Due Vagabondi: IZAMAL (Pueblo Magico, The Yellow City)

Ah, that lovely warm ochre colour that grows on you more each day that you're here. It

comes alive in the sunlight and sunset colours it a pinkish golden glow.

The speculation is that yellow paint is a tribute to Kinach Kak Moo the sun god that the ancient Mayan peoples believed lived here. The practicality seems to be that the town wanted to look its best for a visit from Pope John Paul II in 1993; and this colour happens to also be in the Pope's flag.

At first, I wondered how people would find their way home with everything painted the same, but the magic is in the white trim and subtle decoration that varies slightly from building to building …

… and the lovely wall plaques beside many doors.

Evidence of the ancient Mayan people who settled this area before Izamal is visible with ruins poking through everywhere. The largest of five partly buried pyramids is that of Kinich Kak Moo (macaw of fire), with a base that rivals the Great Pyramid of Giza. We climb its 35 meters for sweeping views onto the town. More than 80 pre-Hispanic structures have been documented in and around the city, also known as "hill town" for obvious reasons. There is evidence of ancient trading roads leading away from the pyramid to other towns up to 30 km away.

Walking around Izamal is easy. There are squares everywhere with plenty of benches for resting. There are horse-drawn carriages painted in a rainbow of colours and each horse has matching colours in hats.

The town map clearly marks the home/workshops of various artisans in town. We visit most of them and purchase from the woodcarver (a representation of the macaw of fire) and from the papier-mache maker the beautiful monarch butterfly, which had great and varied meanings and a special place in the lives of the peoples of ancient Mexico.

The workshop of the tin maker is a hodgepodge of useful items for daily living:

Frey Diego de Landra was relentless and violent in his mission to establish Catholocism and eliminate Mayan 'pagan' beliefs.

The market is a happening place each day.

The Convento de San Antonio de Padua dominates the town center and is immense (7,806.43 square meters). There are 75 arches in the building. It took the Spaniards thirty years to complete the complex and to this day its cloisters protect people on pilgrimages from the elements. Annual fiestas and other celebrations are held in its atrium.

The church in the monastery is the Santuario de la Virgen de Izamal. At the moment the beautiful baroque alter has a magnificent nativity still in place from Christmas. There are a couple of impressive stained glass windows.

Back of Church

These 16th. century frescoes, recently discovered below the whitewash are ghosts of their former selves.

A small museum commemorates the visit by the Pope:

Izamal is a joy to walk. The streets are quiet and the people friendly. Izamal has also been given a clean city award. There is no trash anywhere and street cleaners are out working every day (pay attention Tulum).

There are great little discoveries around every corner such as the painting of a goat on the fence of this more rural home:

We are out walking one day with umbrellas and the skies open up. A man calls out to us insisting that we come into his place to get out of the rain.

Another day we come upon two friends sitting on the curb. One man has a snake that is clearly his pet. He is amused at my reaction when he puts the snake on the ground and it slithers towards me.

It seems everyone here has fruit trees in their yard: orange, sour orange, papaya, star fruit, avocado and a big round fruit I don't know. There seem to be more flowering plants here than on the Caribbean side, including poinsettias and a hot pink vine-like plant that seems to grow wild.

We head to the Cultural center one morning as we want some time there. I think we photograph almost everything in the place. The artistry in a variety of mediums is top-notch.

Wood carved and painted chests

Pottery

Papier-mache &/or wood

Detailed painting on a shimmering gourd

Fierce puma

Trees of life so decorated it seems they should topple over

The inlaid wood decoration on this gleaming xylophone is beautiful. The tiny violin must be made for the hands of a child.

Another interesting trip was to go to the cemetery.

Some grandiose mausoleums are a sign of family wealth …

… but it's often the more humble grave markers that bear the interesting colours and depictions

It feels like walking through a rainbow.

Many people are busy grooming gravesites.

Grave markers tell the life story of a person in a few decorative words and a pictorial:

The last night we are in town, we eat at the recommended Restaurante Zamna Izamal. The traditional food is delicious. The complimentary taco chips come with a pumpkin seed dip, a habanero dip, a black bean dip and a pico de gallo. We both opt for rabbit, that is amazing. The service is excellent and the prices are reasonable.

Tortillas here are served in polished gourds with lids, to keep them warm:

We would recommend it to anyone. Here is a photo of the restaurant from their FB page:

There is another restaurant in town (Kinich) that is highly recommended. There is almost always a 40 to 60-minute wait so they have FREE Coronitas in an ice bucket as well as a big help-yourself jug of non-alcoholic beverage at the front entrance and comfy chairs to lounge in to pass the time. We availed ourselves of drink and chair, then finally got tired of waiting.

As in Merida, there is a Coqui Coqui hotel and perfumery. The décor is much the same: pasta tile, bare-bones renovation with an antique look and furniture to match. The outdoor pool bottom has tile with a 3-dimensional look that creates an interesting effect.

At first, we thought three days in this city of about 16,000 people would be too much, but it was a relaxing experience and each day brought some delightful new discovery. We didn't even get to a nearby cenote, nor did we make it to the evening light show in the convent.

RANDOM PHOTOS