Description: A pretty Colonial town about an hour east from Merida, this Golden City deserves an overnight stay or two. Great opportunities for people photography from Mayan women selling flowers, vendors selling wares like citrus fruits, men resting alongside their bicycles, old-fashioned barber shops, children in uniform heading to school on the back of scooters, and locals chatting in the plaza.
Once an ancient Mayan ceremonial site, thousands made pilgrimages here to honor deity Izamna, hoping to exchange offerings for his special healing powers. Pilgrims journeyed vast distances to visit his shrine long after Itzas abandoned their city in the 1200s. When Spaniards arrived, they found four massive pyramids decorated with temples and stucco masks of sun gods in various states of decay.
An elegant temple adorned in intricate relief on a lofty platform was demolished to create space for Yucatan’s grandest monastery. In 1552, young priest Fray Diego de Landa attempted to eradicate pagan practices in Izamal, by building his monastery and church atop the former Mayan platform once dedicated to Itzamna, god of the heavens. He oversaw the construction of San Antionio de Padua, and six years later returned with his finishing touch, a wooden Virgin for the shrine which he dubbed the Virgin of Izamal. Boasting of her miraculous powers during his journey from Guatemala, he used the Virgin and her powers to evoke instant cult-like devotion of Indians and Spaniards alike, which continue to this day.
The grand San Antionio de Padua, a Spanish Colonial church, has a commanding presence in the center of town. Its golden walls rimmed in white sit 16 feet off the ground. Baroque double staircases lead to the impressive atrium bordered by Moorish gables and arcades. Inside the monastery are two cloisters, church and museum. Beyond the museum ascend stone stairs to peek inside the camarin, where believers still flock to honor the glass-encased Virgin Izamal adorned by the Pope when John Paul II visited in 1993. The Virgin that Landa brought from Guatemala helped convert the indigenous people with her purported miracles.
A horse-drawn carriage, the local taxi, will take you around town to see the remains of four pyramids that once ringed the city. Or, arrange for a special visit to the homes of local artisans who craft souvenirs from henequen, cocyol seeds, tin, wood, herbs, and papier mâché.
Charming accommodations can be found at Macanche B&B, three blocks from the plaza. Chic bungalows set in tropical gardens are beautifully decorated. A rock bottom pool, yoga retreat, and restaurant are on the premises. See www.macanche.com for details.
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