Tizimín: A Hub for Exploring Eastern Yucatán

Two hour express bus service to Mérida and less then half an hour to Valladolid make the out of the tourist loop town of Tizimín an ideal staging place for several seldom visited delightful side trips, which include:

Panabá, San Felipe, Rio Lagartos, Las Coloradas and return.

Colonia Yucatán, El Cuyo, return or on to Las Coloradas via the beach road.

Ek Balam to Valladolid and a lovely seldom traveled back road to Panabá, Santa Rosa, Yalsihón, Yashilón and on to Dzilám de Bravo, the old pirate strong hold.

Nearly all the above side trips can be made by bus/bike and/or car. 

A look at Tizimín

Tizimín’s location is extraordinary with excellent eating options and diverse choices in accommodations.

We are no strangers to this one-of-a-kind getaway town. It is linked to Gulf Coast fishing villages, cenotes, plus ecological and biosphere reserves and situated in Yucatán’s only true cowboy country.

Tizimín with a population of 46,971 (2010 census) is the second largest city in eastern Yucatán. Tizimín, whose Mayan name means place of the tapir, is a quiet easy going and friendly town central to the many dairy farms and cattle ranches in the area.

In the center of the city is the 16th century Parroquia Los Santos Reyes de Tizimín (Church of the Three Kings) and its former Franciscan monastery. They are worth a visit. 

The church is outwardly spartan, but inwardly mammoth and ornately adorned with interesting gilded statuary, the most impressive being the glass case containing the three kings or Los Santos Reyes de Tizimín.   Three Kings Day is celebrated on January 6 of every year in Mexico.  In Tizimín the celebration is a fair and festival that last over a week and starts the end of December.

The clean and well maintained municipal market on Calle 47 has a large food court featuring a wholesome variety of local specialty foods.  Nights the parks have a wonderful selection of street venders selling Mexican traditional foods that include a wide variety of exquisite tamales.

The area is prosperous and growing rapidly. Bus and taxi service is excellent to Valladolid, Mérida and area towns.

Biking north and east of Tizimín is best in early mornings with the offshore sea breeze. Easterly mid morning onshore winds build through the afternoon. Take advantage of these winds and put the sun on your back with a tail wind.

History at a glance: Looking Back

In the book Incidents of Travel in Yucatan published 1842, the author, John Stephens, listed the following as export items from Tizimín:

Tortoise shell, skins, timber, logwood, India-rubber, incense, tobacco, achiote (a substitute for saffron and a very rich dye), starch from the yuca, cotton, wax, honey, molasses, sugar, rum, castor oil, salt, amber, vanilla, hogs, and cochineal.

According to British Admiralty charts from that time the northern coastal area of Yucatán was densely forested with 70 feet tall mahogany and zapote trees harvested for rubber. That solid forest survived over three hundred years of Spanish occupation but would not survive another century. The tropical timber completely vanished into a lumber mill at nearby Colonia Yucatán. Today the timber has been replaced by dairy farming and cattle ranching. 

This photo was taken alongside the Tizimín bus terminal and reflects a pace from the past century. First and second class buses are here in the city center. There are two terminals, Autobuses del Noreste located on the corner of Calle 47 with Calle 46 and ADO located next door on Calle 46 between Calle 47 and 45.

Off street parking, bicycle friendly and less than two blocks from the bus terminal and main market make Posada Pastora located on Calle 51 between Calle 52 and 54 a quiet and pleasant lodging. With a ground floor room you can wheel your bicycle right in from off the street. 

Side Trips from Tizimín

Tizimín north to the Gulf of Mexico with a layover in Rio Lagartos

A layover of two or three days on this quiet loop trip to the Gulf of Mexico makes it better.

This trip can be made by bike or bus.  If you wish to bike and  have time constraints or prefer a more leisurely trip, take the bus from Tizimín to Panabá and then bike the 30 kilometers to San Felipe.  Spend a night in a San Felipe hotel or take a swim and then bike on another 12 km to Rio Lagartos. Another consideration is to get an early start on your bike before the onshore sea breeze that begins near ten a.m. This wind can be used to your advantage when returning from Rio Lagartos where you will want to spend at least one night.  To return to Tizimín you can take the bus or bike the 56 kilometers. 

Rio Lagartos

Rio Lagartos is a coastal tourist fishing village 56 km north of Tizimín, 95 km north of Valladolid and 230 km from Mérida. The name implies river of alligators but there are no rivers in Yucatán only alligators. Situated within the nearly 150,000 acre Ria Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, the topography is low coastal scrub, mangrove marshes, lagoons, sand spit barrier islands and sandy beaches. Guided boat tours include lagoon trips, flamingo watching, seasonal migrating birds and sea turtle observations. Guides speak Spanish, English and Italian. A variety of hotels can be found in Rio Lagartos ranging from the lovely bay front Villa de Pescadores to basic accommodations.

Mayan regional foods can be found in the early morning in the central public market. Several seafood restaurants are open from midday and mom and pop pizza and taco stands open evenings.

From Rio Lagartos there is taxi and bus service to San Felipe, Tizimín and Valladolid. To the west of Rio Lagartos is the fishing village of San Felipe and to the east is the village of Las Coloradas where salt has been harvested by the Maya for thousands of years and continues to the present day. 

The lovely bay front street in Rio Lagartos traverses from the lighthouse on the west end of town to the east end of town where there is an ojo de agua or artesian spring that is surrounded by a public bathing beach and park.   

This coastal area is a bird watchers paradise. The photo was taken in front of our little waterfront cabin downtown.   

Tropical flowers, fishing boats and the light house make the waterfront of Rio Lagartos a place for photo-ops. 

A tour to see the flamingos is well worth the time it takes. There is no shortage of tourist guides and all newcomers are soon approached. A tip; if you can get a group of four or five the price of these boat tours can be split for a substantial savings.  

Tizimín to Ek Balam and on to Valladolid

If you have time constraints and want to beat the crowds to Ek Balam consider taking the bus from Tizimín to Ek Balam.  After visiting the ruins bike to Santa Rita and on to Temozón for lunch before finishing at Valladolid.    For more information see: Valladolid, Uayma and Ek Balam.

Tizimín to Colonia Yucatán and El Cuyo:

Take the bus from Tizimín to Colonia Yucatán and then El Cuyo or bike the last 38 kilometer stretch to El Cuyo from Colonia Yucatán.  It is one of the loveliest areas for a bicycle trip…this rural Yucatán road is best done early morning. If you feel adventurous, after you spend at least a night in El Cuyo, bicycle the dirt 50 kilometer beach road west to Rio Lagartos passing Las Coloradas. Be warned: There are no facilities along the beach front dirt road.

This rip-rap causeway was constructed across the lagoon leading into El Cuyo from materials salvaged from an ancient Mayan temple.

El Cuyo

John biking down the main street of El Cuyo.

El Cuyo is a small isolated fishing village of 1,750 inhabitants with a seasonal tourist trade.  It is located 220 kilometers ENE of Mérida on the Gulf of Mexico. It is a beautiful bird watching area abundant in flamingos and over 250 species of other marine birds. An imposing light house is perched atop the ruins of an ancient Mayan temple. Five other Mayan ruins were salvaged to build a causeway and the town. Bus service south to Colonia Yucatán is available with links on to Tizimín, Valladolid and Mérida.  For more information see:  Colonia Yucatan and El Cuyo.

Las Coloradas

Las Coloradas with a population of about 1,000 is a coastal fishing village in north central Yucatán within the Biosphere Reserve of Ria Lagartos. The topography consists of a unique coastal ecosystem of mangroves, dunes and lagoons that is semi-arid making it ideal for solar dehydrating sea salt. Sea salt production has been done here since ancient Mayan times when huge trading canoes transported this heavy product to ports as distant as Central America, Florida and Veracruz. Today that production continues and the product is loaded into trucks, ships and railway cars.  Las Coloradas can be reached by bus from Tizimín and Rio Lagartos.  There are accommodations at nearby Rio Lagartos. Bicycling is good with limited but quiet roads.

Tizimín to Dzilam de Bravo

Biking the 107 kilometer seldom traveled rural back road takes you to Panabá, Santa Rosa, Yalsihón, Yashilón and on to Dzilám de Bravo, the old pirate strong hold. Be warned; Dzilám de Bravo does not have decent overnight accommodations but is an interesting fishing village proud of its link to the pirate Lafitte. There is a bay front monument to the pirate.

The nearby town of Dzilam Gonzalez has bus service to Tizimin.  There are several buses a day from Dzilam de Bravo to Mérida.

For more information see Yucatan’s Pirates.

Getting to Tizimín from Mérida

Autobuses del Noreste Terminal

Calle 67 betweens Calle 50 and 52

Noreste has several first class direct buses a day to Tizimín plus many second class buses.  If you want to see the sights, take the second class bus.  It meanders through many villages before arriving many hours later in Tizimín.

If you want a fast comfortable trip, take the Noreste direct bus that makes frequent trips daily to Tizimín.  The trip takes two hours.  The first class buses have toilets; the second class buses do not.

Leaving Tizimín 

Tizimín Bus Terminals

Autobuses del Noreste Terminal

Calle 47 on the corner with Calle 46

First class and second bus service to Mérida and points in between. There is also service to Cancun and Tulum.

This is where you get the second class bus to San Felipe and Rio Lagartos.

ADO Terminal

Calle 46 between Calle 45 and 47

First and second class bus service to Mérida, Cancun and Valladolid.

Rio Lagartos Buses

Hotel in Rio Lagartos

Villa de Pescadores

Malecón and Calle 14

www.hotelvilladepescadores.com

Budget accommodation in Rio Lagartos

Cabañas Las Escondidas

Next door to the restaurant Isla Contoy on the waterfront

Links to places to visit near Tizimín:
Rio Lagartos, Yucatan 

 Rio Lagartos is a picturesque coastal fishing village on Yucatan’s Gulf Coast 95 kilometers north of Valladolid, 46 km from Tizimín, and 230 km from Mérida, Yucatan.  The name, Rio Lagartos, implies river of alligators, but there are no rivers in Yucatan. This is a bay or ciénaga protected by a barrier island. There are, however, lots of alligators and crocodiles. Read more: Rio Lagartos

Sendero Peten Tucha

On the infrequently traveled road from Rio Lagartos to Las Coloradas between kilometer 8 and 9 there is a culvert and nearby a small, difficult to see sign denoting 50 meters to the entrance. If you are looking for the perfect unspoiled jungle getaway with no tour buses or trinket shops this is for you.

Read more: Sendero Peten Tucha

San Felipe, Yucatan

In spite of the modern road you see here that links Rio Lagartos to San Felipe the traffic is nearly nonexistent. It makes a particularly nice bicycle ride especially in early mornings with the sun and wind at your back. Read more; San Felipe

Copyright 2012 John M. Grimsrud

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TIZIMIN, BUCTZOTZ, DZILAM GONZÁLEZ AND DZIDZANTÚN

BY BIKE AND BUS JUNE 2008
Here is another out of the travelers loop road trip to the places that tourists miss most.
Twenty five years ago when Jane and I first ate in this Tizimin restaurant called Tres Reyes, we arrived by train from Mérida. Well that train has been out of service for over twenty years now but this fixture of downtown Tizimin still hasn’t changed. Over those years the town went from third largest in Yucatan to second largest and it is a mystery to me because the place has no alluring magnetic cultural attractions. To the north of town is Yucatan’s only real cowboy country complete with huge ranchos and lots of beef cattle.
Yucatan’s birth rate is the biggest in all of Mexico and that might help to explain this areas population explosion.
The towns we visited this trip don’t even make the feeblest of attempts to attract tourists.
The façade of this 1588 Tizimin Tres Reyes or Los Santos Reyes church is totally devoid of adornments and unpretentious to the point of being downright drab. Some years ago sitting upon the top was a small simple cross but even that has been taken down now.
Restoration within has produced some photo opportunities like the gilt retablo, the now encased Tres Reyes, the carved pulpit and below neatly refurbished statuary.
Here comes tropical wave number five that will dump tons of rain in Tizimin this night. The tropical waves are numbered beginning with the hurricane season that starts June first and hurricanes are named.
Jane and I planned our out of town excursion to coincide with these tropical waves that seem to appear every three days this season. Global warming and the thirty percent decline in the Gulf Stream Caribbean water flow that transports its heat north to Europe now leaves all that extra warmth here totally upsetting our weather patterns. The problem was that these tropical waves took several days to clear out and then there would appear the next one. Well we positively lucked out and did not get rained on one time in five days on the road, though every afternoon and night deluges of rain flooded Yucatan.
We were well satisfied with our lovely and immaculately clean Tizimin accommodations that overlooked a splendid tropical garden courtyard. The place was quiet and centrally located with very agreeable bicycle parking.
The twenty first century may have arrived but it hasn’t impacted Tizimin totally. At the bus terminal you can still hire this hand drawn cargo cart to lug your luggage home.
Half way from Tizimin to Mérida is located this quaint little and seldom visited out of the tourist loop town of Buctzotz. If avoidance of tourist traps in a place with no traffic lights or franchise eateries is your objective, this could be worthy of your consideration. The area topography is nondescript at best being a low flat plain sparsely wooded by squat scrub that tends to have spiny pickers on everything in the wild. Heading west from here across the rest of northern Yucatan you can expect more of the same uninterestingly monotones low semi arid bush countryside. It makes for good bicycling if you take the seldom traveled back roads but the only sights and points of interest are the small towns with their Mayan and Colonial Spanish structures that span countless centuries. Every day in Mexico is an adventure and after all our years here we find this to still be true.
Our choice of accommodations is simple because of the limited selection. It turned out that this place was just great for us because of the ample spotlessly clean rooms with hammock hooks and natural cross ventilation. “Nicte-Ha” in the Mayan language means water lily. The antiquated but fully functional accommodations brought back to us many fond memories from our first adventures across Yucatan in the days of rail travel.

Civic pride is apparent everywhere you look and the conspicuous lack of motorized traffic makes us long for those tranquil times in bygone years.
Not elegant but elegantly maintained Buctzotz is part of the quiet charm we found awaiting us here out of the main stream of the jet-set world.
Every time we encounter one of these ancient Colonial period Spanish churches we automatically have to think back to the great Mayan temples that went to furnish their building materials.
To the left is an icon of the saint Niño de Atocha


















In Buctzotz we were met with smiles, smirks and varying degrees of curious bewilderment, but all were friendly as you can see by this foursome who greeted us with more questions than a thousand wise men could answer.
This is one of a few mamposteria; (stacked stone) constructed buildings from colonial times that still has its roof intact. What holds up these bovedilla or stone roofs are wooden vigas as you can see exposed in the above church ceiling. Even if these vigas are made from the most enduring wood, if moisture is allowed to dampen them they will sooner or later fall victim to rot and cause an avalanche of tons of stone destroying the roof and killing anyone unfortunate enough to be caught under the bombardment. Every rainy season in Yucatan many of these old structures become saturated and even a birds nest blocking up a roof drain can cause huge amounts of water to compound the weight of the already very heavy roof and down they come.
San Isidor the farmer illuminates the nave through a bright stained glass in the west wall of the church..
Buctzotz main plaza is clean, quiet and well shaded, just the perfect place to partake of the unhurried pace of life that seems to have escaped the rest of the world.
Quiet streets coupled with a clean and well maintained town are rare treasures these days.
This is not the Ritz, but for copious quantities of savory Yucatecan style cuisine we hit the jack-pot here in this unpretentious restaurant across from the municipal market less than one block from the central park.
Parking is no problem in Buctzotz and we managed to get stuffed beyond capacity here.
Where in the world can you find streets devoid of traffic these days…come to the out- back of Yucatan and see for yourself?
Being a tourist in Buctzotz you automatically become a curiosity and these young men just had to satisfy their inquisitiveness because strangers were just plain weird here.
Early the next morning Jane and I cycled northwest out of town on deserted streets and into the open countryside still wet from the previous nights downpour caused by the tropical wave that had passed. The air was cooler and fresher but the humidity was so dense it felt like we were biking into a wall of water, believe it or not our speed was actually diminished. Our next stop was here at Dzilam González., a town that hadn’t managed to consume a Mayan temple in the city center after salvaging its stone to build their church and community even after nearly four-hundred years of continuous looting of material. The ancient church suffers from paint pealing apathy and speaks of lackluster poverty.
Destruction and looting since the Caste War of the1840s has left many of these churches devoid of any elaborate adornments as you can see in this meagerly furnished edifice.
Dzilam González apparently lacks whatever it takes to maintain its original pre-revolution, pre-Caste War standard of religious decadence. The local economy must have played a big part in the near stagnation status that now exists here.
Graphic statuary appears to be the standard here. Only with this picture that says more than a thousand words can I convey the message of these above figures.
Looking west out of the main church doors, it is apparent that even with over four hundred years of looting materials from the Mayan temple across the street, it still presents a formidable presence and a monumental message of those original Yucatecan’s.
Still in the city center and conspicuous from everywhere downtown the towering pile of stone remains a powerful reminder of the ancient Maya and their homeland.
Where is all the traffic?
Where are all the people?
This is not off-season in Dzilam González because there is no tourist season here and this kind of quiet tranquility would drive many to positive distraction. We enjoy it just the same knowing that there is still someplace on the planet like this out of the loop, off the main road that we can easily get to by bike and bus from our home in Mérida.
The Dzilam González government building has got all the paint. It still feels strange to find a town of this size with no traffic lights and little or no street commotion…we like it.
Biking down the road our next stop was at Dzidzantún that actually has made its mark in media hype. In the book Mayan Missions by Richard and Rosalind Perry you will find a wonderful descriptive account of the history, construction and art work laid out along with interesting sketches that make their book a must-have Yucatan travel guide. The book will get you to the places that made real history and are out of the tourist loop.
Over the years Jane and I have passed this huge structure often, each time exclaiming that one day we would return to investigate. The Mayan Missions book finally got us here.
The huge church was dedicated in 1567 and completed by 1580.
These frescos you are seeing here were recently restored and refurbished. Take a close look at the exotic art work depicting caricatures of animal/human faces like the dogs face sporting horns and human eyes. This is fascinating stuff that may have been painted by Mayan artists centuries ago. The churches of Yucatan were all constructed using Mayan slave labor.
Touted to be the largest church in Yucatan this single room is an incredible 250 feet long. Like most other mamposteria (stacked stone) buildings from the early colonial period this roof finally took a trip to the ground. A flat provisional roof was put on but that was a real esthetic setback to the classic style of the original design.
Over the years the building has been severely looted and vandalized but this stone piece was evidently just too heavy and massive to be disturbed.
Token restoration like this gives an inspiring sensation of the original ornate intricate artwork that adorned the entire structure.
This photo represents the position and size of the ornate art work.
In this photo Jane gives a scale of size to these lovely ancient frescos and the mammoth dimensions of the walls. It stagers the imagination to contemplate the colossal size of the Mayan temple required to furnish the materials for this enormous church that is over two hundred and fifty feet long just on the inside of the nave.
In this document it is not possible to do justice to this incredible building completely constructed of stacked stone. Here is a view of the adjacent cloister which is but a small part of the building complex. Come take a look for yourself.

In the town of Dzidzantún were located many of these distinct water wells with their large cylindrical cone topped gantry supports used to fasten the pulleys for retrieving the water. This style well was unique to Dzidzantún and now a large old hacienda is being restored adjacent to Dzidzantún named San Francisco and this well is a part of that restoration project.
We bused back to Mérida from Dzidzantún in time to have lunch at home.
It was a lovely out of the tourist loop trip and we continue to search for similar excursions, so stay tuned!
John M. Grimsrud