Ancient Sites & Plunging Cenotes: Our Time In Yucatan
After several hours of walking the ancient sites in soaring temperatures and 100% humidity, jumping from the rock platform down into the cool, cool waters of the cenote is exhilarating and refreshing beyond belief. Swimming in one is a pure joy, but more of that later.
A half hour collectivo ride out of Valladolid is one of the so called “new” seven wonders of the world, the extensive remains of the ancient Maya city of Chechen Itza. Paying our entry fee and ambling towards the first section of the city, the first thing that strikes us is the sheer number of visitors. It’s not even peak time of day yet but buses and coaches from Cancun etc are already lined up in the car park and, inside the site, large groups of people with garishly coloured hats or brollies to identify which herd they belong to are already milling around.
This is the busiest tourist site we’ve seen since before COVID, probably the most tangible evidence so far that the trauma is all but over and people are travelling again. It takes roughly fifteen seconds for us to look past this, forget the crowds, and drop our mutual jaws as the first part of Chechen Itza comes into view.
My God is this site impressive. The very first temple, El Castillo, would be an incredible sight well worth a visit even if it stood isolated: the fact that it is the first taster of what is about to unfold just sets the pulse racing. A giant pyramidal construction rising 25 metres to its summit, El Castillo is more than just a temple – it is, amazingly, also a calendar. Its 18 terraces represent the months of a Maya year, its 365 steps the days in a year, its 52 panels on each facade the number of years in a Maya calendar round.
Best of all, El Castillo was built to create its own wonder show twice per year. On each equinox, the moving sun will cast shadows on the pyramid stairs which mimic the movement of a serpent (a regular feature throughout Chechen Itza) ascending or descending the stairs of the pyramid. Now that would be incredible to witness. Maybe we should stick around for a month or so!
El Castillo is just the start. This giant Maya city was established in the early part of the 7th century AD, then for reasons not yet understood by historians, was abandoned around 200 years later. Mayans seem to have returned in the 10th century and one way or another, possibly by invasion, were joined by the Toltec tribes, after which it seems the two groups lived together in harmony, as the temples bear sculptures of the Gods of each.
Here we have what makes Chechen Itza unique: this is the only place on Earth which demonstrates a fusion of the beliefs and architecture of these two disparate peoples. There are many, many huge and breathtaking temples here, this is an incredible place where once again our minds start drifting along the lines of…..”how did they do this?” and “what was this city actually like in its heyday?”
It’s not all temples, either: within Chechen Itza lies the remains of what may have been Mesoamerica’s largest ball court, and the fabulous El Caracol, unmistakably an ancient observatory. The ball court, El Gran Juego de Pelota, houses sculptures which archeologists believe demonstrate that the losing captain and probably many of his teammates were decapitated as punishment for losing an important match – imagine Harry Maguire’s reaction to that suggestion!
The names here are almost as fabulous as the sights – The Temple Of Jaguars, The Temple Of Warriors, The Platform Of Skulls – the last of these being the site where the skulls of sacrificial victims were displayed to deter detractors and, of course, invaders and enemies. Serpents, jaguars and eagles feature throughout the city’s carvings, often portrayed in the case of the latter two with human hearts in their mouths.
Chechen Itza is stirring, mesmerising and impressively preserved, in part impressively restored. Its place on that list of seven new wonders is highly appropriate. Remarkably, Valladolid has another fabulous site on its doorstep, even closer than Chechen Itza.
Ek’Balam is nowhere near as heavily visited as Chechen Itza, is more compact, but is equally fascinating. Its temples are even taller – the incredibly steep Acropolis rises 32m from the grasses below and looks out across the dense jungle which stretches in every direction. Unlike its more popular neighbour, one can still climb these structures, though the steep incline means it wouldn’t appeal to anyone with vertigo or unsteady feet.
It’s another awe inspiring place, where again the carvings are incredibly well preserved and/or painstakingly restored. Here though, a bit like Palenque, the jungle has made a serious attempt to reclaim the ruins and much of Ek’Balam lies hidden within its grasp – even the accessible structures fight a battle with nature. But then, Ek’Balam was abandoned some 1200 years ago.
Our two days of visiting these incredible places have followed the same format: out on a collectivo or a combi, several hours walking around and studying every structure of those amazing sights until the humidity has soaked our clothing, and then heading to a cenote to take some of the most invigorating, refreshing plunges into water we have ever enjoyed.
Yucatan state has over 6,000 cenotes, so many in fact that the word itself was coined in these parts: a good proportion of the world’s cenotes are to be found here. A cenote is basically a giant sinkhole, essentially a site where the upper limestone has collapsed into an underground water source, the result being an oversized natural well filled with fresh, cool water.
Cenotes were understandably the reason for the location of many Maya cities, providing ample water supplies for even sizeable populations – in fact, the word “Chechen” is derived from the Mayan words for “mouth of the well”. Most remain inaccessibly hidden beneath overhanging sides, but a handful are reachable through stairways down through the limestone down into the deep water pit.
At Ik’Kil Cenote, the surface of the water is 26 metres below ground level, the diameter is 60 metres, the water 40 metres deep. Swimming and playing in its cooling waters, with black fish circling our bodies and bats swooping past our heads even in daylight, is not just fun, it’s absolutely exhilarating. And beautifully cooling in the heat of the day.
At X’Canche Cenote, only slightly less dramatic, the “pool” has the additional attraction of waterfalls cascading from the sides down into the water, swimming under which just adds to the sense fun and – somehow – freedom. Of course, there’s a commercial aspect to those cenotes which are open for swimming, but this doesn’t detract from the joy of this unusual experience one tiny bit. It’s brilliant.
So, not only is Valladolid a lovely, elegant colonial city, but it does, as we originally envisaged, form the perfect gateway to three amazing experiences. What a great place to spend four or five days.
You will probably know how it goes. He appears like a mirage at the side of the road, machete in hand and a stack of green coconuts at his side, just as you’re thinking the humidity is getting the better of you and you need a refreshing drink like NOW. Machete to coconut, off with its head, in goes the straw, cue total relief and total delight. Coconut milk is fabulous, its sellers always seeming to be in the right place at the right time, no matter where in the world you are.
Talking of drink, we may be in Yucatan now but the stupendous coffee from Chiapas has followed us – as a coffee lover I thought I’d long since decided on my favourites but Cafe de Chiapas is right up there, every single time.
Valladolid’s local firewater has the almost unpronounceable name of xtabentun, nowhere near as harsh as tequila or mezcal and really quite pleasant. In terms of Mexican firewater then, we’ve sampled those three plus pulque and pox, as well of course as Mexican beers and wines and the non-alcoholic pozol. Of the spirits, our undisputed favourites so far are the coffee tequila and the coconut xtabentun. Both good.
And we shouldn’t leave Valladolid without mentioning Meson del Marques, which is a hotel in the centre of town. We’re not staying there, but it’s home to probably our favourite restaurant so far on this Mexican adventure – sumptuous tasty food in glorious surroundings. What else do you need.
Well, Valladolid delivered on just about every level, even down to the timing of the cracking thunderstorms, which, despite being at different times each day, always seemed to arrive as we were nearing Las Campañas bar, where we took daily refuge. I think the waiters believe Michaela is a rain Goddess.
40 Comments
Steven M Berger
Wow that looks like so much fun. I keep talking to Annie about heading to the Yucatan. I bet after seeing this post she’ll be ready to go. Did you ever think of renting a car for part of the trip?
Phil & Michaela
Hi Steven. Yes we did, actually more than think about it – our plan originally was to get as far as Tuxtla Gutiérrez and then travel around Yucatan and Quintana Roo on our own steam. Then we started to discover that, away from the big resorts, there’s precious few rental offices – even cities like Valladolid don’t have a single one. It seems that whilst short term hire is common, it’s fairly rare for travellers to do longer term hire, partly because of the high risk of crime. Apparently illegal road blocks and carjacking are not unusual once you get into the rural areas, and someone said to us that the bandits “can smell a hire car a mile off”! So we were starting to doubt the wisdom when we then discovered how good the buses are, so we changed our plan. We do love having our own transport in order to explore but on this occasion decided against it.
Annie Berger
Fabulous post from beginning to end – also smiled at your initial ‘herd’ comment and the happy looks on your faces in the cenotes! Appreciated the comment you made to Steven about the safety concerns with renting a car in the Yucatan. We’re leaving in a month for a seven-week trip to Central America and will be renting cars in several countries because of the lack of buses or shuttles. Hope that the ‘banditos’ won’t be able to smell out us gringos a mile away!
Phil & Michaela
Thanks Annie. Driving hire car in Costa Rica was great fun (well, everywhere has been so far) but I’d recommend a 4×4 as some of the roads are really dirt tracks but are also incredibly steep. I should also say that most incidents in Mexico are on quieter roads, I think the main routes are safe enough.
leightontravels
The herd, ha ha. My thoughts exactly about the guided group tours. Chechen Itza looks impressive. I am so intrigued by the equinox event, you should defiantly stay and witness it. Unfortunately, Harry would have lost his head quite some time ago. Cenotes seem like a place to be, what an amazing, amazing natural phenomenon. The food looks great! Gorgeous photography, Michaela.
Phil & Michaela
Diving into a cenote in all this humidity is fabulous, then just the experience of swimming whilst looking up at the “cliff” sides around you is pretty unique. Loved it.
Annie Berger
What do you do with your possessions while in the cenotes, Phil? I somehow can’t imagine they have lockers, do they?
Phil & Michaela
Yes they did actually – decent lockers and free of charge!
wetanddustyroads
Yes indeed, El Castillo is … well, out of this world! Those steps at Ek Balam looks really steep – what an awesome place. But I’m also stunned with the cenote – it looks almost unreal. Love your series of food pictures – so happy your tummy bug is something of the past! Great photos!
Phil & Michaela
Cheers guys, ah mate those cenotes are brilliant.
Gilda Baxter
Fantastic blog post, full of wonderful photos and wondrous places.
We never made it to stunning Chechen Itza when we visited the Yucatan, but it is on our wish list for sure.
The food photos are scrumptious 😋
Phil & Michaela
Definitely well worth a visit, Gilda – and so are the cenotes!
Toonsarah
I tried to comment directly on your site but there still seems to be a bug 🙁 Thank goodness for Reader, which I don’t usually use very much.
Chechen Itza looks amazing despite the crowds, and I sense from your photos that it was possible to get away from them in some areas of the site? Or did Michaela just wait very patiently for a clear shot?! Whereas Ek’Balam reminds me more of Tikal, where the temples also tower above the trees like that. I even managed to climb one of them (not sure if I would make it today!)
Everything else looks and sounds fabulous too. I noted you are wearing life vests for the swimming – is that compulsory or merely encouraged?
Phil & Michaela
Yes I’m still having to do the irritating Reader thing too. Regarding crowds – well, as usual, move five minutes walk from the main sight and half the tours go no further! Funny you should ask about life jackets because it was a point of discussion, in that they were compulsory at one but optional at the other. However because we’d done the “compulsory” one first, we realised just how much extra freedom to enjoy it gave us, so we wore one at the other one too. (Plus, it’s 40 metres deep, and there’s no shallow end!!!!)
Toonsarah
Yes, I think they must give a lot of reassurance to nervous swimmers in particular but to everyone to some extent!
Monkey's Tale
Checked Itza looks amazing. The pinnacle of Mayan sites. And I would have lived to have a centote these past few days. There were piranhas and Carmen in our only swimming option!!
Phil & Michaela
Oh no! Yes those cenotes are just a great experience.
Lookoom
Chechen Itza is certainly the site that I recommended the most, to all those who are going to spend a stay at the beach in Cancun or around, so that they make at least this day trip. It is a very complete and well presented site, part of the life of the Maya can be imagined. When I went there there was no fence and all the pyramids could be climbed, I feel a little guilty for having participated in damaging them.
Phil & Michaela
Some of the guide books tell you that climbing was stopped because of increasing damage, others that the final decision came when someone fell to their death. The incident probably precipitated the change which they needed to make at some point.
Latitude Adjustment, A tale of two travelers!
Fabulous photos folks!
WanderingCanadians
We took a day trip to Chechen Itza a few years ago when we were staying in Cozumel, Mexico. All I remember was how incredibly hot it was and that it was very busy. How nice to also visit Ek’Balam, which was significantly less crowded and equally as impressive. What better way to cool down than by taking a dip in a cenote! They are practical and pretty!
Toonsarah
Just checking whether I can comment here as someone told me WP say the bug is sorted but I’m still having issues with my blog.
Phil & Michaela
Well we received it ok!
Toonsarah
It may be that I fiddled with my discussion settings when I thought the problem was just at my end, and now I can’t remember what they were! I changed them yesterday and got some comments overnight so I’ll see how it goes over the next day or two.
Dave Ply
Although we visited Chichen Itza as members of a herd, it was still a somewhat mooving experience. Jaw dropping states it well. Did you get to hear the echo chirps off the grand pyramid when someone claps? And that ball court is huge! Must have been the World Cup soccer equivalent for Mesoamerica.
We didn’t see Ek Balam, it looks well worth a visit. Thanks for sharing.
I didn’t get to swim in cenote in the way you did, but I did get to scuba in a couple of them. (I’ll post about it in a few weeks.) Either way, a fun and interesting experience.
Phil & Michaela
Yes we heard those echoes, quite odd. The cenotes are really cool, felt great to be swimming in such an unusual setting.
grandmisadventures
Fascinating read on this ancient culture! And you couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful place for a refreshing swim 🙂
Phil & Michaela
Thanks guys – yeah it was all pretty good!
Alison
I love those waterfalls and ponds
You both look so happy, so exhilarating after all the heat. You must be templed put!
Great post Phil 🙂
Phil & Michaela
Yes it was a lot of fun. Not quite templed out but I do know what you mean…
Alison
At least you are getting some R and R 😃
Phil & Michaela
Rock n roll, I presume you mean….ha ha….
Alison
No .. rest and relaxation, it’s a US navy term. But you’ve been doing both I think 😄
rkrontheroad
Fascinating account of Chichen Itza, a place I have yet to visit. I’m glad to know you can no longer climb the pyramids. I did visit Tikal and, like you, thought about what it might have been like when it was a populated, buzzing city.
Phil & Michaela
Thanks Ruth, yes we often have that feeling when wandering around these places
Fergy.
I never fail to wonder at the obsession of the ancients with time and it’s measurement, astronomy and all the related disciplines. Not only that but they seem to have been very adapt at it here.
I love the idea of those cenotes, they look like so much fun especially on a stinking hot day.
I know you guys are foodies and that restaurant certainly looks like the real deal. I think it must have been a great trip all round.
Phil & Michaela
It certainly was, Fergy. Great trip full of variety and full of experiences. And yes that restaurant really was so good. Anyway, how are you? I saw a note of yours on Sarah’s site that all was not well again. How are you now?
Fergy.
Hi folks and thanks for the concern.
I am still in the QEQM Hospital in Margate which is literally bursting at the seams as it is so full, I have never seen anything like it.
I have been for three weeks now as my left leg just packed up and refused to bear any weight and after that period of having had just bout every test / scan / probe known to man they appear to be no closer to working out what is wrong with me and I am still effectively bed-bound. It is not a pile of fun but what can you do?
Phil & Michaela
That doesn’t sound like a bundle of laughs
Fergy.
I have been in more congenial places but it is nit the worst. I just wish they could work out what the problem is.