On March 20 and 21, the period marking this year’s spring equinox, thousands of people will gather in the Great Plaza, the sacred heart of the ancient Mayan city of Chichén Itzá, Yucatán’s famous World Heritage Site to watch the sunset. As the sun’s rays strike the massive Pyramid of Kukulcan, it begins to reveal its secrets. Pyramid of Kukulcan The pyramid is a solar clock, aligned to catch the rays of the ...

During your visit to the Mexican Caribbean or Yucatan, be sure to sample the delicious local cuisine. Although it is based on the famous trio of corn, chilies and beans, the use of which dates back to the days of the ancient Maya, it couldn’t be more different to the Mexican classics you may already be acquainted with. A veritable fusion cuisine, Yucatecan dishes blend time-honored Mayan staples such as cor ...

Merida, the beautiful capital of the state of Yucatan is 470 years old on January 6! It is celebrating the anniversary of its foundation by Spanish conquistador Francisco de Montejo y Leon the Younger “El Mozo,” in 1542 amidst the ruins of a much earlier Mayan city called T’Ho. The festivities will last the whole month with the Merida City Festival, January 5 – 30. [caption id="attachment_9197" align="align ...

Everyone loves chocolate but did you know that cacao was first grown in southeast Mexico or that the ancient Maya made offerings of the cacao pods and a drink to their gods and used it as currency in their trade negotiations? And did you know that Emperor Montezuma drank up to 50 goblets of xocolatl (chocolate) a day and that Hernan Cortez and his band of conquistadors had their first taste of it at the Azt ...

During a visit to the ancient Mayan city of Chichén Itzá, UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven New Wonders of the World, your guide will take you to the mysterious natural well known as the Sacred Cenote (Cenote Sagrado). A short walk from the Great Plaza and the Pyramid of Kukulcan along a sacbe or Mayan pathway, this huge sinkhole was once the site of ceremonies to appease Chaac, the Mayan rain ...

Henequen, Green Gold of the Yucatán Fields of spiky agave plants standing to attention with almost military precision, dot the flat landscape of the northern Yucatán. This is the zona henequenera, an area of estates where vast fortunes were once made and lost. Native to the peninsula, henequen or sisal (Agave fourcroydes) is a hardy gray-green agave plant that has been cultivated by the Maya since time imme ...

On January 6, the gracious capital of the state of Yucatan is 469 years old! It is celebrating the anniversary of its foundation by Spanish conquistador Francisco de Montejo y León the Younger in 1542 amidst the deserted ruins of a much earlier Mayan city called T’Ho. The festivities will last the whole month with the Merida City Festival, January 5 – 30. [caption id="attachment_5206" align="alignnone" widt ...

We have  prepared a very complete article with all the important history & facts about Chichen Itza for your enjoyment. It is long, but well worth the time to read. We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did making it. Discover Chichén Itzá, the ancient capital of the Itzae Maya, declared a World Heritage Site in 1988 and voted one of the Seven New Wonders of the World in a 2007 global poll. The nam ...

The ancient Mayan capital of Chichén Itzá casts its spell whenever you visit it but on the day of the fall Equinox, the Pyramid of Kukulcán in the Great Plaza becomes a stairway to heaven and an ancient god returns to earth. [caption id="attachment_4210" align="alignnone" width="480" caption="Pyramid of Kukulcan"][/caption] Also known as El Castillo, the 25-meter-high pyramid is a solar clock, aligned to ca ...

Traditionally a popular stop en route to the Mayan metropolis of Chichen Itza, Merida or the Gulf Coast biosphere reserve of Rio Lagartos, the Yucatan’s second largest city, Valladolid, is becoming a travel destination in its own right. A civic program has restored many of the city’s colonial buildings to their former glory and the central square bustles with life. Affectionately referred to as the “Sultana ...