A one-hour drive to the south of Mérida lies a low range of hills called the Sierra Puuc, site of a chain of ancient cities so majestic as to have earned a place on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. The largest city in the area, Uxmal was a regional capital during the Late Classic period (A.D. 750 – 1000) of Mayan civilization. It dominated the nearby cities of Kabah, Nohpat and Mulchic and the ruling dy ...

Inhabited from around 600 B.C. and reaching its peak between A.D. 600 and 900, the ancient city of Ek Balam 20 minutes to the north of Valladolid is an enigma for archaeologists. Its buildings show several architectural and artistic styles and the name “Ek Balam” or “black star jaguar” in Maya (star/black = ek, jaguar = balam) only add to the mystery. Is this lyrical name a reference to a long-lost ruler or ...

If you have been coming to Cancun for many years, you may have heard local people saying “it must have been the alux” when they cannot find something. They are joking but you may have wondered what an alux is and what on earth it has to do with a missing pen, spilled milk, an upturned chair and so on! Well, you are about to find out. Ireland has leprechauns, Cornwall has pixies and the Yucatán has its own s ...