If you can drag yourself away from the beaches at Cancún or Tulum, or the diving on Isla Cozumel, a short trip inland will bring you to three of the Yucatán Peninsula’s most intriguing ancient ruins—Chichén Itzá, Ek’ Balam, and Cobá. Each is quite different from the other, and together they form an excellent introduction to Maya archaeology and architecture. Venturing inland also will give you an opportunity to sneak a peek at how ordinary Yucatecans, including modern-day Maya, live today.
© LIZA PRADO
Chichén Itzá Archaeological Zone: Voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, the Yucatán’s most famous ruin is all about hyperbole: the iconic star-aligned pyramid, the gigantic Maya ball court, even the crush of bikini-clad day-trippers from Cancún—be sure to arrive early (page 252).
Iglesia y Ex-Convento San Bernardino de Siena: Located in a quiet corner of Valladolid, this elegant church has a spacious esplanade and beautiful interior, a small museum, plus a natural cenote inside the convent walls (page 263).
Ek’ Balam Archaeological Zone: A stunning stucco frieze with angel-like figures and a huge “monster mouth” is the highlight of this small, serene site near Valladolid. A nearby cenote makes for a cool après-ruins swim (page 271).
Cobá Archaeological Zone: Just an hour from Tulum are the terrific jungle-cloaked ruins of Cobá, where you can climb the Yucatán’s second-highest pyramid and rent bikes to get from temple to temple. Arrive early to enjoy the rich birdlife, then hit the nearby cenotes or monkey reserve for a great all-day outing (page 275).
Cenotes near Cobá: A visit to Cobá just got better, with the opening of three impressive cenotes a short distance from the ruins. Each is unique, but all are massive caverns, with stalactites above and easy-to-use stairs descending to the cool shimmering water below (page 281).
Chichén Itzá (200 kilometers/124 miles from Cancún) is one of the most famous ruins in the Maya world, with a massive four-sided pyramid and the largest Maya ball court ever built. Just two hours from Cancún, it’s inundated with tour groups; get there early to beat the crowds.
Even closer to the coast, but far less visited, is the small ruin of Ek’ Balam (175 kilometers/109 miles from Cancún), boasting a beautiful stucco frieze partway up a massive pyramid. The frieze features winged priests and a gaping monster mouth that are so well preserved they look like they could be modern-day plaster art. A kilometer (0.6 mile) away, a cenote provides a welcome respite from the heat.
Less than an hour from Tulum—and a great alternative to the overcrowded ruins there—is the ancient city of Cobá (42 kilometers/26 miles from Tulum), home of the second-tallest known Maya pyramid. Unlike many other ruins, Cobá is ensconced in a thick tropical forest that teems with birdlife, including parrots and toucans.
PLANNING YOUR TIME
Chichén Itzá, Ek’ Balam, and Cobá can each be reached as a day trip from Cancún or Tulum. You can visit all three in two or three days, staying overnight at hotels near the sites, or in Valladolid, an attractive and centrally located colonial town.
All the sites can be reached by bus or taxi, especially Chichén Itzá and Cobá. But if you plan on visiting more than one site, a rental car may make your trip easier and more rewarding. You won’t be tied to a bus schedule, and you’ll be able to beat the crowds by getting to the sites bright and early. There also are numerous organized tours to Chichén Itzá from Cancún (though fewer to Cobá and Ek’ Balam). While certainly convenient, many travelers find the large groups off-putting.
Chichén Itzá is one of the finest archaeological sites in the northern part of the peninsula, and in all of Mesoamerica. It is also one of the most visited. Located just two hours from both Cancún and Mérida, the site is inundated by tour groups, many of them bikini-clad day-trippers on loan from the pool at their all-inclusive. That fact should not dissuade independent travelers from visiting—crowded or not, Chichén Itzá is a truly magnificent ruin and a must-see on any archaeology tour of the Yucatán. That said, you can make the most of your visit by arriving right when the gates open, so you can see the big stuff first and be exploring the outer areas by the time the tour buses start to roll in.
Pisté is a one-road town that is strangely underdeveloped considering it is just two kilometers (1.2 miles) from such an important and heavily visited site. The hotels and restaurants here are unremarkable, and there’s not much to do or see in town.
CHICHÉN ITZÁ ARCHAEOLOGICAL ZONE
Chichén Itzá (8am-5pm daily, US$14.75 including sound and light show) is a monumental archaeological site, remarkable for both its size and scope. The ruins include impressive palaces, temples, and altars, as well as the largest-known ball court in the Maya world. One of the most widely recognized (and heavily visited) ruins in the world, it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988 and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007. In 2012, INAH (Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia) partnered with Google to photograph—by bicycle—the site for Google Street View maps.
History
What we call Chichén Itzá surely had another name when it was founded. The name means Mouth of the Well of the Itzá, but the Itzá, an illiterate and semi-nomadic group of uncertain origin, didn’t arrive here until the 12th century. Before the Itzá, the area was controlled—or at least greatly influenced—by Toltec migrants who arrived from central Mexico around AD 1000. Most of Chichén’s most notable structures, including its famous four-sided pyramid, and images like the reclining chac-mool, bear a striking resemblance to structures and images found at Tula, the ancient Toltec capital, in the state of Hidalgo. Before the Toltecs, the area was populated by Maya, evidenced by the Puuc- and Chenes-style design of the earliest structures here, such as the Nunnery and Casa Colorada.
The three major influences—Maya, Toltec, and Itzá—are indisputable, but the exact chronology and circumstances of those groups’ interaction (or lack thereof) is one of the most hotly contested issues in Maya archaeology. Part of the difficulty in understanding Chichén Itzá more fully is that its occupants created very few stelae and left few Long Count dates on their monuments. In this way Chichén Itzá is different from virtually every other ancient city in the Yucatán. It’s ironic, actually, that Chichén Itzá is the most widely recognized “Maya” ruin considering it was so deeply influenced by non-Maya cultures, and its history and architecture are so atypical of the region.
Chichén Itzá’s influence ebbed and flowed over its many centuries of existence and occupation. It first peaked in the mid-9th century, or Late Classic period, when it eclipsed Cobá as the dominant power in the northern Yucatán region. The effects of a widespread collapse of Maya cities to the south (like Calakmul, Tikal, and Palenque) reached Chichén Itzá in the late 900s, and it too collapsed abruptly. The city rose again under Toltec and later Itzá influence, but went into its final decline after an internal dispute led to the rise of Mayapán, which would come to control much of the Yucatán Peninsula. Chichén Itzá was all but abandoned by the early 1200s, though it remained an important religious pilgrimage site even after the arrival of the Spanish.
Something went terribly wrong for the Maya between the years AD 800 and 900. Hundreds of Classic Maya cities were abandoned, monarchies disappeared, and the population fell by millions, mainly due to death and plummeting birthrates. The collapse was widespread, but was most dramatic in the Southern Lowlands, a swath of tropical forest stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to Honduras and including once-glorious cities such as Palenque, Tikal, and Copán. (Archaeologists first suspected a collapse after noticing a sudden drop-off in inscriptions; it has been confirmed through excavations of peasant dwellings from before and after that period.)
There are many theories for the collapse, varying from climate change and epidemic diseases to foreign invasion and peasant revolt. In his carefully argued book The Fall of the Ancient Maya (Thames and Hudson, 2002), archaeologist and professor of anthropology at Pennsylvania State University David Webster suggests it was a series of conditions, rather than a single event, that led to the collapse.
To a certain degree, it was the very success of Maya cities during the Classic era that set the stage for their demise. Webster points to a population boom just before the collapse, which would have left agricultural lands dangerously depleted just as demand spiked. Classic-era farming techniques were ill-suited to meet the challenge; in particular, the lack of draft animals kept productivity low, meaning Maya farmers could not generate large surpluses of corn and other food. (Even if they could, storage was difficult given the hot, humid climate.) The lack of animals also limited how far away farmers could cultivate land and still be able to transport their crops to the city center; as a result, available land was overused. As Webster puts it, “too many farmers [growing] too many crops on too much of the landscape left the Classic Maya world acutely vulnerable to an environmental catastrophe, such as drought or crop disease.”
Certain kingdoms reached their tipping point before others (prompting some to launch 11th-hour military campaigns against weakened rivals), but few escaped the wave of malnutrition, disease, lower birthrates, and outright starvation that seems to have swept across the Maya world in the 9th century. Kings and nobility would have faced increasing unrest and insurrection—after all, their legitimacy was based on their ability to induce the gods to bestow rain, fertility, and prosperity—further destabilizing the social structure and food supply.
The collapse was not universal, of course, and the fall of lowland powers gave other city-states an opportunity to expand and gain influence. But the Maya world was dramatically and permanently changed by it; the grand cities built by the Classic Maya were abandoned to the jungle, most never to be reoccupied, and, as Webster notes, “Cortés and his little army almost starved in 1525 while crossing a wilderness that had supported millions of people seven centuries earlier.”
El Castillo/Temple of Kukulcán
The most dramatic structure in Chichén Itzá is El Castillo (The Castle), also known as the Temple of Kukulcán. At 24 meters (79 feet), it’s the tallest structure on the site, and certainly the most recognizable. Dating to around AD 850, El Castillo was built according to strict astronomical guidelines. There are nine levels, which, divided by the central staircase, make for 18 platforms, the number of months in the Maya calendar. Each of the four sides has 91 steps, which, added together along with the platform on top, total 365—one for each day of the year. And there are 52 inset panels on each face of the structure, equal to the number of years in each cycle of the Calendar Round.
On the spring and autumn equinoxes (March 21 and September 22), the afternoon sun lights up a bright zigzag strip on the outside wall of the north staircase as well as the giant serpent heads at the base, giving the appearance of a serpent slithering down the steps. Chichén Itzá is mobbed during those periods, especially by spiritual-minded folks seeking communion with the ancient Maya. The effect also occurs in the days just before and after the equinox, and there are significantly fewer people blocking the view.
El Castillo, Chichén Itzá’s famous main pyramid, as seen from the nearby Group of a Thousand Columns
© LIZA PRADO
Climbing El Castillo used to be a given for any visit to Chichén Itzá, and the views from its top level are breathtaking. However, an elderly tourist died in 2005 after tumbling from near the top of the pyramid to the ground. The accident, combined with longtime warnings from archaeologists that the structure was being irreparably eroded by the hundreds of thousands of visitors who climbed it yearly, prompted officials to close it off. Pyramids at other sites have been restricted as well, and it’s looking more and more like a standard policy at Maya archaeological zones.
Deep inside El Castillo and accessed by way of a steep, narrow staircase are several chambers; inside one is a red-painted, jade-studded bench in the figure of a jaguar, which may have served as a throne of sorts. You used to be able to climb the stairs to see the chambers and throne—a fascinating, albeit humid and highly claustrophobic affair—but access was closed at the same time climbing the pyramid was prohibited.
Great Ball Court
Chichén Itzá’s famous Great Ball Court is the largest ball court in Mesoamerica by a wide margin. The playing field is 135 meters (443 feet) by 65 meters (213 feet), with two parallel walls 8 meters high (26 feet) and scoring rings in impossibly high perches in the center. The players would’ve had to hit a 12-pound rubber ball through the rings using only their elbows, wrists, and hips (they wore heavy padding). The game likely lasted for hours; at the game’s end, the captain of one team—or even the whole team—was apparently sacrificed, possibly by decapitation. There’s disagreement about which team got the axe, however. Some say it was the losers—otherwise the game’s best players would constantly be wiped out. Some argue that it was the winners, and that being sacrificed would have been the ultimate honor. Of course, it’s likely the game varied from city to city and evolved over the many centuries it was played. Along the walls, reliefs depict the ball game and sacrifices.
On the outside of the ball court, the Lower Temple of the Jaguar has incredibly fine relief carvings depicting the Maya creation myth. An upper temple is off-limits to visitors, but is decorated with a variety of carvings and remnants of what were likely colorful murals.
The Platforms
As you make your way from the ball court to the Temple of Warriors, you’ll pass the gruesome Tzompantli (Wall of Skulls). A low T-shaped platform, it is decorated on all sides with row upon row of carved skulls, most with eyes staring out of the large sockets. Among the skulls are images of warriors holding the heads of decapitated victims, skeletons intertwined with snakes, and eagles eating human hearts (a common image in Toltec design, further evidence of their presence here). It is presumed that ceremonies performed on this platform culminated in a sacrificial death for the victim, the head then left on display, perhaps with others already in place. It’s estimated that the platform was built AD 1050-1200. Nearby, the Platform of Venus and Platform of Eagles and Jaguars are smaller square structures, each with low stairways on all four sides, which were likely used for ritualistic music and dancing.
Sacred Cenote
This natural well is 300 meters (984 feet) north of the main structures, along the remains of a sacbé (raised stone road) constructed during the Classic period. Almost 60 meters (197 feet) in diameter and 30 meters (98.4 feet) down to the surface of the water, it was a place for sacrifices, mostly to Chaac, the god of rain, who was believed to live in its depths. The cenote has been dredged and scoured by divers numerous times, beginning as early as 1900, and the remains of scores of victims, mostly children and young adults, have been recovered, as well as innumerable jade and stone artifacts. (Most are now displayed at the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City.) On the edge of the cenote is a ruined sweat bath, probably used for purification rituals before sacrificial ceremonies. The name Chichén Itzá (Mouth of the Well of the Itzá) is surely derived from this deeply sacred cenote, and it remained an important Maya pilgrimage site well into the Spanish conquest.
Temple of Warriors and Group of a Thousand Columns
The Temple of Warriors is where some of the distinctive reclining chac-mool figures are found. However, its name comes from the rectangular monoliths in front, which are carved on all sides with images of warriors. (Some are also prisoners, their hands tied behind their backs.) This temple is also closed to entry, and it can be hard to appreciate the fading images from the rope perimeter. You may be able to get a closer look from the temple’s south side, where you can easily make out the figures’ expressions and dress (though access is sometimes blocked there as well). The south side is impressive for its facade, too, where a series of well-preserved human and animal figures adorn the lower portion, while above, human faces emerge from serpents’ mouths, framed by eagle profiles, with masks of Chaac, the hook-nosed god of rain, on the corners.
The aptly named Group of a Thousand Columns is adjacent to the Temple of Warriors. It’s perfectly aligned cylindrical columns likely held up a grand roof structure.
Across the plaza, the Palacio de las Columnas Esculpidas (Palace of Sculptured Columns) also has cylindrical columns, but with intricate carvings, suggesting this was the ceremonial center of this portion of the complex. Continuing through the trees, you’ll reach the Mercado (market). The name is purely speculative, though it’s easy to imagine a breezy bustling market here, protected from the sun under a wood and palapa roof built atop the structure’s remarkably high columns.
Osario, El Caracol, and the Nunnery
From the market, bear left (away from El Castillo, just visible through the trees) until you meet the path leading to the site’s southern entrance. You’ll pass the Osario (ossuary), also known as the Tomb of the High Priest. Like a miniature version of El Castillo, the pyramid at one time had four stairways on each side and a temple at the crest. From the top platform, a vertical passageway leads into a chamber where seven tombs were discovered, along with numerous copper and jade artifacts indicating the deceased were of special importance (and hence the temple’s name). Continuing on, you’ll pass two more large structures, Casa del Venado (House of the Deer) and Casa Colorada (Red House).
The highlight of this portion of Chichén Itzá is El Caracol (The Snail Shell), also known as the Observatory, and perhaps the most graceful structure at Chichén Itzá. A two-tiered circular structure is set atop a broad rectangular platform, with window slits facing south and west, and another aligned according to the path of the moon during the spring equinoxes. Ancient astronomers used structures like this one to track celestial events and patterns—the orbits of the Moon and Venus, and the coming of solar and lunar eclipses, for example—with uncanny accuracy.
Beyond El Caracol is the Nunnery, sonamed by Spanish explorers who thought it looked like convents back home. Judging from its size, location, and many rooms, the Nunnery was probably an administrative palace. Its exuberant facades show strong Chenes influence, another example of the blending of styles in Chichén Itzá.
Sound and Light Show
Though it was closed for retooling at the time of research, the site puts on a nightly high-tech sound and light show at 7pm in the winter (Oct.-Apr.) and at 8pm in the summer (May-Sept.). The fee to enter is included in the general admission; if you’d like to see the show the night before you visit the ruins, buy a US$10 partial entrance—not the show-only ticket—and keep your stub for credit the next morning. (Just tell the ticket seller your plan, and you’ll get the right ticket. If you’re only interested in the show and want to skip the ruins, the price is US$6.) The sound and light show is presented in Spanish, but for an additional US$3.25 you can rent headphones with translations in English, French, German, and Italian.
Practicalities
The grounds are open 8am-5pm daily. Admission is US$14.75 per person, plus US$3.75 to enter with a video camera; parking is US$1.80. The fee includes entrance to the ruins and the sound and light show, but there is no discount if you don’t go to the latter.
Guides can be hired at the entrance according to fixed and clearly marked prices: US$42 for a two-hour tour in Spanish, US$50 in English, French, Italian, or German. Prices are per group, which can include up to eight people. Tips are customary and not included in the price. The visitors center has restrooms, an ATM, free luggage storage, a café, a bookstore, a gift shop, and an information center.
GRUTAS DE BALANKANCHÉ
Six kilometers (3.7 miles) east of Chichén Itzá, the Balankanché Caves (9am-5pm daily, US$8.50, child under 9 free) are a disappointment. The 1959 excavation of the caves by National Geographic archaeologist Dr. E. Wyllys Andrews uncovered numerous artifacts and ceremonial sites, giving researchers a better understanding of ancient Maya cosmology, especially related to the notion of Xibalba (the underworld). Nowadays, the caves are basically a tourist trap—a wide path meandering 500 meters (0.3 mile) down a tunnel with urns and other artifacts supposedly set up in their original locations. Wires and electric lights illuminate the path, but the recorded narration does nothing of the sort—it’s so garbled you can hardly understand it, no matter what language it’s in.
Entry times are fixed according to language: Spanish hourly 9am-4pm; English at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm; and French at 10am. A minimum of six visitors are needed for the tour to depart.
PARQUE ECOARQUEOLÓGICO IK KIL
Three kilometers (1.9 miles) east of Pisté, the centerpiece of the Ik Kil Eco-Archaeological Park (Carr. Mérida-Cancún Km. 122, tel. 985/851-0002, cenote_ikkil@hotmail.com, 8am-6pm daily Apr.-Oct., 8am-5pm daily Nov.-Mar., US$6 adult, US$3 child) is the immense, perfectly round Cenote Sagrado Azul, with a partial stone roof. Although the cenote is real, the alterations to its natural state—supported walls, a set of stairs leading you in, a waterfall—make it feel pretty artificial. While not representative of the typical cenote experience, this is a good option if you are traveling with small children and need a spot to cool off. Lockers are available for US$2.50. The cenote and on-site restaurant (breakfast US$6.25, lunch buffet US$12.50) get packed with tour groups 12:30pm-2:30pm; try visiting outside those times for a mellower experience. Better yet, stay at one of the on-site bungalows (US$104 s/d with a/c).
ACCOMMODATIONS
A handful of upscale hotels make up the small Zona Hotelera on the east side of Chichén Itzá, complete with its own entrance to the ruins. Nearby, in the town of Pisté, there are also a few budget and mid-range options. Be sure to reserve early during the spring and fall equinoxes. All the options below (except Ik Kil) have Wi-Fi available, though often in the reception area only. Book rooms online for the lowest rates.
US$25-50
On the eastern end of Pisté toward the ruins, Pirámide Inn (Calle 15 No. 30, tel. 985/851-0115, www.chichen.com, US$42 s/d) is a low, sprawling hotel with large rooms that are clean though a bit dark. The decor is distinctly 1970s den, with some rooms sporting bubblegum paint jobs and lacquered brick walls. The air conditioners appear to be from the same era, and can be loud. Cement seating frames a pool in a pleasant fruit tree garden. Backpackers can camp or rent a hammock here (US$4-8 pp), with access to the pool and cleanish shared bathrooms.
Posada Olalde (Calle 6 at Calle 17, tel. 985/851-0086, US$21/29 s/d with fan) is the best budget option in town. Seven simple rooms are brightly painted, with a long shared porch facing a leafy courtyard. The hotel also has four pressed-earth bungalows, which sound nice but have saggy beds, bad light, and a dank feel—better to stick with the rooms. The dirt access road is easy to miss—look for it just west of (and on the opposite side of the street from) the OXXO mini-mart. There’s street parking only.
Posada Chac-Mool (Calle 15 s/n, tel. 985/851-0270, US$25 d with fan, US$33 with a/c) has basic hot-water rooms with thin towels, loose-fill pillows, and beds in various age brackets. Still, it does have Wi-Fi and parking, and management will bargain if it’s slow.
US$50-100
Affiliated with Best Western, Hotel Chichén (Calle 15 s/n, tel. 985/851-0022, US$71-112 s/d with a/c) is the nicest hotel in downtown Pisté, featuring king or two queen bed rooms with comfortable furnishings, large modern bathrooms, and simple Mexican decor. The less-expensive rooms face the street and can be noisy, while the top-floor ones are larger and overlook the hotel’s attractive garden and pool area. There’s a guest computer, plus a cavernous restaurant (7am-11pm daily) that’s often packed with tour groups.
The Hotel Dolores Alba Chichén (Carr. Mérida-Cancún Km. 122, tel. 985/858-1555, www.doloresalba.com, US$54-58 s/d with a/c) is one of the best deals in the area, especially given its choice location three kilometers (1.9 miles) east of the ruins, one kilometer (0.6 mile) from the Balankanché Caves, and across the street from the Parque Ecoarqueológico Ik Kil. Rooms are spotless and smallish, with good beds and simple tile work on the walls to spiff up the decor, and tour groups are situated in an area separate from independent travelers. The hotel has a pleasant outdoor restaurant (7am-10pm daily, US$5-10) and two large swimming pools—the one in back has a mostly natural stone bottom, with holes and channels reminiscent of an ocean reef, which is perfect for kids with active imaginations. Other amenities include continental breakfast and a computer for rent in reception. The hotel also provides free shuttle service to the ruins during the day (though not back); it’s US$1.70 per person round-trip for an evening shuttle to the sound and light show.
The Hotel Fenix Inn (Calle 15 btwn Calles 2 and 4, tel. 985/851-0033, US$54-63 s/d with a/c) features six rooms that open onto a lush garden with an aboveground pool and a palapa-roofed restaurant. Though overpriced, the rooms have nice wood furnishings from Michoacán, newish TVs, and silent air-conditioning. Still, reception seems to be permanently MIA, and it’s a bit dark and dreary here in the evenings.
US$100-150
Set in a lush forest, Parque Ecoarqueológico Ik Kil (Carr. Mérida-Cancún Km. 122, tel. 985/858-1525, US$104 s/d with a/c) offers 14 modern and ultra-comfortable bungalows. All are spacious and have whirlpool tubs and comfortable beds, and a handful sport pullout sofas. Silent air-conditioning and a private porch make it all the better. Guests get unlimited use of the on-site cenote, including after hours. It’s a fantastic value, especially for those traveling with kids.
Villas Arqueológicas Chichén Itzá (Zona Hotelera, Carr. Mérida-Valladolid Km. 120, tel. 985/851-0187, toll-free Mex. tel. 800/557-7755, www.villasarqueologicas.com.mx, US$104 s/d with a/c, US$154 suite with a/c) is a pleasant two-story hotel with a mellow ambience. Boxy but nice rooms are set around a lush courtyard with an inviting L-shaped pool. A library/TV room with comfy couches and a variety of reading material—from romance novels to archaeology books—also faces the courtyard. A decent restaurant and a tennis court (with nighttime lighting and racquets to borrow) are on-site too. Very tall folks should note that alcove walls bracket the ends of the beds.
A new holistic retreat center with two dozen rooms in a forest setting, Hotel Oka’an (Carr. Mérida-Cancún Km. 122, cell. tel. 985/105-8402, www.hotelokaan.com, US$115-200 s/d with a/c, US$240-280 suite with a/c) beckons with a full spa, yoga workshops, and the occasional spiritual ceremony. Ample standard rooms have balconies with hammocks, and corner units have an extra set of picture windows letting in more light. Larger and more luxurious bungalows have decorative stone butterflies and turtles detailing the floors and earthy contemporary architecture, plus private terraces. Continental breakfast is served in a draped open-air restaurant (8am-10pm daily, US$7.50-10), offering regional, international, and vegetarian options. For post-ruin lounging, an infinity pool cascades into smaller shaded basins, but don’t miss the killer view from the mirador terrace—Chichén Itzá’s El Castillo pops up over the (arduously manicured) treeline. Look for the road marquis just west of the Hotel Dolores Alba and continue 1.5 kilometers (0.9 mile) on an unpaved road; it’s a US$8 taxi ride from Pisté.
Over US$150
Once the headquarters for the Carnegie Institute’s Chichén Itzá expedition, the Hacienda Chichén Resort (Zona Hotelera, Carr. Mérida-Valladolid Km. 120, tel. 999/920-8407, toll-free U.S. tel. 877/631-4005, www.haciendachichen.com, US$169-265 with a/c) is now a tranquil hotel set in a lush tropical garden. Newer units are quite comfortable, with tile floors, exposed beam ceilings, and wood furnishings. Many of the older units occupy the original cottages used by archaeologists who conducted their first excavations of Chichén Itzá—very cool in theory, though the cinderblock walls and pervasive mustiness diminish the charm. Still, the latter are usually booked solid. Be sure to wander the grounds with an eye for the original hacienda (blocks from the ruins are incorporated into the main building) and narrow-gauge railroad tracks that were used to transport artifacts from Chichén Itzá. A pool, full-service spa (7:30am-9:30pm daily), and a fine dining room are also nice.
The Lodge at Chichén Itzá (Zona Hotelera, Carr. Mérida-Valladolid Km. 120, tel. 998/887-9162, toll-free Mex. tel. 800/719-5495, toll-free U.S. tel. 800/235-4079, www.mayaland.com, US$175-433 s/d with a/c) is part of the larger Mayaland resort, which is literally at the rear entrance to the ruins; guests and nonguests must pass through the resort (and two of its gift shops) to get to the ticket booth. The grounds are gorgeous: 100 acres of tamed tropical jungle featuring walking and horseback riding trails, a full-service spa, three restaurants, and three pools. The lodges palapa-roofed bungalows are pleasant (if somewhat dated), with stained-glass windows, hardwood furniture, and terraces with rocking chairs. Lodge accommodations are typically reserved for independent travelers, and their location—including a separate access road and parking lot—is fairly removed from Mayaland proper, where groups are handled. Still, you’re bound to encounter various loud flocks of day-trippers during your stay, especially in the reception area or restaurant, which diminishes the charm for some.
Eating options are pretty limited in Pisté but improve somewhat if you have a car and can get to and from the large hotels.
Restaurante Las Mestizas (Calle 15 s/n, tel. 985/851-0069, 7:30am-10:30pm daily, US$4-12) is the best place to eat in Pisté, with an airy, colonial-style interior and tasty, good-sized portions. The food is classic Yucatecan fare, from panuchos to pollo pibil. Service is exceptional.
Excellent for a hearty breakfast before exploring the ruins, the shady garden deck at Mr. Chaak (Calle 15 s/n, tel. 985/851-0081, 7am-10pm daily, US$6-7) hits the spot with a nice choice of chilaquiles, eggs, and French toast or waffles, served up with strong espresso drinks and frappés. Focaccia sandwiches and light Yucatecan fare round out the menu, which uses fresh herbs grown on-site and patisserie bread delivered from Mérida. Free Wi-Fi is available.
Set in a 16th-century hacienda, the Hacienda Chichén Resort’s restaurant (Zona Hotelera, tel. 999/920-8407, 7am-10pm daily, US$14-25) is a soothing place to eat after a long day at the ruins. The menu is varied—Yucatecan specialties, pastas, sandwiches—and on the occasional evening, a trio plays regional music. Some of the produce is grown in its beautiful organic garden.
If you can stand the tour groups, the lunch buffet at Hotel and Bungalows Mayaland (Zona Hotelera, Carr. Mérida-Valladolid Km. 120, tel. 985/851-0100, noon-4:30pm daily, US$13) offers a variety of hot and cold dishes that will definitely fill you up. Live music, ballet folklórico shows, and outdoor seating are nice touches.
For groceries, Abarrotes Willy’s (Calle 2 s/n, 7am-10pm daily) has the best selection and prices in town. Follow the pulsating music a block southeast of the plaza.
INFORMATION AND SERVICES
There is no tourist office in Pisté; hotel receptionists are sometimes helpful—depends who you get—as are other travelers. Pisté also doesn’t have a bank, but there are three local ATMs: inside the OXXO market, across the street from OXXO, and in Chichén Itzá’s visitors complex.
Emergency Services
The police have an office (tel. 985/851-0365) in the Palacio Municipal, facing the church. An officer is on duty 24 hours a day, and there’s usually one waving through traffic near the plaza. Clínica La Promesa (Calle 14 btwn Calles 13 and 15, tel. 985/851-0005, 24 hours) is one of two clinics in town. For anything serious, you’re better off going to Mérida or Cancún. Farmacia Balam (Calle 15 s/n, 985/851-0358, 7am-midnight daily) is just north of the Palacio Municipal.
Media and Communications
In the middle of town, across from the OXXO mini-mart, a no-name Internet place (Calle 15 s/n, 10am-10pm daily, US$0.80/hour) has a fast connection plus international telephone service (US$0.40/minute to U.S. and Canada, US$0.60/minute to Europe).
Off the road that parallels the main drag, and across from the cemetery, Ciber-@uto (Calle 4A, 9am-7pm daily, US$1/hour), is a combination Internet café-and-car-wash run out of a family home.
Laundry
Lavandería La Lupita (Calle 10 near Calle 13, 8am-8pm Mon.-Sat.) charges US$1.70 per kilo (2.2 pounds) to wash and dry clothes; they’ll do same-day service if you drop your load off first thing in the morning.
GETTING THERE AND AROUND
Bus
Pisté’s small bus terminal (8:30am-5:30pm daily, cash only) is just southeast of the Palacio Municipal, and about 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) from the entrance to Chichén Itzá. There is also a ticket office in the gift shop at the ruins (tel. 985/851-0377, 9am-5pm daily). (The visitors center at Chichén Itzá also has free luggage storage, which makes it easy to catch a bus right after visiting the ruins.)
All first-class departures leave from Chichén Itzá only. Second-class departure times listed here are for the terminal in Pisté. Second-class buses coming and going between 8am and 5:30pm stop at both the terminal and the parking lot at the ruins. If planning to catch a second-class bus at the ruins, keep in mind that buses headed toward Cancún stop at the ruins slightly after the listed times, while those bound for Mérida pass by slightly earlier. Most bus service to and from Pisté and Chichén Itzá is on Oriente, ADO’s second-class line, but the few first-class buses are worth the extra cost.
• Cancún: One daily first-class bus (US$16, 3.5 hours) at 4:30pm; second-class buses (US$10, 4-4.5 hours) every 30-60 minutes 5:30am-11:30pm.
• Cobá: For the town and archaeological site (US$5, 2.5 hours), take the second-class Tulum bus at 7:30am; the first-class buses do not stop there.
• Mérida: First-class buses (US$9.50, 2 hours) leave at 2:20pm and 5:15pm; second-class buses (US$5.50, 2.5 hours) every 30-60 minutes 6am-11:30pm.
• Playa del Carmen: Second-class buses (US$11, 4 hours) from Pisté at 1pm and 7pm Friday, 1pm Saturday, and 7pm Sunday.
• Tulum: First-class buses (US$12, 2.5 hours) leave at 8:25am and 4:30pm; one second-class departure at 7:30am (US$6.25, 3.5 hours).
• Valladolid: First-class buses (US$5, 50 minutes) at 11:20am and 4:30pm; second-class service (US$2, 1 hour) every 30-60 minutes 5:30am-11:30pm.
White colectivos (US$2, 40 minutes) leave for Valladolid every 30 minutes 7am-6pm from in front of the bus terminal.
Car
Chichén Itzá lies adjacent to Highway 180, 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of Valladolid, 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of Mérida, and 200 kilometers (124 miles) west of Cancún. For drivers, the quickest way to get there is via the cuota, a large modern freeway extending from Cancún most of the way to Mérida, with a well-marked exit for Chichén Itzá and Pisté. There’s a price for speed and convenience, though: The toll from Mérida is just US$7, but a whopping US$33 from Cancún. You can also take the old carretera libre (free highway) all or part of the way; it’s in reasonably good condition but takes much longer, mainly because you pass through numerous small villages and seemingly innumerable topes (speed bumps).
Air
Aeropuerto Internacional Chichén Itzá is 16 kilometers (9.9 miles) east of Pisté, between the towns of Xcalacot and Kaua. Inaugurated in April 2000, it is one of the most modern airports in the country, with an 1,800-meter (5,900-foot) runway capable of receiving 747 jets. Although it initially received dozens of regular and charter flights, its license was suspended in 2001. Today it stands virtually empty, receiving only a smattering of charters, mostly from Cancún, Cozumel, and Chetumal, though rumors of restarting service crop up from time to time.
Valladolid draws tourists because of its mellow colonial atmosphere and its central location: 30 minutes from the archaeological zones of Chichén Itzá and Ek’ Balam, an hour from the ruins at Cobá and the flamingo reserve in Río Lagartos, and two hours from Mérida, Cancún, and Tulum. It’s an easy bus or car ride to any of these destinations, restaurants and hotels are reasonably priced, and you have the advantage of staying in a colonial Mexican town. If you’re en route to one of the regional sites or simply want to have a small-city experience, consider spending a night here—you’re sure to be happily surprised.
HISTORY
The site of several Maya revolts against the Spanish, Valladolid was conquered in 1543 by Francisco de Montejo, cousin of the like-named Spaniard who founded Mérida. It was once the Maya city of Zací. Montejo brutalized its inhabitants and crushed their temples, building large churches and homes in their place. It is perhaps not surprising, then, that the Caste War started in Valladolid, and that the city played an important role in the beginning of the Mexican Revolution. Today, Valladolid is a charming colonial town with a rich history and strong Maya presence.
ORIENTATION
Valladolid is easy to get around. It’s laid out in a grid pattern with even-numbered streets running north to south, odd-numbered streets running east to west. The central plaza at the center of the city is bordered by Calles 39, 40, 41, and 42.
SIGHTS
Iglesia y Ex-Convento San Bernardino de Siena
Located at the end of the Calzada de los Frailes, the Iglesia y Ex-Convento San Bernardino de Siena (Calle 41-A, tel. 985/856-2160, 7am-1pm and 5pm-8pm daily) is one of Valladolid’s most attractive structures. Built by Franciscan missionaries between 1552 and 1560, the church is entered through a series of arches, and the facade, covered in a checkerboard-like stucco pattern, rises into a squat tower with turrets. Inside, there are original 16th-century frescoes, catacombs, and crypts. Annexed to it, the ex-monastery has rooms radiating from a center courtyard that features, uniquely, a cenote. Called Ziis-Há (Cold Water), the cenote helped the monks be self-reliant. In 2004, an INAH-funded exploration of the cenote resulted in the discovery of 164 rifles and one cannon. Although neither the age nor the origin of the arms has been disclosed, it is speculated that they date from the mid-1800s, when the monastery was used as a fortress during the Maya uprisings. Mass is held at 7am and 7pm Monday-Friday; 7am, 8:30am, and 7pm Saturday; and at 7am, 8am, 9am, 10am, 5pm, 6pm, 7pm, and 8:30pm on Sunday. Special permission is required to visit the monastery; call ahead or ask in the church office.
Casa de los Venados
If you have even a passing interest in Mexican folk art—or an infatuation with exquisite colonial buildings—make sure to schedule a post-breakfast visit to the House of the Deer (Calle 40 btwn Calles 41 and 43, 985/856-2289, www.casadelosvenados.com, 10am tour daily, US$5 donation requested). After an architectural award-winning, eight-year remodel of this early 17th-century house, the American couple who own it had so many visitors stopping by to see their extensive art collection that they now welcome visitors at 10am daily for tours of their mansion home and their incredible 3,000-piece collection—the largest Mexican folk art collection not owned by a museum. The pieces span John and Dorianne Venator’s 50 years of seeking out and commissioning catrinas, clay sculptures, wood carvings, paintings, and other decorative objects created by some of the most talented contemporary artisans from across Mexico, and the work usually incorporates religious, indigenous, or cultural themes. The museum is a labor of love, with all donations benefiting a local volunteer-run medical clinic and the Lions Club.
Valladolid’s historic Iglesia de San Gervasio
© LIZA PRADO
Iglesia de San Gervasio
Overlooking the central plaza, the San Gervasio Church (Calle 41 at Calle 42, no phone) has a sober Franciscan style. It was originally built in 1545 but in 1705 was deemed profaned and ordered demolished by the local bishop as the result of a political rivalry that involved the storming of the church, the desanctifying of its altar, and the death of four politicians. (The incident is now known as El Crimen de los Alcaldes, or The Mayors’ Crime.) The church was rebuilt a year later, but its orientation changed so that the new altar would not be in the same position as the prior—indeed, the Iglesia de San Gervasio is one of the only colonial-era churches in the Yucatán whose facade faces north instead of west.
Museo San Roque
A long, high-ceilinged room—this used to be a church—the San Roque Museum (Calle 41 btwn Calles 38 and 40, no phone, 9am-9pm Mon.-Fri., 8am-6pm Sat.-Sun., free) is a worthwhile stop, with history exhibits on Valladolid, many focusing on the Caste War and the beginning of the Mexican Revolution. Displays of local handicrafts are also notable. Signage is in Spanish only.
Palacio Municipal
On the 2nd floor of the city hall (7am-7pm daily, free) is a large balcony overlooking the central plaza, with four large paintings by local artist Manuel Lizama. The paintings depict events in Valladolid’s history: pre-Hispanic communities, the city’s founding, the Caste War, and the Mexican Revolution. It’s not spectacular, but still something to see.
Cenote Zaci
Right in the middle of town, Cenote Zaci (Calle 36 btwn Calles 37 and 39, no phone, 8am-6pm daily, US$1.25 adult, US$0.80 child under 13) is a dark natural pool at the bottom of a huge cavern, with a bank of trees on one side and a path looping down from the entrance above. It’s often pooh-poohed as inferior to cenotes at Dzitnup, but it’s a perfectly peaceful and attractive spot, and a lot quicker and easier to get to. You may find leaves and pollen floating on the water’s surface, but it’s still great for swimming. To have the cenote to yourself, go midweek, or better yet right after closing time, entering through the restaurant (you can use their bathroom to change) instead of the main gates.
Mayapán Agave Distillery
Along Valladolid’s northern ring road, two kilometers (1.2 miles) south of the Cancún toll highway, the artisanal Mayapán Agave Distillery (Libremiento Nte., tel. 985/856-1727, www.mayapan.mx, 7am-6pm Mon.-Fri., 7am-1pm Sat., US$2.50) leads visitors on half-hour tours that take in its agave fields and warehouse-size facility, detailing the traditional steps used to ferment, mash by horse-drawn mill, and distill the agave plant into liquor. They can’t call it tequila because it’s not made in Jalisco, but your taste buds might not be so finicky. Tours conclude with three different tastings and a subtle nudge toward the gift shop. English tours are available.
Cenotes de Dzitnup
Four kilometers (2.5 miles) west of Valladolid on Highway 180 is the small community of Dzitnup, home to two appealing underground cenotes. Both make for a unique and refreshing swim—and on warm days you may find them somewhat crowded. Both share a ticket kiosk and a large parking lot. Many small artesanía stands sit at the entrance, and you’ll be aggressively pursued by children offering to watch your car or sell you a postcard.
Although the two are across the street from each other, Cenote Xkeken (no phone, 8am-5pm daily, US$5.50 adult, US$2 under 17, video cameras US$2.50) has been open longer and is better known; many postcards and travel guides call it “Cenote Dzitnup.” After a reasonably easy descent underground (in a few places you must bend over because of a low ceiling; there’s a hanging rope to help), you’ll come to a circular pond of clear, cool water. It’s a pretty, albeit damp, place, with a high dome ceiling that has one small opening at the top letting in a ray of sun and dangling green vines. Often an errant bird can be seen swooping low over the water before heading to the sun and sky through the tiny opening. Stalactites and at least one large stalagmite adorn the ceiling and cenote floor.
At Cenote Samula (no phone, 8:30am-5pm daily, US$5.50 adult, US$2 under 17, video cameras US$2.50), tree roots dangle impressively from the cavern roof all the way down to the water. You enter through a narrow tunnel, which opens onto a set of stairs that zigzag down to the water. Fearless kids jump from the stairs into the clear turquoise water below.
Many people ride bikes here, following a paved path that runs parallel to the highway. A cab to the cenotes runs about US$5.
Tours
For small group van tours packing in local and regional attractions, MexiGo Tours (Calle 43 btwn Calles 40 and 42, tel. 985/856-0777, www.mexigotours.com) is highly recommended. Its “Flamingo” excursion (US$85 pp) visits Río Lagartos, Ek’ Balam, and the cakelike 17th-century church in nearby Uayma; another popular outing visits Chichén Itzá and Izamal, with a stop for a dip at the dreamy Yokdzonot cenote (US$85). Both these tours include breakfast, lunch, and transportation, but not site entrance fees. There’s a minimum of three people or it’s an extra US$25 per person.
ENTERTAINMENT AND EVENTS
Taking the cue from Mérida’s successful weekly celebrations, Sundays here now feature a year-round cultural event called Domingo Vallisoletano. From 10am until about 8:30pm, the city closes the streets around the central plaza for artisan expositions, trova balladeers, folkloric dancing, and programs for kids. The tourist office also leads free hour-long tours of the area around the plaza at 11am, 1pm, and 4pm, though you may want to confirm these times.
Every January 27-February 2, Valladolid celebrates its patron saint, La Virgen de la Candelaria, in the Expo-Feria Valladolid. It’s a blowout outdoor festival, where you’ll be sure to see bullfights, rodeos, musical entertainment, and lots of food stands selling local delicacies and heart-stopping goodies. Venues vary; ask at the tourist office or your hotel for details.
SHOPPING
A tranquil courtyard of workshops and stores, the Centro Artesanal Zaci (Calle 39 btwn Calles 40 and 42, 7am-10pm daily) showcases local Maya women who make and sell their huipiles and hand-stitched blouses on-site. For a wider number of offerings, the Mercado de Artesanías (Calle 39 at Calle 44, 8am-8pm Mon.-Sat., 8am-2pm Sun.) has a decent variety of guayaberas, embroidered huipiles, hammocks, and other popular handicrafts. The selection isn’t very large—there are only about a dozen shops here—so be sure to bargain. If you’re interested in high-end Mexican handicrafts and art, Yalat (Calle 41 btwn Calles 40 and 42, tel. 985/856-1969, 9am-8pm Mon.-Fri., 9am-7pm Sat.-Sun.) is worth a stop. It’s pricey, but the quality and variety of the items sold is excellent.
A family-owned business still chugging away after more than 100 years, the unassuming shop of distiller Productos Sosa (Calle 42 btwn Calles 47 and 49, tel. 985/856-2142, 8:30am-1:30pm and 4pm-7:30pm Mon.-Fri., 8:30am-2:30pm Sat.) sells smooth sugar cane liquors infused with ingredients like mint or anise with honey.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Valladolid offers a good selection of simple and mid-range hotels. Most are convenient to the central plaza. All have free Wi-Fi and, except for the hostel, provide parking.
Under US$50
Cozy fan-cooled dormitories at Hostel Candelaria (Parque la Candelaria, Calle 35 btwn Calles 42 and 44, tel. 985/856-2267, www.hostelvalladolidyucatan.com, US$10 dorm, US$23-27 s/d with fan) have 10-14 beds sharing one bathroom, with a low-ceilinged women-only dorm and a roomier mixed dorm. What the dorms lack in space is more than made up for by a sprawling back garden thick with papaya trees and hibiscus, shading an al fresco kitchen and eating area and hammocks tucked in nooks with personal reading lights. Inside the colonial building, you’ll find another kitchen, free computers, lockers—including some for charging electronics—and a TV room. Socialize with other travelers over the free continental breakfast, then rent a bicycle to tour the local cenotes.
Set around a grassy courtyard, Hotel Zaci (Calle 44 btwn Calles 37 and 39, tel. 985/856-2167, www.hotelzaci.com.mx, US$36-40 s with a/c, US$44-54 d with a/c) offers well-kempt ground-floor rooms with decorative details like stenciling and ironwork furnishings. The top two floors contain remodeled “premier” rooms, which boast flat-screen TVs and newer decor. But the difference between the two levels of rooms is pretty minimal—there’s just better light on the upper floors. A small, clean pool is a nice plus.
US$50-100
Steps from the plaza yet still very quiet, the new five-room Casa Tía Micha (Calle 39 btwn Calles 38 and 40, 985/856-2957, www.casatiamicha.com, US$70-105 s/d with a/c) is run by the great-grandchildren of the former owner. Stately wooden doors, rainforest showerheads, wrought-iron or carved headboards, and vintage furniture can be found throughout, and one of the more luxurious upstairs rooms boasts a decadent Jacuzzi tub. A full breakfast is served in the tranquil fruit tree garden, near the old pozo (well).
A converted 17th-century home, Hotel El Mesón del Marqués (central plaza, Calle 39 btwn Calles 40 and 42, tel. 985/856-2073, www.mesondelmarques.com, US$61 s/d standard with a/c, US$75 s/d superior with a/c, US$116-196 s/d suite) boasts a free lobby computer, lush courtyards, a gurgling fountain, arches upon arches, and a verdant garden with an egg-shaped pool. Rooms are divided into three categories: standard, superior, and suite. The first two types are decorated similarly with heavy wood furniture, ironwork headboards, and brightly colored woven bedspreads—the main differences are that the standard is smaller, has old-school air conditioners, and clunky TVs. Suites have modern decor and amenities and updated bathrooms, and are spacious. Though the prices are a bit inflated, this is still one of the most comfortable places to stay in town.
Casa Quetzal (Calle 51 btwn Calles 50 and 52, tel. 985/856-4796, www.casa-quetzal.com, US$66-75 s/d) is a charming, well-run bed-and-breakfast a half block from the pretty San Bernardino de Siena church. Large, attractive, high-ceilinged rooms surround a pretty garden and swimming pool, while a community kitchen and lovely reading room—with high-quality Mexican artwork, especially from Oaxaca and Jalisco—lend a homey feel. All rooms have air-conditioning, cable TV, two double beds, and a hammock; ask for a room away from the street for less traffic noise. Free yoga classes take place in its dedicated salon twice daily. Breakfast gets good reviews, but is a bit pricey at US$8. The hotel is somewhat removed from the central plaza, but the 10-minute walk there—along Valladolid’s iconic Calzada de los Frailes—is a pleasure itself.
US$100-150
Casa Hamaca Guesthouse (Parque San Juan, Calle 49 at Calle 40, tel. 985/856-5287, www.casahamaca.com, US$110-125 s/d with a/c, US$150 quad with a/c) has a convenient and peaceful location, facing a quiet church plaza about five blocks south of the main square. A lush garden and small pool add to the tranquility, and the guesthouse is spacious and bright. The eight rooms vary in size and decor: The Tree Suite has rattan furnishings, the Earth Suite has ochre highlights, and all rooms have dramatic hand-painted murals. A hearty breakfast is included, and massages, facials, Maya cleansings, and other treatments can be arranged. With advance notice the proprietor can also help set up rewarding volunteer opportunities or Spanish classes. Casa Hamaca is wheelchair accessible, and rates dip about US$20 in low season.
FOOD
Located next to the bus station, Cafetería Squimoz (Calle 39 near Calle 46, tel. 985/856-4156, 7am-11pm Mon.-Sat., 8am-4pm Sun., US$3.75-7.50) is well worth a stop even if you’re not on your way out of town. Big breakfasts and sandwiches are the specialties, though the coffee drinks and to-die-for milkshakes shouldn’t be overlooked. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, try the homemade flan.
Adjacent to the Iglesia y Ex-Convento San Bernardino de Siena, the low lighting, attentive service, and open-air palapa dining room at Taberna de los Frailes (Calle 49 at Calle 41A, tel. 985/856-0689, noon-11pm daily Nov.-Apr., 1pm-11pm May-Oct., US$7.50-12) set an elegant backdrop for a crowd-pleasing menu of creative Yucatecan mainstays, seafood cocktails, and a few vegetarian entrées like chaya tamales or risotto. Its upscale bar has some sofa seating and a terrace area shaded by a profuse canopy of passion fruit. The restaurant’s proximity to the monastery cenote can draw the odd mosquito; ask the staff if you need repellent.
Bohemia is alive and well at Conato (Calle 40 btwn Calles 45 and 47, tel. 985/856-2586, 5:30pm-midnight Wed.-Mon., US$4.25-7), where religious iconography and images of Frida Kahlo clutter a dining room of family-style wooden tables set off by a colonial tile floor. Yucatecan-influenced chicken dishes, fresh salads, and serviceable pasta dishes have creative visual flourishes, and the govinda dessert crepes laced with cream and chocolate are almost too pretty to eat. Open until late, it’s also a sociable place for drinks or coffee.
With tables on the lovely Parque Candelaria, La Casa del Café Kaffé (Calle 35 at Calle 44, tel. 985/856-2879, 9am-1pm and 7pm-10:30pm daily, US$2-3.50) is a fantastic place to get breakfast or a late-night snack. It’s owned and run by a welcoming Chilean couple, and the menu features empanadas, quesadillas, sandwiches, fruit shakes, and a nice variety of coffee drinks. If you don’t see what you crave on the menu, be sure to ask for it—meals often are made to order.
A gorgeous place to enjoy a meal, the restaurant at the Hotel El Mesón del Marqués (Calle 39 btwn Calles 40 and 42, tel. 985/856-2073, 7am-11pm daily, US$7.50-12.50) has an interior courtyard with a colonial-style fountain and masses of fuchsia-colored bougainvillea draped over the balconies. The menu is predominately Yucatecan, though there are a variety of international options. Good choices include scrambled eggs with chaya, sopa de lima, and poc-chuc.
El Bazar (parque central, Calle 39 at Calle 40, US$1.25-5) is a local food court with a dozen or so inexpensive eateries selling mostly premade Yucatecan specialties. Hours are variable, but all are open for breakfast and lunch. Food is hit or miss—take a look at the offerings and decide which looks the freshest. (If anything, avoid the tamales.) Better yet, order something off the menu that hasn’t been sitting around, like scrambled eggs or salbutes.
For groceries, Super Willy’s (Calle 39 btwn Calles 42 and 44, 7am-10pm daily) has a decent selection of fresh and canned foods.
INFORMATION AND SERVICES
Tourist Information
Try your best at prying some useful information from Valladolid’s tourist office (Palacio Municipal, Calle 40 at Calle 41, tel. 985/856-2529, ext. 114, 9am-9pm daily). At the very least, you should be able to get a map or two, and English is spoken.
Emergency Services
If you need medical assistance, the modern new Hospital General (Av. Chan Yokdzonot, tel. 985/856-2883, 24 hours) is located 4.5 kilometers (2.8 miles) south of the cuota highway; for meds only, Farmacia Yza (Calle 41 near Calle 40, tel. 985/856-4018), just off the central plaza, is open 24 hours. The police (Parque Bacalar, Calle 41 s/n, 24 hours) can be reached at 985/856-2100 or toll-free at 066.
Money
On or near the central plaza, HSBC (Calle 41 btwn Calles 42 and 44, 9am-5pm Mon.-Fri., 9am-3pm Sat.), Banamex (Calle 41 btwn Calles 42 and 44, 9am-4pm Mon.-Fri.), and Bancomer (Calle 40 btwn Calles 39 and 41, 8:30am-4pm Mon.-Fri.) all have ATMs.
Media and Communications
A tiny post office (Calle 40 btwn Calles 39 and 41, 8am-4:30pm Mon.-Fri., 8am-1pm Sat.) sits on the central plaza. There’s free Wi-Fi in the central plaza, and we assume that the signal’s strongest where the laptop-toting teens congregate in front of the Palacio Municipal. For computer access, try Café Internet Computer (Calle 49 at Calle 42, 8am-11pm daily, US$0.75/hour) or Phonet (Calle 46 at Calle 41, 7am-midnight daily, US$0.70/hour), which also offers long-distance telephone service (US$0.50/minute to the United States and Canada, US$0.70/minute to the rest of the world).
Laundry
The bustling Lavandería Luyso (Calle 40 at Calle 33, 8am-8pm Mon.-Sat., 8am-3pm Sun.) charges US$0.80 per kilo (2.2 pounds) and offers next-day service only.
GETTING THERE AND AROUND
Bus
Valladolid’s bus terminal (Calle 39 at Calle 46, tel. 985/856-3448) is an easy walk from the central plaza, or if you have a lot of bags, a cheap taxi ride.
Taxi
Taxis are relatively easy to flag down, especially around the central plaza, and typically cost US$1.50-2 around town.
Colectivos (shared vans) to Pisté and Chichén Itzá (US$2, 40 minutes) depart approximately every 30 minutes from Calle 39 near the ADO bus terminal, and those for Mérida (US$11, 2.5 hours) leave from the terminal. Shared taxis for Cancún (US$10, 2.5 hours) congregate at Calle 38 between Calles 39 and 41.
Car
If you arrive from the toll highway (cuota), you’ll enter town via Calle 42 (and return on Calle 40). It’s a sobering US$20 toll driving in from Cancún, US$12 from Mérida (Kantunil), and US$5 to Chichén Itzá. In the center, east-bound Calle 41 and westbound Calle 39 access the free highway (libre).
Departures from Valladolid’s bus station (Calle 39 at Calle 46, tel. 985/856-3448) include:
To rent a car in town, Portal Maya (Calle 41 btwn Calles 38 and 40, tel. 985/856-2513, www.portalmayatours.com.mx) is your lone option; it also organizes tours.
Bicycle
Bikes can be rented at both Refraccionaría de Bicicletas Silva (Calle 44 btwn Calles 39 and 41, tel. 985/856-3667, 9am-6pm daily) and neighboring Aguilar Sport (Calle 44 No. 195 btwn Calles 39 and 41, tel. 985/856-2125, 8am-2pm and 4pm-7pm daily) for US$0.80 per hour or US$5 per day, and from Hostel Candelaria (Parque la Candelaria, Calle 35 btwn Calles 42 and 44, tel. 985/856-2267) for US$1.25 per hour or US$7 per day.
Ek’ Balam, Maya for Black Jaguar, is a unique and fascinating archaeological site whose significance has only recently been revealed and appreciated. Serious restoration of Ek’ Balam didn’t begin until the mid-1990s, and it was then that an incredibly well-preserved stucco frieze was discovered, hidden under an innocuous stone facade near the top of the site’s main pyramid. The discovery rocketed Ek’ Balam into preeminence, first among Maya scholars and more slowly among travelers in the Yucatán, once the frieze was excavated and opened to the public. Much remains a mystery about Ek’ Balam, but archaeologists believe it was founded around 300 BC and became an important commercial center, its influence peaking in AD 700-1100.
Ek’ Balam sees a fraction of the tourists that visit other Maya sites, despite being just 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of Valladolid and in close proximity to both Cancún and Mérida. Though the one-lane access road is riddled with potholes, the ruins and the adjacent cenote are an easy jaunt from Valladolid. Ek’ Balam is small enough that even an hour is enough to appreciate its treasures, and it’s a tranquil place that doesn’t get besieged by mammoth tour groups.
The village of Ek’ Balam is two kilometers (1.2 miles) from the ruins, with two good options for accommodations and food; for more options and other traveler services, head to Valladolid.
EK’ BALAM ARCHAEOLOGICAL ZONE
Entering Ek’ Balam (8am-5pm daily, US$8), you’ll pass through a low thick wall and an elegant corbeled arch. Walls are rare in Maya cities, and were most commonly used for defense, as in the cases of Becán and Tulum. Ek’ Balam’s low thick walls would not have slowed marauding rivals, however, and so they most likely served to enforce social divisions, with some areas off-limits (but not out of view!) to all but the elite. They may also have been decorative—the city possessed great aesthetic flair, as the entry arch and the famous stucco frieze demonstrate.
Acrópolis and El Trono
The highlight of Ek’ Balam is an artful and remarkably pristine stucco frieze known as El Trono (The Throne), located under a protective palapa roof two-thirds of the way up Ek’ Balam’s main pyramid, the Acrópolis. A steep stairway leads up the center of the pyramid, and a platform to the left of the stairs provides visitors a close-up view of El Trono.
About 85 percent of El Trono is the original stucco. Often structures like this would have been painted blue or red, but not so here. In fact, shortly after it was built, El Trono was sealed behind a stone wall 50-60 centimeters (19-24 inches) thick. It remained there untouched until the 1990s, when restoration workers accidentally—and fortuitously—dislodged one of the protective stones, revealing the hidden chamber beneath.
The tall, winged figures immediately catch your eye, as they appear so much like angels. In fact, they are high priests. Notice that one is deformed—his left arm is longer than the right, and has only four fingers. The Maya considered birth defects to be a sign of divinity, and the priest depicted here may have risen to his position precisely because of his deformation.
Directly over the door is a seated figure (unfortunately, the head is missing). This represents Ukit Kan Le’k Tok’, one of Ek’ Balam’s former rulers, described in inscriptions as the “king of kings,” and the person for whom El Trono was built and dedicated. A tomb was discovered in the chamber behind the frieze, containing thousands of jade, gold, obsidian, and ceramic artifacts left as offerings to this powerful leader. The small face at the king-figure’s navel represents a rival whom he defeated in war.
Viewed as a whole, the frieze is unmistakably a Chenes-style monster mouth: a huge stylized mask in which the doorway represents the gaping mouth of a high god. The pointed upper and lower teeth are easy to spot, as are the spiral eyes. Monster mouths are never mundane, but this one is especially elaborate: Notice how two beautifully crafted figures straddle the lower eyelids, while hoisting the upper lids with their shoulders. At least five more figures, plus lattice patterns and other designs, adorn the rest of the mask.
Before heading down, climb the rest of the way to the top of the Acrópolis for a panoramic vista. At 32 meters (105 feet) high and 158 meters (515 feet) wide, the Acrópolis is bigger than Chichén Itzá’s main pyramid, and in fact is one of the largest Maya pyramids ever built, a detail that’s often overlooked amid the excitement surrounding El Trono. The scene from atop is memorable; with the exception of the odd telephone and radio tower, and the site’s visitors center, the view of the broad Yucatecan landscape is probably not all that different than the one Maya priests and kings enjoyed from this very same vantage point more than a thousand years ago.
Ek’ Balam’s remarkable stucco frieze, known as El Trono (The Throne)
© LIZA PRADO
South Plaza
Descending the pyramid, you can see that Ek’ Balam is a fairly small site, with two midsize plazas (north and south), a ball court in the middle, and its main structures crowded together.
On the south side of the south plaza stands La Rodonda, or the Oval Palace. A squat midsize structure, La Rodonda has an eclectic array of overlapping lines and curves, stairs, and terraces. It underwent numerous iterations, as did virtually all Maya temples, but the result here was especially eclectic. Archaeologists suspect La Rodonda was used for astronomical observations, and the discovery of several richly adorned tombs suggest it had a ceremonial purpose as well.
Flanking La Redonda are Las Gemelas (The Twins), known as Structure 17. As the plaque indicates, these identical structures are perhaps the best example of Ek’ Balam’s particular architectural style. Having perfected the use of stucco, Ek’ Balam’s builders did not concern themselves with precise masonry, as the stones would be covered in a thick stucco cap. However, stucco proved much less resilient to erosion, and centuries later the structures here appear shabbier than even much older ones, like in Campeche’s Río Bec region, where stucco was less common and stone blocks were more carefully cut and fitted. Recent excavations have focused on these two buildings, where intriguing freehand marks and paintings—perhaps akin to graffiti today—have been discovered.
Practicalities
Ek’ Balam is open 8am-5pm daily; general admission is US$8, use of video US$4. Guides can be hired at the entrance to the ruins (US$50, 1-1.5 hours, available in Spanish or English). French- and Italian-speaking guides are sometimes available.
CENOTE X’CANCHÉ
A short distance from the Ek’ Balam archaeological site, Cenote X’Canché (cell. tel. 985/100-9915, www.ekbalam.com.mx, 8am-4pm daily, US$4) is an excellent community-run ecotourism project, and a must-do add-on to a ruins visit. From Ek’ Balam’s parking area, a dirt road winds 1.5 kilometers (0.9 mile) through low dense forest to the cenote, which is 14 meters (46 feet) deep and nearly circular, with sheer walls and tree roots descending picturesquely to cool, clean water. A wooden staircase leads to the water’s edge, great for swimming. It’s a pleasant shaded walk in, though many visitors rent bikes (US$6 for 3 hours) or take advantage of the on-site bike taxis (US$4 pp round-trip). Facilities include restrooms, shower and changing areas, a restaurant, palapa-shaded hammocks for reading and hanging out, and comfortable overnight accommodations. Rappelling from the cenote edge or ziplining across it can each be arranged for an additional fee (US$8-30, half price child under 12); there’s also an admission package (US$25) that includes both those activities plus bicycle rental.
Near the ruins of Ek’ Balam, Cenote X’Canché makes for a splendid swim.
© BETH KOHN
ACCOMMODATIONS
In the Maya village near the ruins, Genesis Retreat Ek’ Balam (cell. tel. 985/101-0277 or 985/100-4805, www.genesisretreat.com, US$50-70 s/d, US$80 family unit) has nine rooms and cabañas set on a leafy enclosed property with a natural bio-filtered pool in the middle. Three units share a large clean bathroom, the others have private bathrooms, one has air-conditioning, and all are different in style and decor. One of the favorites, the Birdhouse, has screen windows on all sides and a small balcony overlooking the pool and garden. There’s real environmental commitment at work here: Recycled materials were used in construction, its 101-hectare (250-acre) organic farm provides most of the produce for its meals, and there’s a solar hot-water system and extensive greywater reuse on the property. The hardworking Canadian owner offers tours of the village and local artisan workshops (US$15 pp, minimum 4 people), and is involved in a number of educational projects around town. Be aware that a number of friendly pooches lounge about the property—fine if you like dogs, but not everyone’s thing—and that the property closes during September. Morning pastries and coffee are included, and full breakfasts and dinner are available. There’s Internet access, and skilled work/lodging exchanges (2-week minimum) are negotiable.
Dolcemente Ek’ Balam (cell. tel. 985/106-8083, www.fincacasaazul.com.mx/ekbalam.htm, US$50/71 d/t, US$62 s/d with a/c) doesn’t compete with Genesis for Zen or eco-ambience; it’s simply a nice comfortable hotel. Spacious rooms have tile floors, okay beds, private hot-water bathrooms, and fans (except for two rooms with air-conditioning). Upstairs units have higher ceilings and better ventilation—making them worth requesting—and all look onto the hotel’s peaceful garden.
Recently completed, Cenote X’Canché (cell. tel. 985/100-9915, www.ekbalam.com.mx, US$38 s/d/t) rents three well-built and solar-powered palapa cabañas near the cenote, each with queen bed and a hammock (plus mosquito nets). The windows have good screens, and there’s hot water and a fan. A three-course lunch or dinner at its restaurant costs US$8; breakfast is US$7.
FOOD
All the accommodations above have restaurants. Genesis Retreat Ek’ Balam’s restaurant Chaya’s Natural Restaurant (cell. tel. 985/101-0277 or 985/100-4805, www.genesisretreat.com, US$8.50-12) serves breakfast and dinner to its guests, but is open to the public for lunch. Terrific vegetarian and vegan meals are prepared with organic produce grown on the owner’s nearby farm.
Dolcemente Ek’ Balam (cell. tel. 985/106-8083, www.fincacasaazul.com.mx/ekbalam.htm, noon-11pm Tues.-Sun., US$7.50-12) specializes in Italian food, including fresh handmade ravioli, fettuccini, and other pasta. Its products are also 100 percent natural and organic, and meals are served in a large, tasteful dining room.
GETTING THERE AND AROUND
Car
From Valladolid, drive north on Highway 295 toward Tizimín for about 17 kilometers (10.5 miles), past the town of Temozón, to a well-marked right-hand turnoff to Ek’ Balam. From there, drive another 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) to an intersection: Turn left to reach the village and accommodations, or continue straight to reach the archaeological site.
Taxi
Colectivo (shared) taxis from Valladolid to the village of Ek’ Balam leave from a stop on Calle 44 between Calles 35 and 37 (US$3); mornings have the most frequent departures. Otherwise, a private taxi costs about US$13 for up to four people. If you’re planning on visiting the ruins only, you can often negotiate with the driver to wait there for a couple of hours and bring you back for around US$25.
The Maya ruins of Cobá make an excellent complement—or even alternative—to the memorable but vastly overcrowded ruins at Tulum. Cobá doesn’t have Tulum’s stunning Caribbean view and beach, but its structures are much larger and more ornate—in fact, Cobá’s main pyramid is the second tallest in the Yucatán Peninsula, and it’s one of few you are still allowed to climb. The ruins are also surrounded by lakes and thick forest, making it a great place to see birds, butterflies, and tropical flora.
COBÁ ARCHAEOLOGICAL ZONE
Cobá (8am-5pm daily, US$4) is especially notable for the complex system of sacbeob, or raised stone causeways, that connected it to other cities, near and far. (The term sacbeob—whose singular form is sacbé—means white roads.) Dozens of such roads crisscross the Yucatán Peninsula, but Cobá has more than any other city, underscoring its status as a commercial, political, and military hub. One road extends in an almost perfectly straight line from the base of Cobá’s principal pyramid to the town of Yaxuna, more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) away—no small feat considering a typical sacbé was 1-2 meters (3.3-6.6 feet) high and about 4.5 meters (15 feet) wide, and covered in white mortar. In Cobá, some roads were even bigger—10 meters (32.8 feet) across. In fact, archaeologists have uncovered a massive stone cylinder believed to have been used to flatten the broad roadbeds.
History
Cobá was settled as early as 100 BC around a collection of small lagoons; it’s a logical and privileged location, as the Yucatán Peninsula is virtually devoid of rivers, lakes, or any other aboveground water. Cobá developed into an important trading hub, and in its early existence had a particularly close connection with the Petén region of present-day Guatemala. That relationship would later fade as Cobá grew more intertwined with coastal cities like Tulum, but Petén influence is obvious in Cobá’s high steep structures, which are reminiscent of those in Tikal. At its peak, around AD 600-800, Cobá was the largest urban center in the northern lowlands, with some 40,000 residents and over 6,000 structures spread over 50 square kilometers (31 square miles). The city controlled most of the northeastern portion of the Yucatán Peninsula during the same period before being toppled by the Itzás of Chichén Itzá following a protracted war in the mid-800s. Following a widespread Maya collapse—of which the fall of Cobá was not the cause, though perhaps an early warning sign—the great city was all but abandoned, save as a pilgrimage and ceremonial site for the ascendant Itzás. It was briefly reinhabited in the 12th century, when a few new structures were added, but had been abandoned again, and covered in a blanket of vegetation, by the time of the Spanish conquest.
Passing through the entry gate, the first group of ruins you encounter is the Cobá Group, a collection of over 50 structures and the oldest part of the ancient city. Many of Cobá’s sacbeob initiate here. Its primary structure, La Iglesia (The Church), rises 22.5 meters (74 feet) from a low platform, making it Cobá’s second-highest pyramid. The structure consists of nine platforms stacked atop one another and notable for their round corners. Built in numerous phases beginning in the Early Classic era, La Iglesia is far more reminiscent of Tikal and other Petén-area structures than it is of the long palaces and elaborate facades typical of Puuc and Chenes sites. Visitors are no longer allowed to climb the Iglesia pyramid due to the poor state of its stairs, but it is crowned with a small temple where archaeologists discovered a cache of jade figurines, ceramic vases, pearls, and conch shells.
The Cobá Group also includes one of the city’s two ball courts, and a large acropolis-like complex with wide stairs leading to raised patios. At one time these patios were connected, forming a long gallery of rooms that likely served as an administrative center. The best-preserved structure in this complex, Structure 4, has a long vaulted passageway beneath its main staircase; the precise purpose of this passageway is unclear, but it’s a common feature in Cobá and affords a close look at how a so-called Maya Arch is constructed.
The Cobá Group is directly opposite the stand where you can rent bicycles or hire bike taxis. Many travelers leave it for the end of their visit, after they’ve turned in their bikes.
Nohoch Mul Group
From the Cobá Group, the path winds nearly two kilometers (1.2 miles) through dense forest to Cobá’s other main group, Nohoch Mul. The name is Yucatec Maya for Big Mound—the group’s namesake pyramid rises an impressive 42 meters (138 feet) above the forest floor, the equivalent of 12 stories. (It was long believed to be the Yucatán Peninsula’s tallest structure until the main pyramid at Calakmul in Campeche was determined to be some 10 meters higher.) Like La Iglesia in the Cobá Group, Nohoch Mul is composed of several platforms with rounded corners. A long central staircase climbs steeply from the forest floor to the pyramid’s lofty peak. A small temple at the top bears a fairly well-preserved carving of the Descending God, an upside-down figure that figures prominently at Tulum but whose identity and significance is still unclear. (Theories vary widely, from Venus to the God of Bees.)
Nohoch Mul is one of few Maya pyramids that visitors are still allowed to climb, and the view from the top is impressive—a flat green forest spreading almost uninterrupted in every direction. A rope running down the stairs makes going up and down easier.
The view from atop Cobá’s highest pyramid, Nohoch Mul, is spectacular, but be sure to watch your step!
© GARY CHANDLER
Where the path hits Nohoch Mul is Stela 20, positioned on the steps of a minor structure, beneath a protective palapa roof. It is one of Cobá’s best-preserved stelae, depicting a figure in an elaborate costume and headdress, holding a large ornate scepter in his arms—both signifying that he is an ahau, or high lord or ruler. The figure, as yet unidentified, is standing on the backs of two slaves or captives, with another two bound and kneeling at his feet. Stela 20 is also notable for the date inscribed on it—November 30, 780—the latest Long Count date yet found in Cobá.
Xaibé and the Ball Court
Between the Cobá and Nohoch Mul Groups are several smaller but still significant structures. Closest to Nohoch Mul is a curiously conical structure that archaeologists have dubbed Xaibé, a Yucatec Maya word for crossroads. The name owes to the fact that it’s near the intersection of four major sacbeob, and for the same reason, archaeologists believe it may have served as a watchtower. That said, its unique design and imposing size suggest a grander purpose. Round structures are fairly rare in Maya architecture, and most are thought to be astronomical observatories; there’s no evidence Xaibé served that function, however, particularly since it lacks any sort of upper platform or temple. Be aware that the walking path does not pass Xaibé—you have to take the longer bike path to reach it.
A short distance from Xaibé is the second of Cobá’s ball courts. Both courts have imagery of death and sacrifice, though they are more pronounced here: a skull inscribed on a stone in the center of the court, a decapitated jaguar on a disc at the end, and symbols of Venus (which represented death and war) inscribed on the two scoring rings. This ball court also had a huge plaque implanted on one of its slopes, with over 70 glyphs and dated AD 465; the plaque in place today is a replica, but the original is under a palapa covering at one end of the court, allowing visitors to examine it more closely.
Paintings Group
The Paintings Group is a collection of five platforms encircling a large plaza. The temples here were among the last to be constructed in Cobá and pertain to the latest period of occupation, roughly AD 1100-1450. The group’s name comes from paintings that once lined the walls, though very little color is visible now, unfortunately. Traces of blue and red can be seen in the upper room of the Temple of the Frescoes, the group’s largest structure, but you aren’t allowed to climb up to get a closer look.
Although centrally located, the Paintings Group is easy to miss on your way between the more outlying pyramids and groups. Look for a sign for Structure 5, where you can leave your bike (if you have one) and walk into the group’s main area.
Macanxoc Group
From the Paintings Group, the path continues southeasterly for about a kilometer (0.6 mile) to the Macanxoc Group. Numerous stelae have been found here, indicating it was a place of great ceremonial significance. The most famous of these monuments is Stela 1, aka the Macanxoc Stela. It depicts a scene from the Maya creation myth—“the hearth stone appears”—along with a Long Count date referring to a cycle ending the equivalent of 41.9 billion, billion, billion years in the future. It is the most distant Long Count date known to have been conceived and recorded by the ancient Maya. Stela 1 also has reference to December 21, 2012, when the Maya Long Count completed its first Great Cycle, equivalent to 5,125 years. Despite widespread reports to the contrary, there is no known evidence, at Cobá or anywhere, that the Maya believed (much less predicted) that the world would end on that date.
For years, scholars could not agree whether the fantastic inscriptions found on Maya stelae, codices, and temple walls were anything more than complex records of numbers and dates. Many thought the text was not “real writing,” as it did not appear to reproduce spoken language. Even those who believed the writing to be more meaningful despaired at ever reading it.
Mayanist and scholar Michael D. Coe’s Breaking the Maya Code (Thames and Hudson, 1992) is a fascinating account of the decipherment of Maya hieroglyphics. Coe describes how, in 1952, reclusive Russian scholar Yuri Valentinovich Knorosov made a crucial breakthrough by showing that Maya writing did in fact convey spoken words. Using a rough alphabet recorded by Fray Diego de Landa (the 16th-century bishop who, ironically, is best known for having destroyed numerous Maya texts), Knorosov showed that ancient texts contain common Yucatec Maya words such as cutz (turkey) and tzul (dog). Interestingly, Knorosov conducted his research from reproductions only, having never held a Maya artifact or visited an ancient temple. (When he did finally visit Tikal in 1990, Coe says Knorosov wasn’t very impressed.)
But Knorosov’s findings were met with staunch resistance by some of the field’s most influential scholars, which delayed progress for decades. By the mid-1980s, however, decipherment picked up speed; one of many standouts from that era is David Stuart, the son of Maya experts, who went to Cobá with his parents at age eight and passed the time copying glyphs and learning Yucatec Maya words from local playmates. As a high school student he served as chief epigrapher on a groundbreaking exploration in Belize, and at age 18 he received a US$128,000 MacArthur Fellowship (aka “Genius Award”) to, as he told Michael Coe, “play around with the glyphs” full-time.
Researchers now know that Maya writing is like most other hieroglyphic systems. What appears at first to be a single glyph can have up to four parts, and the same word can be expressed in pictorial, phonetic, or hybrid form. Depending on context, one symbol can have either a pictorial or phonetic role; likewise, a particular sound can be represented in more than one way. The word cacao is spelled phonetically as “ca-ca-u” but is written with a picture of a fish (ca) and a comb-like symbol (also ca, according to Landa) and followed by -u. One of David Stuart’s great insights was that for all its complexity, much of Maya glyphic writing is “just repetitive.”
But how do scholars know what the symbols are meant to sound like in the first place? Some come from the Landa alphabet, others are suggested by the pictures that accompany many texts, still others from patterns derived by linguistic analyses of contemporary Maya languages. In some cases, it is simply a hunch that, after applying it to a number of texts, turns out to be right. If this seems like somewhat shaky scientific ground, it is—but not without a means of being proved. The cacao decipherment was confirmed when the same glyph was found on a jar with cacao residue still inside.
Hundreds of glyphs have been deciphered, and most of the known Maya texts can be reliably translated. The effort has lent invaluable insight into Maya civilization, especially dynastic successions and religious beliefs. Some archaeologists lament, not unreasonably, that high-profile glyphic studies divert attention from research into the lives of everyday ancient Maya, who after all far outnumbered the nobility but are not at all represented in the inscriptions. That said, it’s impossible not to marvel at how one of the world’s great ancient civilizations is revealed in the whorls and creases of fading stone pictures.
The name Cobá (Water Stirred by the Wind in Maya) is surely a reference to the group of shallow lagoons here (Cobá, Macanxoc, Xkanha, and Sacakal). The archaeological site and the surrounding wetlands and forest are rich with birdlife—herons, egrets, motmot, parrots, and the occasional toucan are not uncommon. Arrive early to see the most birds—at the very least you’ll get an earful of their varied songs and cries. Later, as the temperature climbs, you’ll start to see myriad colorful butterflies, including the large, deep-blue morphidae and the bright yellow-orange barred sulphur.
If you look on the ground, you’ll almost certainly see long lines of leaf-cutter ants. One column carries freshly cut leaves to the burrow, and the other marches in the opposite direction, empty-jawed, returning for more. The vegetation decays in their nests, and the fungus that grows on the compost is an important staple of the ants’ diet—a few scientists even claim that this makes leaf-cutter ants the world’s second species of agriculturists. Only particular types of leaves will do, and the columns can be up to a kilometer (0.6 mile) long.
Practicalities
Cobá’s main groups are quite spread apart, and visiting all of them adds up to several kilometers. Fortunately, you can rent a bicycle (US$3) or hire a triciclo (US$9 for 1 hour, US$15 for 2 hours) at a large stand a short distance past the entryway, opposite the Cobá Group. Whether you walk or ride, don’t forget a water bottle, comfortable shoes, bug repellent, sunscreen, and a hat. Watch for signs and stay on the designated trails. Guide service is available—prices are not fixed but average US$52 per group (1.5 hours, up to 6 people). Parking at Cobá is US$4.
Cobá is not nearly as crowded as Tulum (and is much larger), but it’s still a good idea to arrive as early as possible to beat the ever-growing crowds.
COBÁ PUEBLO
It’s fair to say that the town of Cobá, a rather desultory little roadside community, has never regained the population or stature that it had as a Maya capital more than 1,000 years ago. Most travelers visit Cobá as a day trip from Tulum or Valladolid, or on a package tour from resorts on the coast. There are two decent hotels in town, used mostly by those who want to appreciate Cobá’s rich birdlife, which means being at the gate right when the site opens at 8am; if you’re lucky, the gatekeeper may even let you in early.
Sights
Cobá Pueblo itself doesn’t have much in the way of sights—besides the ruins, of course—but a number of small eco-attractions have cropped up, all a short distance from town.
RESERVA DE MONOS ARAÑAS PUNTA LAGUNA
The Punta Laguna Spider Monkey Reserve (cell. tel. 985/107-9182, 7:30am-5:30pm daily, US$5) is a protected patch of forest that’s home to various families of boisterous spider monkeys, as well as smaller groups of howler monkeys and numerous bird species. A short path winds through the reserve, passing a small unexcavated Maya ruin and a large lagoon where you can rent canoes (US$8.50). There’s also a zipline and a place to rappel into a cenote, but it’s typically reserved for large groups. Your best chance of spotting monkeys is by going in late afternoon, and by hiring one of the guides near the entrance (US$10 pp, minimum 2 people). The reserve (whose official name is Otoch Ma’ax Yetel Kooh, Yucatec Maya for House of the Spider Monkey and Puma) is operated by a local cooperative, whose members live in the nearby village and serve as guides; most speak at least some English. Be sure to wear good walking shoes and bring plenty of bug repellent. The reserve is located 18 kilometers (11 miles) north of Cobá, on the road toward Nuevo X’can.
The Yucatán is home to three types of monkeys: spider, howler, and black howler. Intelligent and endearing, these creatures are prime targets for the pet trade. They have been so hunted that today all three are in danger of extinction. Experts estimate that for every tropical monkey sold, three die during transportation and distribution In an effort to protect these creatures, the Mexican government has prohibited their capture or trade. As you wander through the ruins of Cobá or through the Punta Laguna Spider Monkey Reserve, keep your ears perked and your eyes peeled. You’re sure to see—or, at least, hear—them. Spider and howler monkeys are most active at sunrise and sundown; consider arriving early or staying late to increase your chances of spotting a few.
Howler monkeys are common in regional nature reserves.
© LIZA PRADO
CENOTES
If you’ve got a car, a cluster of three well-maintained and well-run cenotes (no phone, 8am-5pm daily) are a great addition to a day spent at Cobá. Choo-Ha, Tamcach-Ha, and Multun-Ha are southwest of Cobá and are operated jointly (US$5/7/10 for 1/2/3 cenotes); a fourth cenote called Nohoch-Ha is a bit farther and requires a separate entrance fee (US$2). Each is slightly different—one has a high roof and platform for jumping, another is wide and low—but all are impressive enclosed chambers bristling with stalactites, filled with cool crystalline water that’s heaven on a hot day. Cement or wooden stairways lead down to pools; showers and changing areas are available at Choo-Ha. To get there, continue past the Cobá ruins on the road to Tepich and follow the signs.
Accommodations
There are just two recommendable hotels in Cobá Pueblo; if both are booked, consider heading to Tulum or Valladolid, each about 45 minutes away by car or bus.
The low-key Hotel Sac Be (Calle Principal, tel. 984/206-7140 or cell. tel. 984/135-3097, US$29 s/d with fan, US$37.50 s/d with a/c) has friendly service and spotless rooms with one or two beds, televisions, old-school air conditioners, and a small desk. All have private bathrooms and open onto a long outdoor corridor. Guests get 10 percent off at the hotel restaurant (which is the small one right above the mini-mart reception area; the much larger attached restaurant has a different owner).
Somewhat overpriced but the only mid-range option in town, Villas Arqueológicas Cobá (facing Laguna Cobá, tel. 984/206-7000, toll-free Mex. tel. 800/557-7755, www.villasarqueologicas.com.mx, US$92 s/d with a/c) started out as a Club Med, believe it or not, but has since become an independent hotel. Rooms are oddly pod-like, sort of what staying in the space station must be like. They open onto a wide corridor that in turn surrounds a large, pleasant pool. The hotel restaurant serves good but overpriced meals. Units have air-conditioning—which helps with mustiness—but no TV; free Wi-Fi in the lobby area only.
Food
With a large raised patio overlooking the lagoon, La Pirámide (Calle Principal at Laguna Cobá, no phone, 7:30am-9pm daily, US$6-15) is a nice place for lunch après-ruins or beer and snacks in the evening. The restaurant receives a number of tour groups, and it often has a buffet set up (US$12.50); otherwise the menu has grilled fish, chicken, and meat dishes as well as typical Mexican fare.
A few doors down and just before the entrance to Villas Arqueológicas, Nicte Ha (facing Laguna Cobá, tel. 984/206-7025, 8am-7pm daily, US$3-8) is a small place serving tacos, enchiladas, and various pork dishes.
The restaurant at Villas Arqueológicas Cobá (facing Laguna Cobá, tel. 984/206-7000, toll-free Mex. tel. 800/557-7755, www.villasarqueologicas.com.mx, 7:30am-10pm daily, US$6-16) is comfortable and quiet, and has a decent selection of pasta, seafood, and Yucatecan dishes. It’s pleasant, though a bit pricey.
Across the street from the church, Abarrotes Neftali (Calle Principal s/n, 7am-11pm daily) is a mini-mart that sells canned goods, bread, and some fresh produce.
Information and Services
Cobá has neither an official tourist office nor a health clinic. There also are no banks or ATMs—the nearest banking and medical services are in Tulum and Valladolid.
Facing the lagoon, Farmacia El Porvenir (Calle Principal s/n, no phone, 9am-1pm and 2pm-9pm Mon.-Sat.) is a small shop selling basic medicines and toiletries.
The police station (toll-free tel. 066) is halfway down the main drag, before you hit the lagoon.
Getting There and Around
You can easily walk to any of the listed hotels, restaurants, and services in town; the archaeological site is a five-minute walk down the main road, alongside the lagoon.
BUS
A tiny bus station operates out of El Bocadito restaurant (Calle Principal). For the coast, the lone first-class bus departs Cobá at 3:10pm, with stops in Tulum (US$4, 1 hour), Playa del Carmen (US$7.75, 2.5 hours), and Cancún (US$12.25, 3.5 hours). Second-class buses to the same destinations cost a bit less but take longer; departures are at 9:30am, 10:30am, 1:30pm, 3:30pm, 4pm, and 6pm.
There are just two first-class buses headed inland, leaving Cobá at 10am and 7:45pm for Valladolid (US$3.25-5.50, 1 hour), with first-class connections to Chichén Itzá and Mérida available there. Second-class bus departures for the same route (US$2.75 to Valladolid, US$5.25 to Chichén Itzá, US$10.75 to Mérida) are at 8am, 9:30am, 11am, noon, 1pm, and 7pm; note that the 8:30am, 11am, and noon buses go to Valladolid only, with connections available there.
Getting to Cobá is easiest by car. No matter what direction you’re coming from, the roads are smooth and scenic, cutting through pretty farmland and small towns. Keep your speed down, however, as there are innumerable topes (speed bumps) and occasional people and animals along the shoulder. Buses ply the same routes, but somewhat infrequently.
Three different roads lead to Cobá; none are named or marked, so they are known by the towns on either end. There are no formal services along any of the roads, save a gas station in the town of Chemax.
The Cobá-Tulum road (45 kilometers/28 miles) is the busiest, cutting southeast to Tulum and the coastal highway (Hwy. 307). The other two roads connect to Highway 180, the main highway between Cancún and Chichén Itzá. The Cobá-Nuevo X’Can road (47 kilometers/29 miles) angles northeast, connecting with Highway 180 about 80 kilometers (50 miles) outside Cancún and passing places like the Punta Laguna monkey reserve along the way. The Cobá-Chemax road (30 kilometers/19 miles) angles northwest to the town of Chemax; from there it’s another 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) to Valladolid and Highway 180, connecting to the highway about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Chichén Itzá.
All three roads, plus the short access road to Cobá, intersect at a large roundabout just north of Cobá village. Pay close attention to which road you want to avoid a long detour.
