Yucatan Peninsula

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The Yucatan Peninsula is a region of southeastern Mexico, consisting of the Mexican states of Yucatán, Campeche, and Quintana Roo.

The Yucatan was the home of the Maya civilization before it was conquered by the Spanish Conquistadors in the 16th century. Much of the population is part or all of Maya descent, and in many places the Maya language is still spoken, usually in addition to Spanish, the main language of business.

Until the mid 20th century, most of the Peninsula's trade with the rest of Mexico was by sea, and the culture, cuisine, and traditions developed different flavors from other parts of Mexico. Starting in the late 20th century the Yucatan has become more integrated into Mexico, especially such areas on the Caribbean coast as Cancun and Chetumal, where many people from other parts of the nation have moved to take advantage of the economic opportunities of development.

	yucatan peninsula Travel Guide : 1 States 2 Cities 3 Other destinations 4 Talk 5 Understand 6 Get in 6.1 By plane 6.2 By bus 6.3 By train 7 Get around 8 Eat 9 Drink 10 Stay safe 11 Get out

States

• Yucatan
• Campeche
• Quintana Roo
• Tabasco

Cities

• Campeche -- Moderately sized city with Spanish ruins
• Cancun -- Beach, modern tourist resort
• Chetumal -- Small city on the Gulf of Mexico with a nice museum
• Izamal -- Small mostly Maya city with large colonial convent and remains of large Maya pyramids
• Mérida -- Colonial city, the metropolis of the Yucatan
• Playa del Carmen -- Was a nice fishermen's town, now has lots of resorts
• Progreso -- Port city with beaches and seafood north of Mérida
• Valladolid -- Small colonial city

Other destinations

• Cozumel -- An island with beaches and ruins

Extensive Maya ruins are scattered all over this region, most of which are easily accessible by bus. Some of the more important include:

• Becan -- Large ruin in the lower center of the Peninsula, little restored
• Calakmul -- Not on the tourist trail, large ruin in jungle preserve. Accessible from Chetmual in Quintana Roo or Escarcega in Campeche. Is on the border with Guatemala, although there is no way to get to Guatemala from the preserve.
• Chichen Itza -- The largest, most restored, and most visited of Yucatan's ruins
• Coba -- Large ruin less restored
• Dzibilchaltun -- Moderately sized ruin with only a few buildings restored, worth a look on the road between Mérida and Progresso
• Kabah -- Medium-sized ruin south of Uxmal
• Mayapan -- Historically important, but less interesting to see than Yucatan's other famous ruins
• Tulum -- The tropical beach backdrop is the main attraction of this picturesque, much-visited small ruin on the shore of the Caribbean Sea
• Uxmal -- Fine architecture, one of the most beautiful of all Maya ruins, a large, well-preserved site
• Ednza -- Discovered in the 1950s, the well preserbed site it a one drive from Campeche.

Talk

Spanish is the main language. English will be understood at the more expensive resorts and tourist locations. Knowing a few phrases of basic Spanish will help away from the main tourist resorts and can often help you find better deals. Yucatecos are generally tolerant of visitors who do not speak Spanish fluently and appreciate the effort.

In much of the Yucatan some Maya is spoken. Except in a few small villages, almost everyone will have at least a working knowledge of basic Spanish.

Understand

The Yucatán penisual is famous for being the center of the classical Mayan empire, with its stunning ruins at Chichén Itzá and other sites. Many tourists are surprised that, while those cites were abandoned before contact with europeans, Yucatan is still predominantly Mayan. Mayan culture, identity, traditions, and language are very much alive, especially outside of main cities.

Away from beaches and tourist hotels going around in a bathing suit or short shorts is not considered proper and thought rude.

Get in

By plane

Fly in through Cancún, Cozumel, or Mérida. For the best deals, look for charter flight consolidation seats - spare capacity on flights run by package tour operators. These can be available for as little as £100 from the UK.

By bus

From the west through the Chiapas region. Buy tickets for long journeys in advance, particularly at busy times such as weekends and public or religious holidays.

By train

There is no remaining passenger train service in the Yucatan Peninsula. After the federal government privitized the railways, most passenger services across the entire nation were discontinued.

Get around

Many different class buses are available to/from all the major and many of the minor cities. Mexican first class buses are excellent value and remarkably comfortable - comparable to European train services. Many cheaper services are also available - from second class (little noticeable difference really) to very basic minibus and truck services. Safety seems to decrease with price, however - second class and below may lack seatbelts. Beware of the excessive air conditioning that seems to be a feature on most services - the bus may be many degrees colder than the outside air, and being stuck on a twelve hour journey without adequate clothing can make a journey singularly unpleasant. Travelling second class is not recommended for taller people (5'10" feet or above). As second class busses hold more seats than first class ones do, there is almost no leg room. The major first class bus line is Autobuses del Oriente (ADO). Most of the smaller lines (Mayab, for example), are owned by ADO.

Eat

Yucatecan food has its own culinary traditions developed from the long mix of native Maya and Spanish traditions. While some dishes can be very spicy, many others are not.

Common meats are turkey, chicken, pork, and deer. Yucatecan venison is quite good and not "gamey" tasting.

Typical dishes include:

• "Pibil" dishes, most commonly "pollo pibil", the chicken version, slow cooked in a banana leaf, very tender and tasty. "Cochinita pibil," the young pig version, is a Yucatec classic. Both dishes are seasoned with Chayote. "Pib" is Yucatec-maya for the cooking techniqe of wraping in bananna leaves and cooking in a pit.
• "Poc chuc" pork marinaded with onion, lime juice, and spices.
• "Huevos Motuleños" eggs on tortillas with black beans and cheese, often with other ingredients such as ham, peas, and salsa picante.
• "Pollo Motuleño", a chicken dish cooked with orange juice, achiote and plantains.
• "Sopa de lima", tasty lime based vegetable soup with bits of corn tortilla.

Seafood is also very important, especially in Campeche. Pulpo (octopus), cazon (shark), camaron (shrimp) and various other tropical fish are very popular.

Contrary to the advice of many guides, the food served in all-inclusive resorts may have been prepared in far less safe conditions than that available in local establishments away from the major tourist zones. Poor refrigeration, retaining food beyond safe time limits and poor hygiene have been reported from many resorts - whereas street vendors patronised by locals have little choice but to maintain high standards, as everything is on view and their business is dependent on their reputation, not passing foreign visitors.

Drink

Tap water is not generally advised for drinking in Mexico, particularly for visitors. In many places (particularly backpacker-friendly resorts) water containers can be filled with drinking water for a few pesos - so a reusable container is both an environmentally and financially better option.

The water system in Mérida is unusually good for Mexico; for some visitors it is the only Mexican city where they will drink the tap water. Outside of this city the situation is different. In small towns the local water can be very bad, and bottled water is recommended.

Stay safe

Strict drug possession policy exists in Mexico. Be very careful even with "greens". Local police are hopelessly corrupt, and like nothing better than to catch unwary tourists with small quantities of marijuana. Threatening long prison terms - whether this is a likely outcome is a moot point - their main aim seems, unsurprisingly, to exact bribes - in some areas a fairly standard 50% of all the traveller's money. Caution is also advised on long bus journeys, particularly across state lines, as police or military checkpoints exist and passengers may be asked for identification or searched. In general, however, these checks seem to be aimed at locals - particularly in the Zapatista homeland in Chiapas.

Get out

The Yucatan is a good launching point for going to Chiapas, Belize, Cuba and Guatemala.

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