I didn't realize Chichen Itza was one of the new seven wonders of the world! I don't remember it…read morebeing on the list, but I also didn't know the list can change based on popularity poll...SMH. I believe Chichen Itza is a one of the new seven wonders of the world because it's among the best-preserved and largest archaeological sites in the world. It's also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I'm still glad I got the opportunity to visit Chichen Itza. So much history! The culture of the Mayans; their way of life, the ingenuity and the science are fascinating and amazing. Be prepared to experience some tropical heat. I recommend going as early as you can to avoid crowds and the heat. It gets hot under the glaring Sun. There is no shade around the main Pyramid. A good guide or a tour company also is very helpful. I found the history provided by our tour company to be very inspiring, insightful and interesting, yet sad at the same time. "As one of the most important city-states in pre-Hispanic America, Chichen Itza is one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico today. Chichen Itza, one of the New 7 Wonders of The World according to UNESCO, since July 7th, 2007" - https://www.chichenitza.com/ Pre-Hispanic City of Chichen-Itza "This sacred site was one of the greatest Mayan centres of the Yucatán peninsula. Throughout its nearly 1,000-year history, different peoples have left their mark on the city. The Maya and Toltec vision of the world and the universe is revealed in their stone monuments and artistic works. The fusion of Mayan construction techniques with new elements from central Mexico make Chichen-Itza one of the most important examples of the Mayan-Toltec civilization in Yucatán. Several buildings have survived, such as the Warriors' Temple, El Castillo and the circular observatory known as El Caracol." - https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/483/ I had no expectations when I came here, since I hardly knew anything about Chichen Itza. I didn't expect to thoroughly enjoy and love this trip as much as I did. I highly recommend visiting Chichen-Itza if you get the opportunity.

What a pleasure to get to see one of the world's 7 wonders. Using Google Maps can be misleading…read morebecause parking and payments are on the other side of the highway and signage is not clear at all but with some patience and asking locals, you'll eventually find it. Once you finally sort it out though, it's absolutely worth the trouble. Highly recommend!

just sunny warm on a wednesday afternoon and it was everything straight out of a spanish textbook…read morefrom high school lol cute vendors around, the snacks ughhh the sounds of the birds chirping and walking around with my sunglasses on perfectooo

A small town you stop by during your visit from Chichen Itza. There are a ton of tour buses, but…read moreit's a great pit stop for the restroom, afternoon snack, maybe get a few more souvenirs and maybe tequila shots. There's a park you can walk around, take a few photos and grab a snack at.

I went to Suytun Cenote with a friend and we had an amazing time! They provide you with life vests…read morebecause it gets quite deep but there's enough shallow parts if you're not a swimmer and don't want to venture too far in. The water is incredibly cold and there are little fisheys that come to visit and even nibble on your toes. They strongly encourage a shower before going in to preserve the biodiversity and then they also have private showers and changing rooms for guests to use after swimming. I would definitely go again and definitely recommend checking it out.

I felt like Indiana Jones. this was awesome glad I got here before my body was too old its…read more definitely a good bucket list check

Valladolid! 16th century colonial Spanish city that was a…read moreMayan city before this - this place has been around forever. This town park has such a history behind it. Like a typical town square, it has the church on one side of it, and a fountain in the middle of it. The fountain has a woman pouring water from a vase, with frogs on all sides of her spitting water at her. Weird. When we went, some locals came out in their Sunday best (it was Palm Sunday) and did a little dance in front of the fountain to some recorded music. It looks like the park might close in the evenings or so, they have big ol' iron gates and a fence that circumnavigates the park. They have these unique S shaped benches where two people can sit and face each other and still be a respectable distance away. Surrounding the park are lots of little shops and stores full of souvenirs. We got dumped off here by the tour operator while the bus basically did laps around the square and gave us enough time to stick our heads in the various shops. Don't avoid the Valladolid!

It's a square in the main town of Valladolid. Close to many hotels and pretty much next to the…read moreshopping blocks, it's a good place to relax. We went here as a part of the tour. Many tour buses are parked here. In 15 minutes we didn't get much time but the park is good. There are many benches to sit. The two-person seats are very interesting - very much photo-worthy. We got some locally made chips from a vendor which was good - quality and quantity - for 15 pesos. The shops around are good to purchase gifts and souvenirs. I suppose they'd bargain too if you can. Other than that, there are many restaurants, eateries, and hotels around to roam. The park is heavily patrolled for some reason as we saw heavy police deployment with automatic weapons even on a seemingly regular day. Overall, very much recommended.

If you are in the area or going to or back from Chichen Itza, you MUST visit this!!!…read more It's a private residence open for visitors through extremely knowledgeable guides. So much Art! This is a collection from the last 4 or 5 decades by a couple who have opened it up to supervised tours. I shouldn't admit this, but we just drove in and rang the doorbell, while they have 5 scheduled tour times, someone greeted us and accommodated our group. Our guide was one of the most knowledgeable people in the culture and art of Mexico I have ever experienced. In addition of guiding us through selected rooms of thousands of pieces of art, from furniture to figures, to mosaics to paintings, from the backgrounds of the many languages and people of Mexico, you could also ask about any piece of art and he would provide information about the artist, how it became part of the collection, and what the artists intend or the political/cultural significance. You could go back many, many times and it would be like a new experience. I am definitely going back again. I also wanted to visit the cemetery on the other side of this large historic and authentic Yucatán village, but I ran out of time. I plan on staying in the village next time so I can focus on this museum as well as exploring here more.

This is a fun visit into the home of some avid collectors of Mexican art. It's free with just…read moresuggested donations that go to charity. It is literally the home of a couple who have lived in Mexico for 50 years and collected tons and tons of art. They have guided tours throughout the day, and you may run into the owner or the house guests while you are there. We met their dog!

We stopped by for a quick visit, but did not swim. Looking back on it, we wish we did. This cenote…read morewas more secluded than most and a beautiful setting. We parked by the entrance and checked in. We then walked around the stairs down to the waters edge. It looked quite deep and was a little chilly. You could see quite a few fish, some rather large. It was definitely one of the nicer cenotes we saw on our trip and I would highly recommend taking a swim.

We had the whole place to ourselves! It was so quiet and peaceful, really recommend taking the…read moreinnertubes to float in the water. So much wildlife to see and the water is so lovely!