This unique Mayan site had been founded as early as 1000BC before evangelising friars built a 16th century chapel in the main plaza as a symbol of the invading religion. Each Mayan site was built close to a cenote – sinkholes used for drinking water and as a ceremonial portal to the underworld.
The city itself has a wealth of colonial architecture, in part a display of the prosperity brought about by the henequen industry. One of the best ways to see the city is to rent a horse drawn calesa (cart) and take a drive up the Paseo de Montejo, an impressive boulevard lined with colonial mansions.
This once major Mayan religious site was chosen by the Spanish as a centre to convert to the locals to Christianity. First they converted the physical site and a huge convent and church was begun in 1549, reusing Mayan stonework. The whole complex was painted rich ochre yellow leading to its nickname as ‘the golden city’.
,
