"Valladolid" Top 5 Page for this destination Valladolid by darthmilmo

I moved on to Valladolid the next day. Valladolid will serve as an exploration hub of several sites in the area. The first day I went to the tourist stricken Mayan site of Chichen-Itza. All I can say is that the site is amazing for sure, but not the best. The main tour attraction is the main plaza with the Castillo (huge pyramid/Mayan calendar), the ball court, and the temple of the 1000 columns. Chichens true beauty, however, lies in the site as a whole, with the Southern area of the complex and the northern cenote (sacred water whole). Oh, Chichen Viejo is closed indefinitely for renovations (plan on not having access to that area if you're headed there... when will they finish? no one is sure!).

The second day, I went for a swim to the Cenote of Dzitnup. There are no rivers in Yucatan since the peninsula is made of limestone. Instead, there are hundreds of underground rivers, which on occasion form a small cavern with a lake inside. These caverns are often exposed to the surface through a whole or passageway. These small caverns with lakes (water wholes) are called cenotes. Since the limestone serves as an excellent filter system, the cenote water is crystalline and pure. The Cenote Dzitnup is no exception to this rule. The combined environment of a cavern, with stalactites, and the small hole allowing light to venture inside, makes this place a great swimming experience.

The third day I went to Coba, which has the second largest pyramid in the peninsula. Coba is definitely a nice site with unique buildings among the Yucatan jungle. From the top of the huge pyramid one can see miles and miles of beautiful vegetation and ruins.

On the fourth day at Valladolid, I visited Tihosuco to see its unique museum about the Mayan Caste War. This museum shows the struggle that faced the Maya since the first Europeans arrived until the 1930's. The descendents of the Mayan fought hard against oppressive westerners with little success. In fact, from the mid 1800's to the early 1900's the Mayan rebels almost took charge of the Yucatan peninsula, however, they were stopped by the Yucatan forces, and later the Mexican forces. I learned an interesting historic point in this Museum. Similar to Texas, the Yucatan peninsula separated from Mexico in the 1800's and formed its own country. The shortly lived republic rejoined Mexico later that century. Anyway, the second half of the day I went to Felipe Carrillo Puerto to visit the Mayan temple of la Sagrada Cruz Parleante. This is a true Mayan temple, which blends the cross with native Mayan beliefs.