Maní

Maní is a small Mayan town in the core of Yucatán, Mexico, about 100 km south of the state capital, Merida. Mani is one of Mexico's designated Pueblos Mágicos. It is a small town with about 4100 residents (2020) and a colorful history.

History
Mani is a very old town, having been established by the Maya around 2000 BC. It was a center of the Mayan Tutul Xiu dynasty and an important religious center.

The town's moment in history came early in the colonial period on July 12, 1562 when a Spanish friar named Diego de Landa held an inquisitional book burning in front of the town's Monastery of San Miguel Arcangel. He had gathered all the Mayan codices he could find as well as more than 5000 sculptures that he considered "idols" and proceeded to destroy them all in what was one of history's most vicious acts of cultural vandalism. Church officials were unhappy with Landa exceeding his authority and ordered him to atone for his sins by researching and writing an authoritative book about the Mayan civilization. Landa wrote that book, but he is still remembered as a scumbag. Who knows what wisdom and knowledge could have been learned from the ancient codices.

In 1850, Mani was the site of a conflict during Mexico's Caste War.

By bus
Mani is about 2 hours by bus from Merida. The LUS and Noreste bus lines serve the route with frequent departures. A ticket to Mani will cost about M$50. If you can't find a direct bus to Mani, take the LUS bus to Teabo and then use a taxi for the last few kilometers.

Get around
The town is compact and easily walkable, and most of what you'll want to see is right in town. Taxis are available at a sitio near the zocalo.

You won't get lost in Mani, streets are in a simple grid layout and every street is numbered. Even-numbered calles go north-south and odd-numbered calles go east-west.

Meliponarios
Mani is famous for its meliponarios, which are places where local beekeepers keep their hives and produce honey. There are several of these in and around Mani. Honey is an important component of Yucatan regional cuisine and is used to produce several kinds of tasty alcoholic beverages not found outside the Yucatan region.



Festivals

 * Festival of the Virgin of the Assumption, 15 to 24 August, regional music and dance, homemade foods, and carnival games

Buy
The Yucatan is historically known for producing henequen from agave leaves. Many haciendas during the Colonial Mexico era grew rich exporting henequen (sisal) for making rope. In the Yucatan, henequen is still harvested on a small scale, and is sometimes used for hand-made artisanal products, including woven henequen cloth for clothing, and sometimes for high-quality hammocks (though cheap, nylon string hammocks are far more common in tourist markets). Good woven products or a genuine henequen hammock could make for good souvenirs to bring home from your trip.



Connect
Cellular coverage is mostly 4G as of late 2023 in the town of Mani with 3G being the best you'll get on the roads outside town. It's pretty remote and coverage drops should be expected in rural areas.

Go next

 * Cuzamá
 * Ruta Puuc
 * Uxmal