Things to do
5-
Cenote Ik Kil
Vines and tree roots hang the full drop from the rim of this circular sinkhole to green water far below, reached by a carved stone stairway and a tunnel. A jumping platform sits partway down. Life jackets are required and sunscreen is banned in the water. Tour coaches from Chichén Itzá fill it from late morning, so come at opening or late afternoon.
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Cenote Suytun
Inside a closed cavern east of town, a circular stone walkway reaches out over shallow water to a platform under a hole in the roof. Around midday a single shaft of light lands on it, which is why a queue forms along the walkway and a guard times each turn at the centre. Stalactites hang low. The floor is slick, and the cave stays cold.
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Cenote Zací
Three blocks from the main square, a half-collapsed cavern holds dark water under an overhang thick with hanging roots. Steps cut into the rock lead down to a swimming ledge; small black catfish keep to the shadows. The Maya name of the town itself was Zaci, white hawk. Quiet on weekday mornings, and the obvious swim when the famous cenotes are full.
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Chichén Itzá
Kukulcán's pyramid stands at the centre of a walled plaza, its stairways casting a serpent of shadow near the equinoxes. Around it: the largest ball court in Mesoamerica, a cenote used for sacrifice, and a round observatory whose windows track Venus. Climbing the pyramid is no longer permitted. Arrive at opening, before the coaches from Cancún and the vendors lining every path.
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Ek' Balam
Rubble packed against the Acropolis preserved a stucco doorway shaped as a jaguar's open jaws, flanked by winged figures that look like angels and predate any European arrival. The climb to the top of the mound is steep and still allowed, with forest running unbroken to the horizon. Half an hour north of Valladolid, and often almost empty. Cenote X'Canché waits a short cycle ride away.