Valladolid was long the third city of the Yucatán Peninsula (after Mérida and Campeche) in size and importance until the start of the 20th century. It had a sizable well-to-do Creole population, with a number of old Spanish style mansions in the old city. Valladolid was nicknamed The Sultaness of the East.
In 1840 the city had some 15,000 people. Valladolid and the surrounding region was the scene of intense battle during Yucatán’s Caste War, and the Ladino forces were forced to abandon the city on 14 March 1848, with half being killed by ambush before they reached Mérida. Valladolid was sacked by the Maya rebels; it was recaptured later in the war.
Sights in Valladolid
Notable sights in Valladolid are the Colonial era Cathedral and the Convent of San Bernadino, and Cenote Zaci, a landscaped natural well with a restaurant.
Morelia is the capital of the state of Michoacán in Mexico. The city is located at 19° 40′ 00″ N 101° 11′ 00″ W. In 2003 the estimated population was 568,700 people.
It is a UN designated World Heritage Site and houses many beautiful colonial buildings and churches. Downtown Morelia is an festival for the eyes in the evenings. It is wonderfully clean and has many attractions for tourists. The main interest for tourists is the Catedral de Morelia. Also interesting is the Casa del Arte where you can find a large variety of "Arte Michoacán".
The city is surrounded by road
Holbox Island
Also north of Valladolid, but in the neighbouring state of Quintana Roo, turn off the
road to Puerto Juarez after Nuevo Xcan (seepage 566), to Holbox Island. Buses to
Chiquila for boats, three times a day, also direct from Tizimi'n at 1130, connecting
Holbox 0600 and 1430, one hour, returning to Chiquila at 0500 and 1300. A bus to Merida connects with the 0500 ferry. If you miss the ferry a fisherman will probably take you (for about US$14).
You can leave your car in the care of the harbour master for a small charge; his house
is east
Forest fire damages Yucatan ruins in Mexico
Forest fire in Mexico has charred 5,800 hectares in the state of Yucatan on Mexicos Caribbean coast, damaging the ancient cities of Chichen Itza and Oxtankah, the countrys National History and Anthropology Institute (INAH) said on Sunday.
The INAH chief, Federica Sodi Miranda, said that the agency had already begun work to establish the fires impact on the ancient buildings. She said that in Chichen Itza, which is 180 km west of tourist resort Cancun, fires had damaged a fourth century building which had not been completely excavated, where INAH anthropologists and archeologists had
Hurricane Emily roars across Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, stranding tourists
Hurricane Emily stranded thousands of tourists along Mexico's luxurious Mayan Riviera and left hundreds of local residents homeless Monday, forcing many to remain in crowded, leaky shelters.
As residents of Yucatan Peninsula resorts including Playa del Carmen and Tulum began wading through knee-deep flood waters to assess damage under a light drizzle, the storm barreled out into the Gulf of Mexico.
There were no immediate reports of death or serious injuries on the peninsula.
Emily was expected to regain strength before slamming into Mexico's northeast coastline. Residents of small coastal fishing villages, in
Mexico reports death from Emily
After enduring four days of battering from Hurricane Emily, Mexican authorities on Friday reported the first death from a storm that destroyed thousands of buildings and drove 90,000 people from their homes.
The report of a woman swept away by floodwaters in the northern city of San Pedro Garza Garcia came just as President Vicente Fox toured the devastation caused by the hurricane, whose winds began raking the Caribbean coast of the Yucatan Peninsula on Sunday.
The evacuation of tens of thousands of people in the Yucatan area and along Mexico's northern Gulf coast helped avoid
Local Couples Stranded In Hurricane-Ravaged Mexico
Hurricane Wilma has caused the deaths of at least seven people on Mexico's Yucatan peninsula.
The storm is expected to pick up speed and strength on Sunday before it sideswipes Cuba on its way to Florida.
And some Tri-state families are feeling the effects of Hurricane Wilma, too.
They have loved ones stranded in the hardest hit areas.
It's been the honeymoon from hell for several local couples in Cozumel which has been battered the island for two days.
Eight people from the Florence area include the bride and groom as well as their matron
Hurricane Emily may hit eastern Mexico
authorities warned Thursday the inhabitants of Yucatan Peninsula, east of the country, about the possibility that hurricane Emily hits the area on Sunday.
The National Meteorological Service (SMN) said in a statement that Emily is in the Caribbean, 2,700 km off the Mexican littoral.
The hurricane has sustained gusts of wind of 160 km per hour, even reaching 185, with the possibility of further increasing.
The Civil Protection authorities told the inhabitants of the states of Quintana Roo, Campeche and Yucatan to
Tourists fleeing Yucatan ahead of hurricane
Long lines of people choked the Cancun airport as tourists rushed to leave this Caribbean resort ahead of Hurricane Emily, which packed 155 mph winds as it streaked toward Mexico.
Mexican officials issued a hurricane warning today for much of the eastern Yucatan peninsula, including the resort of Cancun, and authorities were recommending tourists abandon much of Mexico's Caribbean coast as a precaution.
Sunny skies and a laid-back atmosphere still prevailed at the resort, despite the approaching Category 4 hurricane.
"The locals seem pretty nonchalant about it," said Becky Hart, 29, a school teacher from Madera, Calif.,
UPDATE 1-Hurricane Wilma 'clobbering' Mexico's Yucatan
Massive Hurricane Wilma clobbered Mexico's Caribbean beach resorts on Saturday, threatening heavy damage and loss of life as it meandered slowly into the Yucatan peninsula.
Winds of 125 miles an hour (220 kph) howled in off the sea, knocking over houses, upturning trees and trapping thousands of tourists in cramped shelters. The storm was downgraded to a Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, from a Category 4 on Friday and a record-breaking Category 5 earlier this week.
The calm of the storm's eye settled over Playa del Carmen early in the day but the storm's north eye
Gamma threatens Belize, Honduras, Mexico
Portions of Belize, Honduras and Mexico were under a tropical storm warning Saturday from Gamma, the 24th storm of the record Atlantic hurricane season.
At 10 a.m. EST, Gamma was about 160 miles east-southeast of Belize City, Belize, moving north-northwest about 5 mph with sustained winds of 45 mph, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
Gamma was expected to strengthen slightly and turn north within 24 hours. Forecasters said Gamma could bring up to 15 inches of rain to western Cuba, 8 inches to northern Belize and Mexico's eastern Yucatan Peninsula, and 4 inches to parts
