Side Trips

Sotuta de Peon

What started out as one man's hobby -- to restore an old hacienda for a weekend getaway and perhaps see what it takes to plant a couple of acres of henequén -- spiraled out of control until it grew into one of the best living-museums you'll see anywhere; it has engrossed the imagination of an entire rural community. Presto! You have a completely functional hacienda henequenera.

You can arrange transportation from any of Mérida's hotels by calling Hacienda Sotuta de Peón at tel. 999/941-8639. Call to make a reservation even if you have your own car, and be sure to bring your bathing suit; there's a cool cenote on the property. The best days to visit are when the giant fiber-extracting machine is in operation -- Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday. The tour starts with a visit to the henequén fields via mule-drawn carts, the same as are used to transport the leaves of the plant to the hacienda's headquarters. You get to see it being harvested, and later, processed at the casa de máquinas, and even used in the manufacturing of twine and such. Along the way you get a glimpse into the local culture surrounding henequén production. You visit a house of one of the workers, as well as the house of the hacendado (the owner). You can also try some of the regional cooking -- there's a restaurant on the premises. Transportation and tour (in English or Spanish) costs $45 (£25) per person, but check this because the hacienda is a newly operating business, and there might be some price adjustments. For more information see www.haciendatour.com.

Izamal

Izamal is a sleepy town some 80km (50 miles) east of Mérida, an easy day trip by car. You can visit the famous Franciscan convent of San Antonio de Padua and the ruins of four large pyramids that overlook the center of town. One pyramid is partially reconstructed. Life in Izamal is easygoing in the extreme, as evidenced by the victorias, the horse-drawn buggies that serve as taxis here. Even if you come by car, you should make a point of touring the town in one of these. There is also a sound-and-light show in the old convent. The half-hour show costs $4.50 (£1.95) and is held on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8:30pm. It's in Spanish, but you can rent headphones in other languages for $2.50 (£1.40).

Celestun National Wildlife Refuge: Flamingos & Other Waterfowl

On the coast, west of Mérida, is a large wetlands area that has been declared a biopreserve. It is a long, shallow estuary where fresh water mixes with Gulf salt water, creating a habitat perfect for flamingos and many other species of waterfowl. This ría (estuary), unlike others that are fed by rivers or streams, receives fresh water through about 80 cenotes, most of which are underwater. It is very shallow (.3-1m/1-4 ft. deep) and thickly grown with mangrove, with an open channel .5km (a quarter-mile) wide and 50km (31 miles) long, sheltered from the open sea by a narrow strip of land. Along this corridor, you can take a launch to see flamingos as they dredge the bottom of the shallows for a species of small crustacean and a particular insect that make up the bulk of their diet.

You can get here by car or bus; it's an easy 90-minute drive. To drive, leave downtown Mérida on Calle 57. Shortly after Santiago Church, Calle 57 ends and there's a dogleg onto Calle 59-A. This crosses Avenida Itzáes, and its name changes to Jacinto Canek; continue until you see signs for Celestún Highway 178. This will take you through Hunucmá, where the road joins Highway 281, which takes you to Celestún. You'll know you have arrived when you get to the bridge.

In the last few years, the state agency CULTUR has come into Celestún and established order where once there was chaos. Immediately to your left after the bridge, you'll find modern facilities with a snack bar, clean bathrooms, and a ticket window. Prices for tours are fixed. A 75-minute tour costs about $50 (£28) and can accommodate up to six people. You can join others or hire a boat by yourself. On the tour you'll definitely see some flamingos; you'll also get to see some mangrove close up, and one of the many underwater springs. Please do not urge the boatmen to get any closer to the flamingos than they are allowed to; if pestered too much, the birds will abandon the area for another, less fitting habitat. The ride is quite pleasant -- the water is calm, and CULTUR has supplied the boatmen with wide, flat-bottom skiffs that have canopies for shade.

In addition to flamingos, you will see frigate birds, pelicans, spoonbills, egrets, sandpipers, and other waterfowl feeding on shallow sandbars at any time of year. At least 15 duck species have been counted, and there are several species of birds of prey. Of the 175 bird species that are here, some 99 are permanent residents. Nonbreeding flamingos remain here year-round; the larger group of breeding flamingos takes off around April to nest on the upper Yucatán Peninsula east of Río Lagartos, returning to Celestún in October.

Dzibilchaltun: Maya Ruins & Museum

This destination makes for a quick morning trip that will get you back to Mérida in time for a siesta, or it could be part of a longer trip to Progreso, Uaymitún, and Xcambó. It's located 14km (8 2/3 miles) north of Mérida along the Progreso road and 4km (2 1/2 miles) east of the highway. To get there, take Calle 60 all the way out of town and follow signs for Progreso and Highway 261. Look for the sign for Dzibilchaltún, which also reads UNIVERSIDAD DEL MAYAB; it will point you right. After a few miles, you'll see a sign for the entrance to the ruins and the museum. If you don't want to drive, take one of the colectivos that line up along Parque San Juan.

Dzibilchaltún was founded about 500 B.C., flourished around A.D. 750, and was in decline long before the coming of the conquistadors. Since the ruins were discovered in 1941, more than 8,000 buildings have been mapped. The site covers an area of almost 15 sq. km (6 sq. miles) with a central core of almost 25 hectares (62 acres), but the area of prime interest is limited to the buildings surrounding two plazas next to the cenote, and another building, the Temple of the Seven Dolls, connected to these by a sacbé (causeway). Dzibilchaltún means "place of the stone writing," and at least 25 stelae have been found.

Start at the Museo del Pueblo Maya, which is worth seeing. It's open Tuesday to Sunday from 8am to 4pm. Admission is $6 (£3.30). The museum's collection includes artifacts from various sites in the Yucatán. Explanations are printed in bilingual format and are fairly thorough. Objects include a beautiful example of a plumed serpent from Chichén Itzá and a finely designed incense vessel from Palenque. From this general view of the Maya civilization, the museum moves on to exhibit specific artifacts found at the site of Dzibilchaltún, including the rather curious dolls that have given one structure its name. Then there's an exhibit on Maya culture in historical and present times, including a collection of huipiles, the woven blouses that Indian women wear. From here a door leads out to the site.

The first thing you come to is the sacbé that connects the two areas of interest. To the left is the Temple of the Seven Dolls. The temple's doorways and the sacbé line up with the rising sun at the spring and autumnal equinoxes. To the right are the buildings grouped around the Cenote Xlacah, the sacred well, and a complex of buildings around Structure 38, the Central Group of temples. The Yucatán State Department of Ecology has added nature trails and published a booklet (in Spanish) of birds and plants seen along the mapped trail.

Progreso, Uaymitun & Xcambo: Gulf Coast City, Flamingo Lookout & More Maya Ruins

For a beach escape, go to the port of Progreso, Mérida's weekend beach resort. This is where Meridanos have their vacation houses and where they come in large numbers in July and August. It is also the part-time home of some Americans and Canadians escaping northern winters. Except for July and August, it is a quiet place where you can enjoy the Gulf waters in peace. Along the malecón, the wide oceanfront drive that extends the length of a sandy beach, you can pull over and enjoy a swim anywhere you like. The water here isn't the blue of the Caribbean, but it's clean. A long pier extends several kilometers into the gulf to load and unload large ships. Cruise ships dock here twice a week. Along or near the malecón are several hotels and a number of restaurants where you can get good fresh seafood.

From Mérida, buses to Progreso leave from the bus station at Calle 62 no. 524, between calles 65 and 67, every 15 minutes, starting at 5am. The trip takes almost an hour and costs $3 (£1.65).

If you have a car, you might want to drive down the coastal road east toward Telchac Puerto. After about 20 minutes, at the right side of the road you'll see a large, solid-looking wooden observation tower for viewing flamingos. A sign reads UAYMITUN. The state agency CULTUR constructed the tower, operates it, and provides binoculars free of charge. A few years ago, flamingos from Celestún migrated here and established a colony. Your chances of spotting them are good, and you don't have to pay for a boat.

Twenty minutes farther down this road, there's a turnoff for the road to Dzemul. On my last trip I didn't see any flamingos at Uaymitún, but just after turning here, I found a flock of 500, only 30m (98 ft.) from the highway. After a few minutes, you'll see a sign for Xcambó that points to the right. This Maya city is thought to have prospered as a production center for salt, a valuable commodity. Archaeologists have reconstructed the small ceremonial center, which has several platforms and temples. Admission is free. After viewing these ruins, you can continue on the same road through the small towns of Dzemul and Baca. At Baca, take Highway 176 back to Mérida.