Downtown Valladolid
Valladolid, named after a Spanish city, is a charming town in the center of the Yucatan about two hours inland from Cancun and within easy striking distance of the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza and Ek Balam. Surprisingly, given its great location in the heart of Mayan Mexico and easy access, it hasn’t yet become overrun with tourists. The lack of an airport is one good reason, and Merida and Cancun, both bigger, are more than happy to soak up the tourist dollars. Despite the extensive downtown street restoration going on when we were there, we found Valladolid to be both convenient and charming. If you’re headed to the northern Mayan ruins, Valladolid makes for a very good base.
Cenote X’kekén (Cenote Dzitnup)
Cenote X'kekén, often known as Cenote Dzitnup
The area is particularly famed for its nearby cenotes, the local name for underground sinkholes, of which there are reportedly a few thousand on the Yucatan peninsula alone. I’ve only had a chance to see a few, and some of them, like the one at Chichen Itza, look basically like small quarry hole that’s filled with water. But some of them are far more impressive, among them Cenote X’kekén (often referred to as Cenote Dzitnup after the nearby, small town), which is just a few minutes out of Valladolid. It’s an underground oasis amidst a limestone cave with a single opening in the ceiling providing the perfect opportunity for rays of sunlight to show off the natural beauty of the water. Since it’s essentially bore water, the waters are a constant warm temperature–we resisted the urge to take a dip, but plenty of people seemed to enjoy doing so.
More photos of Valladolid
Valladolid, Yucatan, Mexico – Images by David Coleman
