Uxmal Ruins and Cenotes Guided Tour with Lunch from Mérida

Uxmal and the Pyramid of the Magician

Uxmal was one of the great cities of the Maya, flourishing between about 700 and 1000 AD in the hills south of Mérida. Together with the nearby sites of the Puuc route it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, admired for having the most refined architecture of the Mayan world. Its most famous building is the Pyramid of the Magician, about 35 metres high and unusual for its rounded, oval base; legend says a magical dwarf built it in a single night.

Your official certified guide leads you for about 90 to 110 minutes through the site, explaining the history of the city and pointing out engravings and sculptures that have survived since it was abandoned. Climbing the pyramids is not allowed, but the views from the open plazas are superb. Is Uxmal worth visiting? It is quieter than Chichén Itzá and, for many travellers, more beautiful.

The Nunnery Quadrangle, the Governor's Palace and Puuc stonework

Behind the pyramid opens the Nunnery Quadrangle, a vast courtyard enclosed by four long palaces whose upper walls are covered with stone latticework, serpents and masks of Chaac, the long-nosed rain god who was vital in a region with no rivers. The Spanish gave it its name because the many small rooms reminded them of a convent.

On a raised platform to the south stands the Governor's Palace, often called the finest building of ancient Mesoamerica, with a frieze about 100 metres long made from thousands of carved stones fitted together like a mosaic. Nearby are the ball court and the Great Pyramid. This is classic Puuc style, and a Uxmal guided tour helps you read its symbols. The site is about 70 minutes from Mérida by road, and its opening hours are generally 8:00 to 17:00.

Village lunch in Abalá

After the ruins the tour drives about 15 minutes to Abalá, a small rural town in the Yucatán countryside, for lunch at a local lonchería, a simple family eatery where Mayan women cook the traditional food of the region. You see how the dishes are prepared, learn about the ingredients and the cooking process, and taste the authentic flavours of rural Yucatán.

Yucatecan cooking is distinct from the rest of Mexico, built on Mayan techniques and seasonings such as achiote, sour orange, local herbs and fiery habanero chillies, served with handmade tortillas. Eating in a village rather than a tourist restaurant is one of the most memorable parts of the day, and it supports the families who run these small kitchens. The stop lasts about 45 minutes before the drive towards the cenotes.

A hidden cave cenote and an open cenote

The afternoon is spent in two very different cenotes, the natural limestone sinkholes that dot the Yucatán Peninsula. The first is a little-known cave cenote reached by dirt roads, one of the most impressive on the peninsula, where prehistoric animal bones and Mayan artefacts have been discovered. You swim in its crystal-clear water and explore its underground caverns under dramatic rock formations.

The day ends at one of the most beautiful open cenotes in the region, a wide pool of blue-green water open to the sky and surrounded by trees, the perfect place to relax before the return. Both entrance fees are included. If you are searching for cenotes near Mérida that are not crowded, these two are a real highlight. Bring swimwear, a towel, water shoes and biodegradable sunscreen.