Maxcanú

Maxcanú is a small city in the western part of the state of Yucatán in southern Mexico. It is a town with colonial charm and a large Maya population. Several Mayan archaeological sites, large and small, are within easy day-trip distance from Maxcanu.

Understand
Maxcanu is a small city of just over 12,000 inhabitants (2010), most of whom are indigenous Maya (over 90% of the town's population speak Maya, though Spanish is commonly spoken as well).

Climate
The rainy season is May through October and the driest months are January through April. The temperatures are usually quite hot with days of over 40 degrees Celsius occurring any time of the year. April through September are the hottest months of the year.

Get in
The nearest airport with commercial flights is Mérida International Airport. It is about 50 minutes by car from Maxcanú.

By car
From Mérida, drive southwest on federal highway MEX-180 for 65 km.

By bus
From Mérida, Autobuses SUR operates several daily buses to the nearby town of Kopomá (about 10 km from Maxcanu). Autobuses TRT operates one daily bus on that route. Bus tickets cost about M$100 for the 50-minute ride. (There is also a second-class bus that's much cheaper but takes 2-3 times longer.) From Kopomá, a taxi into Maxcanu will cost about M$50 for the 5-10 minute ride.

Get around
Taxis are your best choice, especially since major Mayan sites (like Uxmal) are as much as an hour away from town. A rental car can be useful since driving in the Yucatán is generally easy and safe. For shorter local trips, the moto-taxis are a fun and cheap way to get around. It's also a heck of a lot easier to find a moto-taxi than a car taxi.

See




Do

 * Explore the caves at Oxkintok: there are several caves around the archaeological zone, including Grutas Calcehtok, Grutas de Aktun Usil, Gruta Tzukán Calcehtok, and Grutas de Xpukil

Sleep
There are a couple of basic budget hotels in the town of Maxcanu, and one super-splurge restored hacienda on the outskirts that offers a unique lodging experience.



Connect
Cell reception is pretty good in town, but its mostly 4G with areas of 3G along roads to Uxmal or other outlying Maya sites.

Go next

 * Uxmal
 * Celestún
 * Kabah