Route of the Convents in the Yucatan Peninsula

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Day 29: Convents Route in the Yucatan Peninsula: Oxkutzcab, Peanut, Chumayel, Mama, Tekit, Tecoh and Acanceh - Cuzamá Cenotes - Mérida

Today in the Yucatan Peninsula It starts at 6 in the morning and we are leaving Mérida for a few hours to make the Route of the Convents, a route that could be considered complementary to the Puuc Route that we did days ago and that many people do it often, since it forms a circle around Merida.

These two days at the Hotel Montejo, our accommodation in Merida these nights, we do not have breakfast included, so when it is 7 am, seeing that several coffee shops open soon, we will start the day with energy. But unfortunately in two we tried, because they are so early they only have coffee service, so in the end we opted to go to the Starbucks in the center of the city where we ordered a couple of paninis and two coffees for 220 pesos.


Punctual, when it is 8 in the morning we will look for the car and start the Route of the Convents in the Yucatan Peninsula heading to our first stop that is none other than Oxkutzcab, 100 kilometers and just over an hour's journey from Merida.
Although initially it may perish that it is better to go along the road of the Route of the Convents itself until the end and then go down the road making the visits, we recommend you take the peripheral ring of Mérida, to Oxkutzcab towards Uxmal and from here Go back to Mérida, but by the interior roads that take you through the different points of interest of the Route of the Convents, since you will gain time.
Unlike the previous routes, leaving Merida fills us for a while and it is that this city, although with a small historical center, is large in its surroundings, so going out to the peripheral ring takes practically 30 minutes.

We arrive at Oxkutzcab when it is 10 in the morning, parking in front of the Parish and former convent of San Francisco de Asís, which will be the first stop of the day.

Route of the Convents in the Yucatan Peninsula

The Route of the Convents is a tour that will take you to know different villages, in which temples, churches and chapels that began to be built upon the arrival of the Franciscans.
As we mentioned before, the ideal would be to link the Route of the Convents with the Puuc Route, in a circular route of a couple of days, although it is also feasible to do it as we have done, from Mérida.
Most churches have a schedule from 10 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon and admission is free, although schedules are not always met.
Keep in mind that the visits will not take you more than 20-30 minutes each.

Oxkutzcab

This small town in the Yucatan Peninsula, is known mainly for two places: its market where you can enjoy quality food and the former convent and church of San Francisco de Asís, which in 2011 was included in the Route of the Convents.

Oxkutzcab on the Route of Convents

In the past it was white, but at the time of restoration it was decided to change this color to the yellow that can be seen today.
To highlight the chapel, which can be seen in the garden area.

Oxkutzcab on the Route of Convents

The next stop of the Route of the Convents in the Yucatan Peninsula It is Maní, 11 kilometers and 10 minutes away from Oxkutzcab, where we also park right next to its emblematic church.

Peanut

We could say that Maní is one of the most representative and important places of the Convents Route in the Yucatan Peninsula.

Peanut. Route of the Convents in the Yucatan Peninsula

It is in this place where Fray Diego de Landa ordered that many objects be eliminated in order to convert the natives, destroying hundreds of documents and figures. Some time later, when he was aware of what he did and his mistake, he began writing to document everything he had seen and existed before he ordered it destroyed.

Peanut

In addition to very interesting places, today in the Route of the Convents is giving us to see that more local and traditional Mexico that in many occasions is not so visible in the most tourist places. That is why if you have an extra day in this area of ​​the country, we advise you not to miss this tour from Merida.
From here and when it is 11:15 in the morning we make our way to the third point of the Convent Route that is none other than Chumayel, 14 kilometers and 15 minutes away from Maní.

Chumayel

It is in this town, famous for being the place of Chilam Balám, the sacred book of the Maya, where you can see the Temple of the Purest Conception.
In addition to its exterior, marked by a strong architecture brought by the first Spaniards, inside you can see a venerated black Christ.

Chumayel Route of the Convents in the Yucatan Peninsula

Chumayel Route of the Convents in the Yucatan Peninsula

After this visit we return to the main road now from Mama, 9 kilometers from Chumayel and about 5 minutes away.

Mom

As in the previous stops we left the car in front of the church and visited another of the emblematic places of the Route of the Convents that is known for its exquisite bell tower and its altar, in addition to its back garden, which we recommend you not to get lost in the visit.

After the visit we return to the Convents route on the way to Tekit 7 kilometers from here and less than 10 minutes away.

Tekit

As in the rest of the Route of the Convents, we return to park right in front of the church, perfect place to make the visit.
Its parish known as the church of San Antonio de Padua, is an overly ornate temple, where you will find countless images of saints.

Tekit Route of the Convents in the Yucatan Peninsula

Tekit Route of the Convents in the Yucatan Peninsula

We had read that although the churches are usually open in the morning, that is not always the case, since on many occasions the schedules are modified without prior notice.
The truth is that today we can say that we are having a lot of luck since so far all are open, allowing us to know a little more about them and what they represent on this trip to Mexico in 45 days.

From here we continue the route, but this time changing the order a bit since we had planned the visit to Acanceh, but to change a little third we decided to go to the Cuzamá cenote, 21 kilometers from Tekit, where we arrived when they are 1 noon.
The logical route from here would have been to visit Mayapan, Telchaquillo, Tecoh and Acanceh, but since it is the time it is and take all morning visits to churches, we prefer to change the route a little, even if we have to do some extra kilometers and go first to the cenote, where we will also try to eat something.
We park right at the entrance and after paying 350 pesos per person, we enter what will be for us the first cenote of this trip to Mexico for free.

Book the best-rated tours and excursions in Spanish from Mérida by travelers:

- Excursion to Chichen Itza
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- Excursion to the cenotes of Cuzamá
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- Many more excursions and tours here

Cuzamá Cenotes

- The price is 350 pesos that include transportation (truck or carriage pulled by a horse) and the entrance to the three cenotes. It is impossible to arrive in any other way than the platform with the horses.
- The first two cenotes that are visited are very small, so really to get into the water they are fine, as long as there are not many people, since if you arrive at noon and there are already people, it is practically impossible to bathe.

Cenote Cuzamá

- The third cenote is the largest and to be the first one we see, we do have to say that it attracts a lot of attention.

Cuzamá Cenote

- The visit, as they tell you when you pay the ticket, is from 2: 30-3 hours, but if like us you only bathe in the third cenote, with 1 hour you have more than enough to see the three cenotes.
- It is advisable to bring a towel and swimsuit if they want to bathe you.
- Keep in mind that it is highly recommended not to use repellent or sunscreen.
- The stairs, especially those of the first cenote, keep in mind that they are steep and slide. Watch carefully.

Cenote Cuzamá

But before continuing with the explanation of today, we want to be totally transparent and record what the experience has been for us or how we felt in the visit to the Cenotes of Cuzamá.
Without serving as an excuse, we have to say that initially this visit was not planned in the Yucatan Peninsula, but after being recommended several times, we decided that it could be a good plan to include it today
The fault at that time was not to seek information about the place to be aware of what we were going to visit, since we are sure that if we had done so, we would have seen what we would find and avoided what has represented a situation for us unpleasant.

More practical information to prepare your trip to Mexico

- The 10 best excursions in Riviera Maya
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- 10 essential things to do in Cancun
- 10 essential places to visit in Mexico
- 10 essential tips for traveling to Mexico
- Best travel insurance for Mexico
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Regardless of this, we have to say that, without sounding an excuse, even seeing from the beginning what we were going to do, we would not know how to say why we agreed to continue with this visit.
We imagine that now you will be wondering what happened to have this perception: because only to see how to access the three cenotes that are visited in Cuzamá, the means of transport is none other than a kind of platform that goes on a train track and that It is pulled by a small horse.
It has been at that time when we have seen that this visit really was not for us, since we are against the use of animals for this type of tourist attractions.

In summary, knowing the amount of cenotes that can be visited in the Yucatan Peninsula, many of them truly incredible and according to our experience much better than these, we have to say that both for the transport issue and for how they are, we would not repeat the experience.

It's 2 when we finish the visit to the Cuzamá Cenotes making way to Acanceh, to see the archeological site and look for somewhere to eat.

At this point in today's itinerary, and as we anticipated in the preparations for this trip, we see that the planning for today, especially after the stop at the Cuzamá Cenotes, was very ambitious. That is why although it hurts, we eliminate from the Mayapan route, an archaeological site that is in the area, which for both the time that it is and for visiting times, is unfeasible.

Acanceh

Acanceh, is one of the best known points of the Route of the Convents, since it is the location of the Plaza de las Tres Culturas, where you can see remains of pre-Hispanic, colonial and contemporary times.
Here you can see the Temple of Our Lady of the Nativity and the chapel of the Virgin of Guadalupe, beautifully ornamented.

Acanceh Yucatan Peninsula

Acanceh Yucatan Peninsula

Right on one of the sides of the square you can see and visit the Acanceh pyramid, another reason to reach this point of the Convents Route.

Acanceh Yucatan Peninsula

After this last visit of the day, for more laps we take, we found nothing to eat in Acanceh, so counting that it is after 3 in the afternoon, we decided to eat a cake that we have in the trunk of the car with a soda that we They serve as a relief for the stomach and they confirm how important it is in these cases to carry supplies.
It is 3:30 when we finish the Route of the Convents, leaving behind Tecoh and Mayapan, which although with sorrow we decided not to visit, to return to Mérida and enjoy its streets and an afternoon of relaxation and walk.

We leave you a map with the points that we visit on the Route of the Convents in the Yucatan Peninsula among which we visit Oxkutzcab, Peanut, Chumayel, Mama, Tekit, Tecoh, Acanceh and the Cuzamá Cenotes.

Mérida is 27 kilometers away and just over 30 minutes away, so we enjoy this short journey to go directly to a parking lot next to the Montejo Hotel, since today you can only park on the street, in the yellow zone, from 8 at night to 7 in the morning.

And so, when it is 4:15 pm, we will go back to the historic center of Mérida, just for the pleasure of enjoying and walking, one of the things we like most in travel.

Calle 60 in Mérida

As today we have practically not eaten, when there are a few minutes to 7 we approach the restaurant Bristrola 57 where we order some cheese tarts, caprese salad plus a plate of pasta, soft drinks, dessert and coffees for 645 pesos that are the best farewell to Merida and the day, leaving after dinner directly to the Montejo Hotel where we take the opportunity to work a couple of hours working before giving up on sleep.

Day 30: Mérida - What to do in Izamal, Yucatán - Río Lagartos

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Video: YUCATAN MEXICO CONVENT ROUTE video photos (March 2024).