Travel Guide Valladolid

Valladolid is a small town that has preserved its colonial character and gentle way of life. The majority of its inhabitants still wear the traditional dress of the Yucatán peninsula, and the houses lining the Zócalo are pastel-colored. The Plaza de Valladolid offers an atmosphere very similar to that of Mérida's pre-modernization plaza: there's little traffic and people don't seem to be in a hurry to get anywhere. The main attractions are the cenotes - the Cenote Zací in the middle of town, and the X'kekén and Samulá cenotes in the surrounding area - and the San Bernardino convent, which can be reached from the main square via Calle 41 A (la Calzada de los Frailes), an old, narrow cobbled street with many trendy boutiques and cafés. It's also a hotbed of Mexican history, as it was here that the Caste War began in 1849, and then the first spark(chispa in Spanish) of the Mexican Revolution, when on June 4, 1910, the city was taken by rebels. Every year, the Semana de Valladolid takes place from May 28 (date of the founding of the San Bernardino convent) to June 4 (symbolic start of the Revolution).