Valladolid

Our next jaunty would be Valladolid, this quaint town is located just inside the Yucatan from Quintana Roo and is classified as a ‘Magic Town’.

Valladolid or Saki in the Mayan language, is a city located in the eastern part of the Mexico. It is the seat of “Valladolid Municipality, Yucatan.

As of the 2010 census the population of the city was 45,868 inhabitants (the third-largest community in the state), and that of the municipality was 74,217. The municipality has an areal extent of 945.22 km2 (364.95 sq mi) and includes many outlying communities, the largest of which are “Popola”, Kanxoc, Yalcoba, and Xocen. Valladolid is located approximately 160 km east of the state capital Merida, and is 40 km east of “Chichen Itza”, and 150 km west of Cancun.

On August 30, 2012, Valladolid became part of the “Pueblo Magico” promotional initiative led by the Mexican tourism department. (Wikipedia)

Again, we travelled with Ken & Nat.

We arrived early afternoon, after checking into our hotel we took a stroll to find some refreshments. We found Terraza Don Diablo located on the north side of the main town square. This patio is located on the roof of the building, overlooking the square, where we enjoyed a Charcuterie board with a nice cold beer.

Quite an unusual cloud formation.

Charcuterie Board.

From here we wondered the town, to see some of the sites until we went for dinner.

Cenote Zaci

Next day we headed to a ‘Yucatan Bee Farm’ which was walking distance from the hotel, these bees are stingless, there are 16 different kinds of stingless bees in the Yucatan.

Scaptotrigona pectoralis bee make an extended entrance to their hive nest from wax and plant resin. Guard bees stand ready to defend the hive but are stingless. They use their powerful jaws to bite intruders.

The bees locate their nest in tree trunks, which the local people cut into a log called a Hobone, just as their Mayan ancestors once did. The ends of the cut log are sealed with leaves, mud and wax and the hobones are placed under cover to protect them from the weather, animals and other insects.

The stingless bees store their honey in “Honey Pots” and only produce about a liter of honey per year which is significantly lower than the Apis melliferra. The honey is used more for medicinal purposes than culinary. (Robin Bee Tea ~ enjoying tea with the bees ~)

From visiting the Bee Farm, we walked back into town where we found a local Cantina, which served very good ‘botana’s’ (snacks) when you order a drink.

Next morning, we set off back towards Progreso, but not before visiting one of the ‘Seven Wonders of the World’. We had been here about 8 years ago, it has been enlarged since then. These are just a few of the photos we took, there is much more to see.

                    

Chichen Itza was a large “Pre Columbian – Mayan city” built by the Mayan people of the Terminal Classic period. The Archeological site is located in Municipality of Tinum, in the State of Yucatan, Mexico.

Chichen Itza was a major focal point in the Northern Maya Lowlands from the late classic (c. AD 600-900) through the Terminal classic (c. AD 600–900) and into the early Postclassic period (c.AD 900–1200). The site exhibits a multitude of architectural styles, reminiscent of styles seen in central Mexico and of the Puuc and Chenes styles of the Northern Maya lowlands. The presence of central Mexican styles was once thought to have been representative of direct migration or even conquest from central Mexico, but most contemporary interpretations view the presence of these non-Maya styles more as the result of cultural differences.

Chichen Itza was one of the largest Maya cities and it was likely to have been one of the mythical great cities, or Tollans, referred to in later Mesoamericam literature. The city may have had the most diverse population in the Maya world, a factor that could have contributed to the variety of architectural styles at the site.

The ruins of Chichen Itza are federal property, and the site’s stewardship is maintained by Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History. The land under the monuments had been privately owned until 29 March 2010, when it was purchased by the state of Yucatán

Chichen Itza is one of the most visited archeological sites in Mexico with over 2.6 million tourists in 2017. (Wikipedia)

Next: Time to Leave

3 thoughts on “Valladolid”

  1. Good stuff Stu, seen a little of that on some of our trips to Mexico.
    When do you leave for South East Asia?
    L&J

  2. Great to revisit places we have been to through your eyes and to see new sites that we have not been to. Such a great country with awesome History.

  3. Thanks for the info. We have been to Valladolid but not Chichen-Itzá. The cenote at Valladolid us pretty amazing.

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