Mexico Off The Beaten Path Tips by Waxbag

Swim In An Underground Pool With Blind Fish

From Valladolid, you can rent a one speed bike and ride to two cenotes; Dzitnup and Samula. Cenotes are what the locals call caves. The Yucaten Penisula is full of caves and these two are very accessible and beautiful. Bring your swim suit as the water is clean and refreshing and the natural sky light from the hole at the top provides an etheral light to the space.

Samula cenote as a hole at the top where the roots of an alamo tree reach all the way to the bottom of the pool. It is a very unusual site.
Both cenotes have a species of eyeless, and harmless fish. Locals like to come and swim here often. As far as I can tell, security is not an issue. The locals are increadibly friendly.
Bikes can be hired at the Albergues la Candelaria Hostel. This is also an excellent place to stay, one of the best in Mexico.

Address:
West on route 180 from Valladolid

Directions:
Go west on Calle 39 or Calle 41 from the town center. They merge into 180. There is a sign to the cenotes several kms out of town to the left.

Valladolid

Kabah's Masks and Statues

One of the more interesting Mayan cities in the region in terms of art and architecture is Kabah. El Palacio de los Mascarones (Palace of Masks) is a unusual wall with three rows of about 300 chac masks staring at you. Most of the curvy noses protrude about foot from the wall.

On the east side of El Palacio are two restored atlantes (two male figures used as a support column).

Cost $2 US, Free on Sundays

113 km from Merida, Hwy 261
23 km south-east of Uxmal
Yucatan State, Mexico

Check out my Kabah page for more information.
Kabah

Labna on La Ruta Puuc

Labna is one the most interesting sites along La Ruta Puuc. It is located in a jungle setting although all the structures have been cleared and mostly restored. Labna is a Late Classic site reaching its height in the 9th century with approximately 3000 residence. Like all Mayan cities in the Yucatan water was a major issue due to the dry climate. Labna had many cisterns or chultunes to support its people throughout the year. The architecture of these structures is very detailed and decorative that is typical of the Puuc Style.

Check out my Labna page.
Labna

Valladolid, Great Off the Beaten Path

Valladolid is a miniature Merida. It is a nice small colonial town with a slow paced life. It has a nice park, Parque Francisco Canton Rosado, that is typical to the Yucatan; broad, well manicured, and full of people and vendors. It has some nice eateries, bakeries and shops around the park. There are some nice churches in town including San Bernardino and Convento de Sisal which were constructed in 1552 as a church and fortress.

The accommodation is here is quite good. One of my favorite hostels that I have ever experienced is here, Albergue la Candelaria. It is a beautiful hostel with open gardens and nice, clean facilities.

The town is also in an excellent location to visit the nearby caves or cenotes like Cenote Dzitnup and Cenote Samula. This really should not be missed. They are a most unusual site and are worth seeing. There is also a nice cenote right in the middle of town called Cenote Zaci, but it isn’t nearly as impressive as the first two mentioned. Valladolid is also close to Chichen Itza. By colectivo, it is only about 45 minutes or 40 kms away. It is best to get to Chichen Itza early before it gets too hot and all of the tourist show up from Cancun.

One of my favorite sites in Mexico that is definately off the beaten path are Cenotes Dzitnup and Cenote Samula. These caves have pools in them with a small opening above to let light beams light up the blue pools below. It is really quite neat. You can hire a bike in Valladolid and discover these caves and the rest of Valladolid in a day.

Check out my Valladolid Page for more information.
Valladolid