Valladolid is a small city of about 80,000 people, halfway between Cancún and Mérida. It has a very relaxing atmosphere. It has a big park in the center of town, surrounded by a few comfortable hotels and restaurants. They are some attractive old Spanish Colonial buildings, like the Catedral de San Servacio (photo at right), but no tourist sites that are particularly notable. It's a pleasant place to hang out and take it easy, and it happens to be very close to the popular tourist destination of Chichén Itzá (see below).

I happened to be here on Cinco de Mayo one year. There was a parade in which every school in town showcased their bugle and drum corps. While the parade was kind of fun, the days of practice beforehand were a little hard on the nerves. Nothing worse than a twelve-year-old kid with a bugle. Multiply that by 50.

Chichén Itzá

Chichén Itzá is a well-known tourist attraction, and for good reason, it is spectacular. Within a day's trip from both Mérida and Cancún, there will be a lot of people there when you go. It is a huge site, however, and despite the tourist activity it doesn't feel crowded.

Chichén Itzá is an ancient Mayan city, inhabited from about 800 -1400 AD. There are many beautiful buildings here, the most notable being El Castillo, a pyramid 25 meters tall. You can climb to the top and get a breathtaking panoramic view of the site. Many of the buildings here are roped off, but there is so much room to roam around and so many sites to see that one doesn't feel cheated for not being able to climb every platform or enter every chamber. There's an enormous ball field where the Mayans used to play their ceremonial games, an area called the Group of 1,000 Columns which looks like it sounds, and some temples with incredible sculptural facades. The buildings here are awesome for their monumental size, but also have interesting sculptural details, like carvings of jaguars and skulls.

The natural setting of this site is also spectacular. From the top of El Castillo, the forests of the Yucatán stretch as far as the eye can see. There is an excellent assortment of birds here, including Turquoise-Browed Motmot, Blue-Crowned Motmot, Squirrel Cuckoo, Rose-Throated Becard, Orange Oriole, Golden-Fronted Woodpecker, and Banaquit.

El Castillo

View of Group of 1,000 Columns from the top of El Castilo.

Inside the Group of 1,000 Columns

Templo de Tableros Esculpidos

Home | Art Gallery | Design Portfolio | About Karl
What's New | Travels | Links | Genealogy | Contact Karl

All artwork and photographs in this site ©Karl Janssen, unless otherwise noted.
No reproduction of images without permission.