6-Nights Haciendas of the Yucatan

Merida (Progreso)

Located on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula in the fascinating Mundo Maya Region, Merida provides a looking glass that reveals both colonial influence and the mystique of an ancient civilization. In fact, the city is built on the exact site of an indigenous ceremonial center.

Easily one of the best way to see Merida is by climbing into a calesa - a high-wheeled, horse-drawn carriage. The city is also easily explored by foot. As you amble past whitewashed houses, through lively marketplaces and around the flower-filled Plaza Mayor, you'll begin to feel as if you've stepped back in time. You can also visit one of Mexico's oldest cathedrals, built from the stones of a Mayan temple, explore Paseo Montejo, a Parisian-style boulevard lined with Victorian mansions, and visit the treasure-filled museums.

Wind down with the friendly locals in the welcoming bars and restaurants of the old colonial district. If you want to travel even further back in time, you'll find Merida is surrounded by one of the richest collections of Mayan ruins in Mexico. Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Dzibilchaltun, and more are just a short trip away.

Campeche

Campeche is located in southeast Mexico, west of the Yucatan Peninsula and one of 31 states of Mexico. It was founded on top of an old Maya town called Ah Can Pech meaning “place of snakes and ticks.” When founded in 1540, Spanish conquistadors renamed it “San Francisco de Campeche.” 16^th century medieval forts and walls were built to secure the port of the Peninsula from pirates. By the 1800’s this seaside town gained its independence from Spain. This Colonial town is currently the 2^nd largest city after Merida in the Yucatan Peninsula and preserved as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
 
Travelers are lured by the Mexican charm and its many festivals and carnivals. Visitors can walk along medieval streets and marvel at 16^th century Spanish churches, stroll Malecon, a 3-mile sea wall with a view of the Gulf of Mexico, relive the past with a play at Puerta de Tierra, and climb the stairs of the Edzna Maya Site.

Uxmal

Uxmal (OOSH-mahl) means "'built three times" in the Mayan language, and though its name is a mystery, its beauty is not. As a World Heritage site, it is one of the best restored and maintained ruins in the Yucatan, and certainly one of the most magnificent. Its architecture, some of the most majestic of the Yucatan ruins, is characterized by low horizontal palaces set around courtyards, decorated with rich sculptural elements and details.

Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza which means “at the mouth of the well of Itza” is a large pre-Columbian city built by the Mayan people of the Terminal Classic period AD 600 - 900. This city is an archaeological site located in the Yucatan State of Mexico. Towards the end of the Early Classic period, the city of Chichen Itza became a major capital that focused on dominating the political, sociocultural, economical and ideological life of northern Maya. Until the 13th century, according to Maya chronicles, Hunac Ceel, ruler of Mayapan conquered Chichen Itza however the city and its government collapsed. In 1526, the Spanish Conquistadors discovered a local population of Mayans and successfully conquered Chichen Itza. Present-day Chichen Itza was excavated and is under federal protection. It is listed under the New Seven Wonders of the World and UNESCO World Heritage site. Popular tourist destinations include the famed photographed Chicen Itza, El Castillo “The Castle” a cosmological symbol that contains 365 steps, 52, panels, and 18 terraces. Other visited sites include the Temple of Warriors, the Chichen Itza courtyard and the Temple of the Thousand Columns.

Cancun

Cancun is an exciting, master-planned resort area on the Yucatan Peninsula on the Caribbean side of Mexico. Until a relatively short time ago, this land had been largely untouched since the mysterious departure of the great Mayan civilization over 700 years ago. This exotic, tropical wonderland embraces its historic ancestry, yet offers almost unlimited sights and activities for people of all ages. There are archaeological sites on Cancun, but visitors are drawn to ancient Mayan cities at nearby Chichen Itza, Tulum, Coba, and others. This fascinating resort area also claims some of the most spectacular beaches and clear waters in the world. The white, fine powder beaches run into the turquoise- and emerald-colored waters of the Caribbean, providing an unbelievable setting for swimming, surfing, sailing, game fishing, parasailing, jet skiing, biking, golf, tennis, cruising, bullfights, dancing until the sun comes up, or plain lounging beneath the warm Cancun sun.