Private Tour Mayan Community Yaxunah

This private tour takes you to Yaxunah, a Maya community south of Mérida, to learn about local customs passed down over generations. The description promises a range of hands-on activities, and the listing puts the full day at about 570 minutes, including pickup and drop-off at your hotel. You get around the community by bicycle.

The core of the day is about 240 minutes in the community. With Don Francisco you visit a sustainable milpa and learn how corn is produced, from cleaning to planting and harvesting, including the challenges producers face from climate change and pests. You can try pozole and atole, corn-based drinks served as part of an offering to the gods, and you take part in preparing a typical Maya meal cooked in an underground oven with local ingredients.

You also see how colorful traditional hammocks are woven by hand by artisan women, and you try to keep up with their expert hands. In the horn workshop, artisans show how the material is extracted and shaped into accessories such as earrings and necklaces. The lunch and a flavored fruit water during the meal are included.

After that, you cool off for about 45 minutes in the Lol-Ha cenote, an open cenote with clear, fresh water. The last stop, about 30 minutes, is the archaeological site of Yaxunah, a Maya city that began developing around 400 BC.

Bring comfortable clothes and shoes, water shoes if you like, a swimsuit, a towel and dry clothes, a hat or cap, sunglasses, money for souvenirs and a camera. Use biodegradable sunscreen, as regular sunscreen can contaminate the cenote waters. There is a vegetarian meal option, so say so when you book, and report any allergies in advance. Give the name of your hotel in Mérida when you reserve; the guide will approach you in the lobby and ask for your voucher. Mexican visitors may be asked for official ID (INE) at some archaeological sites.