Valladolid: Full of surprises!

‘Downtown’ cenote (underground swimming hole)!

An international flair.

Fascinating historical convent.

And, beautiful ‘Street of the Friars’, leading to the neighborhood of Sisal (the same name of the town we live in)!

We knew about the cenote. The rest were all surprises in our recent adventure to Valladolid.

Quick links to pics and images:

• Valladolid Images
• Centro at Night (video)
• Zaci Cenote (video)
• San Bernardino Convent (video)
• Street of the Friars

The international flair surprised us. Because of its proximity to Cancun (1.5 hrs away), busloads of tourists come to the city to enjoy it’s culture and history.

Plus, there was so much to do! Markets, cenotes, historical convent, wonderful restaurants and coffee shops, plus day trips to Chichen Itza and Rio Lagartos!

We also learned that Sisal (the name of the town we live in) was also the name of a neighborhood in Valladolid. It felt like home!

In the Sisal neighborhood and in the cenote we found trees with roots growing down from its branches. Amazing! You’ll notice this in the pics below.

Enjoy the pics and videos!

Valladolid Images

Centro at Night

We stayed right across from this park, the Centro park in downtown Valladolid. It was a great location!

Zaci Cenote

This fascinating cenote is just a couple blocks from downtown Valladolid. We spent a luxurious morning swimming in the cool waters and walking around the cenote – as well as watching the more adventuresome swimmers jumping off cliffs surrounding the cenote.

Convent of San Bernardino

This beautiful structure, built in the 1500s and founded by Franciscans, is the 2nd largest Franciscan convent in the Yucatan. The largest is in Izamal.

Street of the Friars

This street, built in the 16th century, connected Valladolid to the neighborhood of Sisal, an Indian community at that time.

Now, it is more of an alley-street, lined with wonderful shops and restaurants. In the evenings, it is closed off to traffic.