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Glimpses of the past

Mérida

The House of the Magician at Uxmal, 50 miles southwest of Mérida

The city of Mérida is well known to tourists seeking adventure in ancient settings. It serves as a base for journeys to the caves of Balankanche, the cenotes at Dzibilchaltun, and the Mayan ruins of Uxmal and Chichen Itza.

Located in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mérida has a European feel with its colonial cathedrals and museums. When the Spaniards arrived in 1542, Mérida was a large Mayan city called T'ho. The conquerors dismantled the pyramids and used the stones as the foundation for the Cathedral of San Idelfonso, the oldest cathedral on the North American continent.

Sisal plantations created millionaires in the early 20th century and they in turn built haciendas on the city's Paseo Montejo. Today many mansions have been restored.

Other haciendas outside the city are also tourist friendly, especially the Hacienda Yaxcopoil (YASH-co-po-EEL, Mayan for "place of the green alamo trees"), a former sisal plantation that has its own Mayan museum. Visitors can pay a modest fee to walk through the preserved buildings, or arrange to stay the night in its double-bed guest room. Visit www.yaxcopoil.com for more information.

Uxmal (oosh-MAHL, Mayan for "built three times) is considered to be one of the best maintained ruins in Yucatan. Located about 50 miles southwest of Mérida, experts believe the site was a thriving metropolis between the seventh and 10th century A.D. Among the best-known buildings are the 100-foot-tall House of the Magician, the Nunnery, the Governor's Palace, the Ball Court and the House of Turtles. There's also an evening light show that is very cool.

Just 75 miles east of Merida stands Chichen Itza, which is competing to become one of the new seven wonders of the world (vote for you favorites at www.new7wonders.com). By March, Chichen Itza had made it into the top 21 finalists.

While visitors are barred from walking up El Castillo - built in tribute to the Mayan god Kukulcán - there are still plenty of buildings to see, including the Temple of the Warriors with its serpent columns, the Temple of the Jaguar, the Observatory, the Nunnery and the nearby Cenote Sagrado in which sacrificial victims were thrown. Smart travelers will time a visit for either early morning or late afternoon, to avoid the heat.

Chichen Itza embodies a legend that is more monumental than other sites. The Maya predict the return of Kukulcán on Dec. 22, 2012, when he will destroy the earth. Perhaps that promise is what makes Chichen Itza one of the most mysterious places on the planet. For more info, visit www.visitmexico.com.