When I planned my trip to Merida in 2018, I looked for cities that I could reach by bus. Izamal certainly caught my eye with its bright yellow buildings! And that’s the first city I visited after arriving in Mexico.
Improvising A Trip To Izamal
When I arrived in Merida, I thought my friend, Cristina, would have Wi-Fi in her house, so I had simply noted some ideas of places to visit and saved PDFs of internet pages on my phone. But she only had the mobile data of her phone. That meant I couldn’t search for information on how to go to the other cities, what kind of transport was recommended, or any specific timetable for buses.
I am by nature a very organised person, but I decided to embrace the unknown and I simply followed Cristina’s suggestions. She had travelled a lot and knew how to go to where I wanted to go. She was working, so she left me at the colectivo station. I waited for quite some time before the small bus was full (really full) and we left.
In the city, I started following whatever was beautiful, but after a while, I realized that I was running in circles. So I looked for the tourist point and grabbed a map. Then, I finally had an idea of how I wanted to spend my day. Finally, some certainty for my organized brain! 😅
San Antonio De Padua Convent
When we stopped in the city center, where everything looks amazingly yellow, I just walked around and visited the convent. It was stunning, right in the middle of the square and just attracted me like a moth to a flame.
It’s not just the colours, it’s also the curves and the lines. The geometry of the convent is magnificent. Two ramps lead you to the main gate and to the atrium. By the way, this is the largest closed atrium of America and the second largest in the world.
I loved exploring the different alleys of the building. There were not many people, and it felt very peaceful and secret. Plus, from the top of the convent, you have a great view of the village.
Some History About Izamal
Izamal is an ancient city. I could not find a specific foundation date, but the UNESCO site says that it was founded “by Zamná, priest of the god Itzamná, in the Late Pre-classic period (750 to 200 A.C.).” Who is Itzamná? He’s the supreme Maya god. Izamal was a center for the worship of Itzamná and of Kinich-Kakmó, the sun god.
Izamal was an important city and one of the largest in the North of Yucatan. However, when Chichen Itza rose, Izamal started to decline and was partially abandoned. In the 16th century, Spain conquered Yucatan and founded a city on the Mayan city of Izamal. For example, the convent was built on the Acropolis.
Mayan or Spanish, the city of Izamal has always been a religious center.
Mayan Pyramids Of All Sizes
Even if the Spanish covered Mayan buildings with their own, some pre-Columbian structures are still present in Izamal. The map I got from the tourist center showed where all of themwere located, and I decided to go see them. They are not as impressive as Chichen Itza or Uxmal, but they have their own charm and I found it quite fun to look for pyramids in the city.
The biggest and most impressive one is the Kinich Kakmo Pyramid, dedicated to the sun god. From there, you also have a nice view of Izamal.
The other ones were much smaller.
Getting Lost In Izamal
Once I had seen the pyramids, I simply walked in the yellow streets, looking at the decorations, the beautiful carriages and horses. I enjoyed some nice food too. Izamal is a good destination for a day trip from Merida, because everything is quite close, and you can take the time to stroll in the streets.
One Last Question: Why Is Izamal Yellow?
Many websites say that people painted the city in yellow in 1993, for the arrival of Pope John Paul II. However, I have also read that this hypothesis is wrong, because the city walls were yellow before that. I’m sorry, I don’t have an answer to that question. But if you find it, do not hesitate to comment! 😉
To see more photos of Mexico, you can visit the gallery Mexico.
