Sisal

Sisal is a small-town port on the Gulf of Mexico in northwest Yucatán. It is a very small town (really just a village) of about 1,800 persons (2020) but with a location close to the state capital, draws large weekend and day-trip crowds. Most visitors come for the eco-tourism, visiting nearby coastal wetlands and jungles. Local beaches are ideal for quiet relaxation with miles of deserted white sand.

Understand
Before the Spanish colonized Mexico, the area around Sisal was lightly occupied by the Maya who are thought to have used it as a minor port although they never established a permanent settlement. During the colonial period, all trade with Spain from the Yucatan Peninsula went through Campeche, until 1810 when Spain granted the state of Yucatan the right to operate a port at Sisal. Piracy was a problem for Spain at that time, so they built a fort at Sisal to protect the port against piracy. It was the last fort Spain would build in Mexico.

Sisal developed slowly and never became a very large port, mostly because it was an unimportant town and access to it was difficult with bad roads that crossed through swamps. Campeche continued to be the preferred port city for the region, although the importance of Yucatan's henequen fiber industry and the development of new haciendas for growing sugar cane kept Sisal in business.

By bus
From the Merida Noreste bus terminal, Autobuses Oriente has two buses per day to Sisal (usually combis), departing around 12:00 and around 17:00. These are second-class buses (or combis) that make frequent stops and the 50-km trip will take about 90 minutes. The price is M$20 (2023).



By car
You can rent a car in Merida and drive to Sisal. To do this, drive northwest from Merida on federal highway MEX-281. When you get to the town of Hunuctma, the road turns to the north. It is about a 45-minute drive.

Get around
The town is very small and you can walk anywhere you want to go, but why walk when you can ride a bike. Bike rentals are available and the streets have very little traffic so it's easy to navigate through town. There are also moto-taxis if even the bike sounds like too much work for you.

You can hire a boat at the Puerto de Abrigo Sisal for fishing trips or sightseeing.

Do

 * Fishing the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico
 * Sunbathing on the long, sandy beach
 * Birdwatching
 * Swamp tours
 * Kitesurfing





Festivals

 * Pilgrimage of the Black Christ (Celebracion del Cristo Negro), August 5 - Every August for more than 90 years, a venerated black statue of Christ has been carried from its home in the Church of St Francis of Asisi in the town of Hunucmá to the port of Sisal, where it is placed in a boat that leads a veritable armada of small fishing craft on an aquatic procession as locals throw flowers in the water. For the next three weeks, the statue of the black Christ will remain in Sisal where pilgrims come to thank Christ for the annual harvest.

Buy
Henequen fibers come from a type of maguey (agave) grown throughout the Yucatan region. Historically, haciendas grew the plants and extracted the fibers for use in making rope and other products. The word "sisal" was often used for any kind of natural fiber rope. The town is not named after the rope, but rather the rope was named for the town. In the 19th century, henequen fibers were a big business, but with the advent of steamships, demand for henequen plummeted. Some henequen is still harvested, and local craftspeople continue to produce handmade artesanal products from the fibers. Woven goods are common, including baskets and hammocks, and the fibers can be tightly woven into cloth that is used for making huipiles and similar garments.



Sleep
Several houses in Sisal can be rented for short stays (mostly through Airbnb). There are also small hotels that might better suit your needs. There are no big hotels and no chain properties.



Connect
4G cell service is fairly good in town but weak to no signal if you head to the beaches along the east side of town. Service drops to 3G as you head south on MEX-281. No 5G service as of 2023. Free WiFi is offered by some of the beachside restaurants.

Go next

 * Celestún
 * Progreso
 * Motul