Merida City in the State of Yucatan in Southern Mexico was founded by Francisco de Montejo a Spanish conqueror in 1542. It is famous for the imposing and elaborate historic ruins of buildings and structures mostly found in Chichen Itza. Their designs were influenced by Spanish and the local Mayan culture. Merida is also a popular tourist destination due to the delicious and unique Yucatan cuisines there, different from the typical Mexican food. It also has many breathtaking cenotes including some that visitors swim on. Among the ten historical ruins, sites and cenotes visitors see and explore at Merida include the below.
Chichen Itza
Founded in the 5th Century AD by water sorcerers, the 740 acres Chichen Itza was and is a sacred ancient city where Mayans go on pilgrimage. This archeological site is dotted with historical structures. The most famous structure is the 78-feet high and 182 feet wide, pyramid-shaped Temple of Kukulkan locally called El Castillo and is the tallest structure at Chichen Itza. The temple's four sides have 364 steps with the top one being the 365th step. The Mayan made it that way, for each step to represent a day of the year. Tours to all sites within Chichen Itza are booked here.
Cenote Ik-Kil
Located about three kilometers from Chichen Itza ruins, Cenote Ik-Kil is among the most beautiful cenotes in Mexico. It's nestled in a park with trees and exotic plants and provides a habitat for different wild bird species. Its diameter is 60 meters and 40 meters deep, and to get to its sky-blue waters, visitors climb down 26 meters. Unlike other cenotes in Mexico, there is a restaurant and hotel near it where visitors stay. Mayans considered Ik-Kil waters sacred and did sacrifices to their rain god here. Visitors can contact Ik-Kil at ikkilcenote@gmail.com or call +52 999 437 0148 to organize tours there or book tickets here.
The Temple Of The Warriors
The Temple Of The Warriors structure is 40 feet in height and 133 feet in width in Chichen Itza and hosts large crowds. On its central temple are reliefs of eagles, jaguars, and warriors plus representations of the god Tlalchitonatiuh. The temple has four platforms flanked by 200 round and square pillars. Inside the Temple Of The Warriors is the Tomb of The Chaac Mol statue that seems like a helmeted man reclining on a chair. This was where people brought to sacrifice offering to gods like tamales, tobacco, tortillas, flowers, and colorful feathers.
The Sacred Cenote
The Sacred Cenote in Chichen Itza is an open well naturally formed with a diameter of 165 feet north to south and 200 feet east to west. Its water depth is nearly 14 meters. At this cenote, pre-Hispanic Maya threw precious objects some made of jade into it as sacrifices to the water god. In recent excavations, ceramic artifacts have been found at The Sacred Cenote. On one side of the south bank there were platforms where people sat and witnessed the sacrificial ceremonies. Another platform on the edge of The Sacred Cenote is where offerings were made.
The Church
The church is an ancient square building with a crest on the roof and one vaulted room and is within Chichen Itza. Its exterior wall has elaborate, weather-worn stone mosaic decorations and protruding pattern carved stones. On the middle part of its frieze is the Mask of Chaac and on either side of it are four bacabs (Mayan gods). The gods are in the shape of a sea snail, armadillo, turtle, and crab that Mayans believe anchor the sky. There are also snake decorations and more conspicuous masks of the rain god Chac with large hooked noses.
El Caracol
El Caracol tower height is 75 feet and is built of three superimposed buildings and its conspicuous feature is the eroding circular dome on top. It's believed the Maya built it to conduct astronomical observations through an opening on the top of the tower. The dome is supported by a platform with a central staircase. The base is mounted on a rectangular platform adorned with a cornice of round corners on the upper side. Above the doors is the frieze with a mask of chac and a seated figure, framed with feathers and snakes. Though the upper parts are deteriorating some openings and windows are visible. El Caracol's west side has a staircase with balustrades decorated with intertwined snake heads. It is also located at Chichen Itza.
The Thousand Columns Group
At Chichen Itza is this expansive quadrangle called, the Thousand Columns Group with many pillars built between 900 A.D and 1200 A.D. These pillars have remnants of stucco on them that had different colors. These pillars once supported a vaulted roof and a frieze with masks of Chaac which later collapsed. The site where the pillars stand is believed to be a meeting hall. Remnants of the painted frieze that was decorated with motifs and masks of Chaac indicate priests governed this city. Warrior motifs on pillars also made the citizens aware of the site's milliary and religious significance.
Cenote San Ignacio
Cenote San Ignacio is located 20 minutes from the City of Merida in the Chochola community and has a hotel and restaurant. It is 30 meters long, 20 meters wide, and has a maximum depth of 8 meters. A section of it has a minimum depth of 40 centimeters to 1.4 meters which makes it an unconventional natural Jacuzzi. Cenote San Ignacio also has a LED lighting system and ventilation that refreshes the cave's air. It also has 13 video surveillance cameras and liability insurance making it among the safest cenote to explore. Tours to San Ignacio Cenote are booked by contacting the hotel management at +52-999-278-6294 or informes@cenotesanignacio.com.
Cuzama Cenote
Cuzama is nearly 45 kilometers southeast of Merida and has three cenotes close to Hacienda Sac Chich, a luxury vacation venue. Visitors hosted at the vacation venue are taken to the cenotes on an antique, wooden buggy horses' drawn cart, through a sisal plantation. The cenotes are accessed by ladders, and visitors can swim on them, but one is unsafe for children. Weekday is the best time to visit them as there are fewer people. Visitors have to bring towels, bug spray or repellant, and sturdy shoes with tread to go down the ladders. Visitors can contact Hacienda Sac Chich at +52(999)278-1178 or info@haciendasacchich.com to plan the cenotes' trips.
Dzibilchaltún
Dzibilchaltún is a Mayan archeological site dating back to the early 500 BC. It is about 29 kilometers from Merida and has a museum that archives Mayan culture. In the middle of this site is the 44-meter-deep Cenote Xlacah, where over 30,000 Mayan ritual artifacts were fished out in 1958 by a National Geographic divers. The Temple of Seven Dolls is named after seven dolls there is the most famous ruin at Dzibilchaltún, but there is also an old Spanish church. Visitors can email the management at direccion.yuc@inah.gob.mx or call +52-999-922-0193 to plan tours to Dzibilchaltún.