All Mexico’s archaeological sites are also national parks and as such are a haven for birds and animals. Visitors strolling along the paths at Chichén Itzá may be lucky enough to spot some of the Yucatán’s wildlife. Frequently seen are leafcutter ants, iguanas, armadillo, opossums and coatimundi, also known as tejon or pisote.
Home to species such as parrots, woodpeckers, hummingbirds, flycatchers, doves, golden-fronted orioles, Yucatán jays and swallows, among others, the forest springs to life at dawn with the sound of birdsong.
One feathered resident is easy to spot, whether you’re a birder or not: the Yucatan’s very own bird of paradise, the motmot or pajaro reloj (Eumomota Superciliosa, t’ho in Maya) is commonly seen at Chichén Itzá where it nests in the limestone walls of the cenotes. You’ll recognize the motmot by its soft call, hallmark turquoise color, and two-pronged tail, a section of which is stripped of feathers.

Ever wanted to visit a city of gold? Discover Izamal, Yucatán’s very own pueblo mágico, literally “magical community,” a title it earned as a result of its rich heritage. Accessible from Chichén Itzá or Valladolid (take the turn off on Highway 180 or the toll road), Izamal is a blend of pre-Hispanic and Spanish architecture painted in bright yellow with a white trim, and the traditions of the Yucatán. Five Mayan pyramids on the outskirts of the town have also given it the nickname Ciudad de Cerros, “City of the Hills.”.

The earliest traces of human occupation in the Izamal area date back to the third century B.C., making the site older than Uxmal and Chichén Itzá, the latter a city to which Izamal was both an ally and an enemy at different times during its history. Over 20 major Mayan buildings have been found in and around Izamal, along with a network of sacbes or roads, house mounds, burials and other traces of human settlement. Standing 35 meters high, the largest structure is the Kinich Kakmo pyramid, the third largest building in Mesoamerica in terms of volume.

Early Spanish churches were often built on the site of Mayan temples and the huge convent that dominates the town is a potent symbol of this policy. As the birthplace of the legendary Zamná or Itzamná, the head god in the Mayan pantheon, Izamal was an important shrine in the pre-Hispanic period and the Spaniards took this into account, transforming it into a major Franciscan mission. Stones from the Pap-Hol-Chac pyramid were used to build the San Antonio de Padua Convent, which was completed in 1618 and has the second largest atrium in the world, after St. Peter’s in Rome.

As you stroll through the convent, look out for the golden altarpiece, a series of 16th and 17th-century frescos, revealed when a thick layer of plaster was removed during restoration work and the statue of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception, the patron saint of the Yucatán. A small museum documents the history of the convent, the legends associated with the Virgin and the 1993 visit of His Holiness Pope John Paul II to Izamal. It is possible to visit the chapel, the cloisters and see some of the cells. To the east of the convent you can see the remains of the noria or well and the monastery garden.

A Light & Sound Show takes place in the convent atrium on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 8 p.m.
There are two festivals commemorating Our Lady of Izamal, the Assumption, August 15 and, most importantly, the Immaculate Conception, December 8. The whole town turns out for mass, processions, a traditional fair and vaquería (folk dances and music).

Most of the houses, arches, churches, schools and other buildings including the 18th-century Town Hall, which faces the Convent across the central square, sport the Izamal colors. You can explore the town by foot or hire one of the horse-drawn carriages or victorias that wait patiently beside the convent wall.

Visit the tiny Community Museum in Calle 31, the colonial churches of San Ildefonso, Los Remedios, Carmen and Santa Cruz and sit in one of the town’s parks or squares and watch the Izamaleños go about their business.

Izamal is a town of craftsmen and several workshops in different neighborhoods are open to the public. You can watch women embroider traditional cotton dresses called hipiles, see how wood carvers and jewelers use native woods, henequen and cocoyol seeds, and find out how a hammock is made. There are also miniatures, papier mache, tinwork and herbal medicine workshops. Ask about the Folk Art Route in the Tourism Office. You can purchase crafts in the town square and at the Hecho a Mano handicraft store.

Getting there: Izamal is 68 kilomteres west of Chichen Itza, take Highway 180 or the Cancun-Merida toll road to Kantunil, you’ll see the turn-off for Izamal clearly marked

Unlock more of the secrets of the past by visiting Mayapan, the last capital of the Maya on the Yucatán Peninsula. Located 30 miles south of Mérida, this site was founded around A.D. 1250 during the post-Classic period of Mayan civilization and abandoned in 1450. Several of Mayapan’s most important buildings show certain similarities to those at Chichén Itzá, leading archaeologists to speculate that it was settled by Maya from Chichén, which was abandoned around 1250.

While you are in the area, visit the village of Cuzama where you can board horse-drawn wagons known locally as “trucks” (trucks operate on rails and were used on haciendas during the golden age of henequen production) for a journey that takes you to three cenotes or sinkholes.

Getting there: Mayapan is 162 kilometers from Chichen Itza and 49 kilometers from Merida along Highway 18.