Peninsule du Yucatan – Celestun – Uxmal

Yucatan Peninsula - Celestun - Uxmal

July 5, 2021

Mexico

CELESTUN

TRANSPORTS

Merida - Celestun 2 hours by bus with the Oriente company for 60 pesos each way (2.50 euros).

Celestun

Celestún is a peaceful fishing village west of Merida on the coast of the state of Yucatan. It is mainly known for its nature reserve: the Celestun Biosphere Reserve 80,000 hectares of protected area). This natural site lists more than 300 species of birds (flamingos, pelicans, herons, cormorants…). There are also crocodiles and four types of mangrove, especially the red mangrove.

The Celestun reserve is still an important site for the laying of eggs of certain turtles.

This reserve can be visited by boat. You will easily find them on the beach. To leave, you have to pay 1800 pesos (around euros) for the rental of the “lancha” (small boat with 8 places maximum). Very practical, you can share the price of the rental of the boat with several people. We got together with 2 Spanish women and negotiated the price at 1600 pesos (64 euros).

On the program: 2-hour walk with Mayan bath. The most surprising is always these different colors of water and this multitude of birds. The clay for the Mayan bath was particularly sulphurous and therefore very fragrant; it will have made us laugh. Putting it on your face was just a joke haha.

Assessment

Everything was really nice but to be honest, Rio Lagartos is twice as good for half as much. Tip: visit Celestun before Rio Lagartos otherwise you will be a little disappointed.

UXMAL

TRANSPORTS

Mérida - Uxmal 1h15 en voiture louée avec la compagnie National. Je les recommande vivement. Vraiment pas cher et très sérieux.
Si vous aviez vu notre tête quand la voiture est arrivée. 2 cris de joie en voyant la couleur " aaahhh bleu canard, elle est troppp belllle". Moui ça s'est vraiment passé comme ça ahaha. La dessus le gars nous explique que pour tout problème ils peuvent changer la voiture. Réponse des 2 courgettes: " aaaahhh mais non, elle est parfaite, on aime trop la couleur. L'employé a clairement halluciné 😂

Pre-Columbian town of Uxmal, UNESCO World Heritage

Uxmal (pronounced Ouchmal) is an ancient Mayan city of the classical period located in the Mexican state of YucatanIts name would mean “3 times built”.

Its rise, its apogee and its decline cover a rather short period in the IX - X centuries. Ruled by able rulers and spurred on by a short-lived alliance with Chichen Itza, Uxmal maintained its prime for some 150 years, from around AD 800 to 950. J.-C.

From the top of its 37m high, 80m long and 55m wide, it represents one of the most important Mayan structures, with Chichen Itza and Tikal.

Entrance fee: 350 pesos + 80 pesos. Plan some cash.

Open from 8h to 17h.

The main buildings on the site are:

Even before the restoration works, Uxmal was in a better state of preservation than most Mayan sites, thanks to the unusual quality of its construction. Most of the buildings were constructed with carefully cut stones, thus avoiding the use of plaster. Mayan architecture here equals that of Palenque in elegance and beauty.

It is the most representative of style Puuc which is characterized by elongated buildings, richly decorated with carved stones. " Puuc » also designates a chain of hills in the region whose land is fertile thanks to its underground water tables. It is thanks to this fertility of the soil that several cities have emerged in the region. It is estimated that there were 150 cities, the main ones being Uxmal, Kabah and Sayil, which housed up to 500,000 people!

You can visit them by following what is called today the "Ruta Puuc".

Thanks to its state of preservation, it is one of the few Mayan cities where a tourist can get a good idea of what an ancient ceremonial center could look like in its entirety.

Estelle, Eduardo, Erika and I take the road back to the cenotes. I take some pictures. Nothing to do, I find everything beautiful ahaha. We stop on the way for lunch. At the exit, they fall downpours. Okay, change of plan, the Chocolate Museum is very close, let's go for an unexpected visit.

Choco - Story - The Chocolate Museum

Entrance fee : 140 pesos (6 euros)

Atypical museum whose entrance is through an old hacienda. The museum stretches behind the building, in its garden that looks like a real jungle and that you discover by walking through the paths.

Several explanatory huts on the history and process of cocoa are scattered throughout the course. I was surprised to learn that the Mayans used cocoa beans as currency. Each thing had a well-defined value in the number of beans. Commerce was the favorite occupation of the Mayans.

The end of the visit ends with a ceremony in honor of the god Chaac and a traditional Mayan chocolate tasting. You might as well say that the taste has nothing to do with what we drink today. This one is very bitter and contains no sugar. Also, the Mayans added chile to counterbalance the taste. Indeed, it is much better, the chile breaks the bitterness. I will also add sugar and cinnamon and um, personally I liked it; which was not the case with most of us. I encourage you to give it a try though, it's really interesting.

At the exit, a shop allows you to do some shopping.

Did you know ?

One of the offerings to the gods consisted of a drink made from cocoa beans. The officiants who participated in the rituals (they were volunteers, yes, just like with human sacrifices) used to make cuts or punctures in the tongue or the earlobes using cactus thorns, the tail of an obsidian stingray or knives. Once the incision was made, they let the blood run over the cocoa beans, then mixed them with the drink that would be offered to the gods. I don't know about you but personally, I find it fascinating !

Special mention for this one: Personally, I didn't think I would come camping here 🤣 🤣

In the garden, I made another discovery. Do you know Dormilona or Mimosa Pudica ?

A characteristic of this plant is its high degree of sensitivity ... its leaves close (fall asleep) as soon as you touch it ...

I made a little video for you. Sorry for the quality but I do better in photos. Also, my good old Huawai P9 lite has reached its limits. I'll have to change it soon. 4 years of good and loyal service, I can consider that he has done his job well.

Play Video

Assessment

Uxmal was an exciting day. The site is majestic, there are many structures to see. Even though the entrance is expensive, you get what you pay for as the visit takes a long time Mayan history is very rich. We thought to couple this one with a few cenotes but time decided otherwise. What luck because it allowed us to discover the chocolate museum and all that it includes. Erika and Eduardo are good company; this adorable couple is very endearing. They continue their journey to Chichen Itza. With Estelle, we return to Merida. Our paths separate but we will stay in touch for sure. Have a good trip, friends !

Next visit: Izamal and the cenotes.