fishing village is a silent, wild, watery expanse of mangrove lagoon that provides a breeding ground for great flocks of pink flamingos and ibises, egrets, and blue herons. Boat tours from the village are very popular (the lagoon can get rather crowded at times). But if you stay over in Celestún after the tours have gone back to Mérida, you will find a beautifully tranquil village, with a soft white beach, laid-back restaurants and hotels, and fabulous sunsets.

The Temple of the Seven Dolls, through which the sun strikes at dawn on spring and summer equinoxes to run straight along a white sacbé (rough cast road) to the central plaza, is the most celebrated feature of this ruined Mayan city just north of Mérida. It was one of the longest-lived Mayan cities, occupied for over 2,000 years. There are additional temples at the site, as well as a grand Palacio and a Spanish missionary chapel. The huge, mysterious pool – Cenote Xlacah – which provided the ancient city with water, now offers an idyllic place in which to cool off.

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.

With the elegant lines of the Nunnery Quadrangle and towering mass of the Pyramid of the Magician, Uxmal is not only one of the most beautiful of ancient Mayan cities but also one of the greatest sights in the Americas.

This site was the second most important of the Puuc Cities after Uxmal, and an imposing arch on its west side marks the start of the sacbé road (see Cozumel and the South) that linked it to its larger ally. Its Codz Poop or “Palace of Masks” is the most extravagant example of Mayan carving: the extraordinary façade is covered with 250 faces of the long-nosed rain-god Chac. The Palacio and Temple of the Columns are other classics of refined Puuc architecture.

Of all the Puuc Cities, Sayil is the one that gives the strong-est sense of the wealth of its ancient inhabitants. Its hub is the magnificent Palacio, an opulent complex sweeping up through three levels and over 90 chambers, with an architectural refinement that recalls the buildings of Ancient Greece. It housed over 350 people, from lords to servants, and had its own exclusive water supply.

The Arch of Labná (wonderfully drawn by Frederick Catherwood, ) exemplifies the sophistication of Puuc architecture. Nearby, the town’s Palacio is only slightly smaller than Sayil’s, and was divided into seven patios – the part to the left was the home of the lords of Labná, the patios to the right (east) were for servants. The setting is especially lovely, in tranquil woods full of birds.

This vast cave complex is both a stunning natural phenomenon and ancient Mayan site. It has been occupied by humans longer than anywhere else in the Yucatán, from remote prehistory right up until the 19th century. The ancient Maya lived here, mined the caves, and used them for rituals. Guided tours take you through 2 km (1.5 miles) of caves, but the network extends much further. The rock formations are awe-inspiring, and a special feature of Loltún is its strange changes of temperature, from fierce heat to chilly breezes.

A Spanish colonial walled city that retains a charming, old-world feel. The 17th-century ramparts and bastions were built to defend it against pirates. The streets within are lined with delicately colored old houses featuring patios and iron-grilled windows. A museum, housed in an old Spanish fort, contains jade funeral masks and other fine relics from the recently excavated site at Calakmul.