Ruta Puuc
Discover the Maya civilization along the Ruta Puuc, an 80km route South of Merida. Ruta Puuc is an interesting trip just 80km. South of Mérida. On this route there are Mayan sites (Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil, X-Lapak, Labna), the caves of Loltún, haciendas (Yaxcopoil museum, Ochil restaurant/museum, Temozon boutique hotel/restaurant), cenotes, Mayan villages, and larger Mayan city/towns (Ticul, Oxkutzcab). The Puuc Route road or as we call it the Mayapan Road is 5 minutes from Sac Chich.
Loltun Caves
Past Muna you will see signs for Loltún caves. If you start in Loltún, you can do a guided tour of the caves in the morning. Tours are the only way you can get into the caves and they start at 9:30 am, 11:00 am, 12:00 noon, 2:00 pm, 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm.
Labná
Labná was once a city of some 1,500 to 2,500 people, inhabited between 750 and 1000 AD. Presently, four buildings are restored. The large palace is well restored and houses 70 chultunes (water cisterns) that are not visible. The arch is thought to be the center of the city and the entrance to the sacbé (white road or Mayan highway) that went to Uxmal.
X-Lapak
Continue down the winding road you will come to X-Lapak a site of some 14 mounds and three semi-restored pyramids. This site and Sayil are less restored and manicured, so you can see what the sites looked like when they were discovered.
Sayil
Five km. from this turn is Sayil, which means “The Place of the Ants.” Check out the huge Stellae dating from 800-1000 AD. This site is home to a beautiful palace that included 90 bedrooms for some 350 people. From the top level of the palace you can see the church at Santa Elena and across the way a tiny ruin on the side of a mountain, which is called “the nine masks”.
Kabah
Continuing on with the route, your next stop will be Kabah. You will have to turn right five km. out of Sayil at the “T” in the road. The roads are very well marked. Kabah is famous for its ornate “Palace of Chaac Masks” (Chaac is the Mayan rain god). Also take a look at the two large figures on the back of this building.
Uxmal
Just a few km. down the road is Uxmal. The most “manicured” of the sites and last stop in this route, Uxmal means “the thrice built city” with the colossal “Magician’s Pyramids”, impressive “Governor’s Palace”, intricate “Doves Temple” and the grand “Nuns Quadrangle”. This is one site we highly recommend you make time to see. There is a tourist center with shops, restaurants and bathrooms. Uxmal is 1 hour from Sac Chich.
Chichén Itzá
As the most famous of the Mayan pyramids on the Yucatán peninsula, Chichén Itzá is the most popular Mayan ruin in México. Try to visit Chichén Itzá early in the morning or late in the afternoon, as the sun can be punishing at midday. Chichen Itza is 1.5 hour from Sac Chich. Lockers for bags and suitcases are available at the entrance.