Visiting the Yucatán peninsula of Mexico had been on my bucket list for a long time. After my road trip around the Yucatán, I believe it should be on everybody’s bucket list! One of my favourite parts of the road trip, were the three days driving the Yucatán’s Ruta Puuc and Convent Route. We explored gorgeous offbeat Mayan ruins along the way, as well as sites reminiscent of Hispanic legacy such as hidden convents and crippling churches.
The Yucatán is very popular and consequently can attract crowds. The Ruta Puuc, meaning “Road of the Hills”, is different. The sites are small and roads are often not accessible to tour groups in large buses. By driving the Yucatán’s Ruta Puuc independently, you can have a more authentic experience of daily life in the Yucatán and absorb the Mayan history.
Planning for driving the Ruta Puuc
Timing and road conditions
Driving the Ruta Puuc end-to-end without stopping probably takes only a couple of hours. We spent the best part of three days driving the “Road of the Hills”, visiting the five archaeological sites, four Hispanic churches, a great cocoa museum and a couple of bustling Mayan market towns. I’ve also listed some bonus stops that we didn’t have time for, but would have loved to see! The road is paved and generally well-maintained. It is also narrow, sometimes bumpy and you may need to stop and get out of the car to remove fallen tree branches! A couple of times we also had to wait whilst workmen were clearing the road from fallen branches.
Transport
This presumes that you have your own car or a rental car at your disposition. In my opinion, that’s by far the best and most flexible way to explore the Ruta Puuc. There is no public transport to the Mayan sites and very limited connections only to the villages. We always rent with Sunny Cars when we’re abroad as they offer the best deals and a comprehensive, all-in package. They offer rental car pick-ups in Mérida and Cancún.
If you don’t have a car, another option would be to book a day tour with a small group. I’m personally not fond of tour groups and prefer my independence, but depending on your schedule it may just be easier or more affordable. I you opt for the tour option, I’d recommend doing a day tour focused on seeing the Mayan ruins and another day focused on the colonial history and churches.
Accommodation
We spent two nights at The Pickled Onion in Santa Elena. Barely more than a village, this is the best base for visiting the attractions along the Ruta Puuc. The welcome is friendly and the food is nice. The limited accommodation options in Santa Elena make The Pickled Onion a great option. We enjoyed our stay in Santa Elena. It’s a quiet, offbeat place as most tourists stay in Mérida and just visit the area for a day. On the third day we drove onwards to our next accommodation in Campeche. Other logical next stops on a road trip would be Mérida, Izamal or Valladolid.
Day 1 – Majestic ruins & the history of cocoa
Uxmal Mayan ruins
The most majestic of the Ruta Puuc sites is Uxmal. It’s beautiful and one of my favourite Mayan sites in the Yucatán. We started here early in the morning, to beat the crowds visiting from Mérida and Cancún. The four other sites (Labna, Xlapak, Sayil and Kabah) are smaller, but all have unique features. Some say “save the best for the last” and finish at Uxmal, but we were keen to see that site during a quiet spell. The other sites do not attract many visitors.
Uxmal means “thrice built” and if you look closely at the main pyramid, you can indeed distinguish layers in the building showing the construction over multiple phases. Uxmal used to be a large, influential city and its rulers controlled nearby sites (which you will visit when driving the Ruta Puuc). I found it interesting to visit all these sites as a cluster and learn how they were interconnected. In some places, you can even see remains of “sakbés” – Mayan roads – that used to connect the sites.
The citizens of Uxmal honored the rain god Chac. When driving around the dry, arid region it immediately becomes clear why. The Puuc region is not close to the sea, a significant stream or even a cenote and water was a scarce commodity.
We arrived at Uxmal at opening time and got some quiet time at the ruins with only a handful other people around. We spent several hours at the site, leaving in the afternoon when the heat became hard to bear and the site got busy.
The Choco-Story museum
A fun addition to the day was the Choco-Story museum opposite the Uxmal ruins. When I first heard about it, I rolled my eyes as at face value it has all the characteristics of a tourist trap. However, after it had been recommended to us three times, we decided to give it a go. I’m glad we did. The museum is very well setup and fun to experience. Choco-Story covers not only the discovery of cocoa and the production of chocolate, but also aspects of the Mayan civilisation.
The Mayan work KaKaWa means “food of the Gods” and cocoa was so much more to the Mayan people than a sweet delicacy. The museum explains the importance of chocolate in the Mayan culture and its ceremonial role in political and social settings. We got to experience a Mayan cocoa ceremony, followed by a tasting of hot cocoa from local beans. To my surprise I learnt that the Maya would add spices such as pepper or chili. It tasted surprisingly good and I’ve actually replicated this recipe at home!
In addition to being a museum, Choco-Story operates as animal rescue centre housing animals in their natural environment, such as rescued illegal pets that cannot go back into the jungle. I liked this extra dimension to our visit.
Day 2 – driving the Ruta Puuc
Kabah – la Mano Poderosa
The first Ruta Puuc site we called at was Kabah, also knowns as La Mano Ponderosa or The Powerful Hand. Like in Uxmal, Chac, the rain god, was the main deity for the inhabitants of Kabah. The site’s main attraction, El Palacio de los Mascarones or the Palace of Masks, features 300 masks representing Chac. The road leading up to the palace is an authentic sacbe – a Mayan road.
Sayil – the long palace
Next up is Sayil. The main structure here is an 85 metres long palace. It is amongst the longest buildings in the area! The three-story palace is worth climbing so you can take a closer look at the sculptures and Chac masks. Also wander further to see the many crumbling structures hidden at Sayil.
Xlapak – the forgotten ruin
Xlapak is the smallest of the Ruta Puuc sites and sometimes skipped by visitors driving the Ruta Puuc. It’s very much worth a stop though and moreover it is free to visit. The main attraction is a small palace which is a schoolbook example of Puuc architecture. There a other crumbling buildings on the site.
Labná – the arch & palace
The must-see structure at Labná is the Arch. The extensive decorations are excellently preserved. What looks like a standalone feature used to be the entrance to a former courtyard and stately home. There is another very long palace at this site – worth seeing, but impossible to photograph in one piece!
Bonus – Grutas de Loltún
The Grutas de Loltún are not a Mayan site, but a dry cave. We skipped this point of interest when driving the Yucatán’s Ruta Puuc as we were tired and keen to return to the B&B for a swim. Additionally, we’d heard pretty bad stories about how a visit to the cave – despite being beautiful – is a true rip-off (uninterested guides phishing for tips). It is only possible to visit as part of a guided tour, but we could not find any clear information about when tours take place and how much they cost.
Day 3 – Spanish heritage on the Convent route
Our next day in Santa Elena was somewhat similar, but instead of exploring Mayan ruins, we went in search of Spanish and Christian heritage in the area. We visited small villages with majestic convents, churches and cathedrals. The roads were generally a bit wider than the Ruta Puuc and the jungle is less dense (so no stopping to clear the road).
We visited the convent towns of Ticul, Mama, Maní and Yotholin. If you have more time, also worth stopping are Tekit, Teabo, Chumayel and Tecoh. We also found that, driving from Valladolid to Mérida via the smaller backroads, many of the small Mayan villages have interesting churches and chapels that are worth seeing and not listed in any guidebook. The beauty of the churches feels a bit double when you consider that they are mostly built with stones looted from Mayan sites in the area.
Ticul
Ticul was our first stop on the Convent route. This small town is home to the cathedral of San Antonio de Padua. The large, plain building is quite dramatic both outside and inside. It is still in regular use for worship.
We also did some grocery shopping in Ticul since it’s one of the larger settlements in the area and has got all services.
Mamá
The Church of the Ascension in Mamá is very similar in style. I saw photos of a pretty, peaceful inner courtyard behind the church. The church was not open when we visited. Like all churches on the Convent Route, no official opening times or indications of when you can visit exist, so it’s hit and miss.
Maní
The Convent of San Miguel Arcángel was my favourite stop on the Convent Route. The convent is still an active convent where Sisters live. Unlike the other churches on the Convent Route, the setup at San Miguel targets visitors. The Sisters operate a reception and even a small shop.
Yotholin
The San Buena Ventura church in Yotholin was our last stop. The sun started to set as we arrived in Yotholin, adding a pretty light to the building. The doors of the church were closed, so we walked around the market square instead and sampled delicious fruits.
Bonus – Mayapan Mayan ruins
A bit of a drive, but a worthwhile addition would be the Mayan ruins of Mayapán (not to be confused with the town carrying the same name!). We ran out of time to visit this site, very much to my disappointment after doing all the research. Mayapán is a different league compared to the tiny Ruta Puuc sites. It is about the same size as famous Chitzén Itzá and many buildings are modelled on Chitzén Itzá structures. In addition to the ruins, the well-preserved murals are worth seeing.
