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Merida Attractions |
| Home >> Mexico Destinations >> Merida >> Merida Attractions |
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Acanceh - is an ancient Maya site located in Mexico's Yucatán state. The modern town of Acanceh, where the ruins are located, is 21 kilometers from Mérida, the capital of Yucatan. Acanceh means "dying deer" in the Mayan language. Acanceh was founded sometime between 200 and 300 A.D., during the early Classic Period. The ancient Maya city covered more than 4 square kilometers, and had about 400 buildings. Two of these buildings survive and are open to the public, although recent excavations have uncovered more structures. |
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Ake - is an archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization, located in the state of Yucatán, Mexico. Ake is some 30 km (19 mi) east of Mérida, Yucatán. The ruins date from the Post-Classic era. They were first described in print by John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood in the early 1840s. The "palace" with rows of stone columns atop a step-pyramid platform, is the site's most impressive feature. While open to visitors, Ake is little visited compared to Yucatán's more spectaular ruins. |
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Casa Montejo - Bordering the plaza on the south is the historic Casa Montejo, built in 1549 from stones taken from Mayan temples. This mansion represents the cities oldest and finest examples of plateresque architecture. It was once Don Franciso de Montejo’s home when he was the Commander of Spanish military forces in the Yucatan. It is now a bank, however visitors are welcome for daily tours. |
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Cathedral de San Ildefonso - America's oldest catholic cathedral located on the east side. Constructed in 1598 from stones of the Maya monument it was built upon, it was designed by Juan Miguel De Aguero, architect of Havana’s famous Morro Castle. Look for the royal coat of arms of Spain above the main entrance; inside, the Chapel of Christ of the Blisters, you’ll see a statue supposedly carved from wood of a tree that burned all night, but was found untouched the next morning. |
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Cenote - is the name given in Central America and southern Mexico to a type of freshwater-filled limestone sinkhole. Cenotes were formed at low sea-level stages during the Pleistocene Epoch. They are fully or partially collapsed karst caves. Mature cenotes often resemble small, circular lakes or lagoons with sheer drops at the edges. Some cenotes flow out to the ocean. Where the fresh and saltwater meet, a blurry halocline layer can be found...More >> |
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Chichen Itza - is a large pre-Columbian archaeological site built by the Maya civilization, located in the northern center of the Yucatán Peninsula, present-day Mexico. Chichen Itza is World Heritage Site and is a very popular tourist destination; it is the most visited of the major Maya archaelogical sites...More >> |
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Dzibilchaltun - is a Maya ruin in the Mexican state of Yucatan, approximately 10 miles north of state capital Mérida. The site has been continuously occupied for thousands of years, although it has expanded and contracted from mid sized city to small town more than once in its long history. The most famous structure is the Temple Of The Seven Dolls, so named because of seven small effigies found at the site when the temple was discovered...More >> |
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Ek' Balam - is a pre-Columbian archaeological site in Yucatán, Mexico built by the Maya civilization. The site is located 30km north of Valladolid, 2km away from a small Mayan village by the same name. In Yukatek the name means either "Black Jaguar" or "Star Jaguar". The largest structure, known as The Acropolis, has a 5m tall jaguar's mouth featuring winged Mayan warriors, as well as inscriptions in the Maya script. From the top of this structure can be seen the pre-Columbian sites of Coba and Chichen Itza. |
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El Paseo Montejo - is a beautiful, tree-lined street, lined with houses developed by the henequen-industry barons. It's a great place to walk in the evening. Have a dish of ice cream, look at the houses. Make sure to go to the bakery at the Plaza de La Bandera circle (across from the McDonald's). The baked goods are delicious. Right outside, a family sells tamales (and has been for decades). The tamales are cheap, fresh and absolutely delicious. |
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Mayapan - Located 30 minutes of southeast out of Merida. Mayapan meaning "Standard of the Maya people", was once the most important center of the Maya civilization during the XIII Century. Mayapan holds over 4000 structures surrounded by a great wall, a variety of tree species and dozens of cenotes (freshwater springs where underground rivers break through the limestone crust of the earth)...More >> |
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Palacio Canton (Canton Palace) - located on the well-known Paseo de Montejo, it was built during the last years of the regime of Porfirio Diaz. This small palace is one of the most beautiful buildings of the city, and was the home of General Francisco Canton Rosado until he died. The building is known for its sumptuous decoration. It is know home to Museo de Antropologia y Historia, dedicated to Mayan archaeology, its exhibits include a variety of pieces from the pre-Hispanic era of this Mesoamerican civilization. |
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Uxmal - is a large pre-Columbian ruined city of the Maya civilization in the state of Yucatán, Mexico. It is 78 km south of Mérida, Yucatán, or 110 km from that city on Highway 261 towards Campeche, Campeche), 15 km south-southeast of the town of Muna. The place name is Pre-Columbian and it is usually assumed to be an archaic Maya language phrase meaning "Built Three Times", although some scholars of the Maya language dispute this derivation...More >>
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