Yucatán Classic Round Trip

A Planned CityUntil the late 1960s, only a few fishermen lived on the headland. The Mexican government selected the location via computer analysis as a new tourism hub, and the first hotels opened in 1974. Workers came from all over the country, many from Yucatán, Tabasco, and Chiapas.Maya HeritageWithin the hotel zone are the small sites of El Rey and San Miguelito; to the north is El Meco. The Museo Maya showcases regional finds.

From Fishing Village to Tourist DestinationHolbox once thrived on fishing; today, tourism shapes the island. Cars are not permitted on the island; travel is by golf carts and scooters on sandy roads. The island is part of the Yum Balam protected area, established in 1994; since the early 2000s, whale sharks off the coast have attracted visitors.MuralsMany house walls are adorned with murals, some of which were created during an international festival for public art.

The Maya Port CityTulum was formerly called Zamá, "Dawn." The city was a trading port in the Late Maya period, protected by a wall on three sides and the cliff to the sea. It was still inhabited when the Spanish reached the coast in the early 16th century.From Village to ResortTulum was long a small village with a few simple cabañas on the beach. Beginning in the 1990s, tourism grew, followed by boutique hotels. This rapid expansion strains groundwater and mangroves; electricity and wastewater are issues in many places.

HistoryThe Spanish founded Valladolid in 1543 by the Chouac-Ha lagoon and relocated the city in 1545 to the Maya settlement of Zací. The execution of Maya leader Manuel Antonio Ay in Valladolid in 1847 marked the beginning of the Caste War, a decades-long uprising of the Maya against Creole rule. 1910 saw one of the first uprisings of the Mexican Revolution here. To this day, the region is heavily influenced by Maya culture; you'll hear a lot of Yucatec in the market.

Rise of a Maya MetropolisThe settlement's origins date back to the Classic Period, though most visible structures today were built in the Late Classic and Early Postclassic periods, roughly between 800 and 1100. During this time, Chichén Itzá was the dominant power in the northern part of the peninsula. Between 1100 and 1200, the city lost its supremacy, but the Sacred Cenote remained a pilgrimage site until after the Spanish conquest.Architecture and AstronomyEl Castillo, also known as the Temple of Kukulcán, stands approximately 24 meters tall. Each of its four staircases has 91 steps; combined with the step to the upper temple, this totals 365, the same number as days in the solar year. Around the equinoxes, in the late afternoon, the edges of the steps cast triangular shadows onto the north staircase, appearing like a descending serpent. From the circular structure of El Caracol, the Maya observed solstices, equinoxes, and the path of Venus.World Heritage and World WonderUNESCO inscribed Chichén Itzá onto its World Heritage List in 1988. On July 7, 2007, El Castillo was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a privately organized poll, a title without official status.

White City and Green GoldAfter its conquest by Francisco de Montejo, Mérida became the center of Spanish rule on the peninsula. In the late 19th century, the greatest prosperity came from henequen, an agave fiber for ropes and cords, cultivated on haciendas around the city. The villas on Paseo de Montejo date from this period.Maya culture is present in everyday life: Many people speak Yucatec, and older women wear the embroidered hipil. Every evening, free events take place in the squares, such as the Serenata in Santa Lucía on Thursdays or the Pok-ta-Pok ball game in front of the Cathedral.

HistoryUxmal enjoyed its heyday in the Late Classic period, when the Puuc cities in the hills of western Yucatán relied on agriculture and cisterns (chultunes), as rivers and cenotes are absent here. Characteristic of the Puuc style are plain lower facades and richly decorated upper friezes with mosaics. A paved causeway (sacbé) connected Uxmal with the neighboring city Kabáh.