With no one at home and a free afternoon, I decided to take an exploratory trip to the Oxkintok ruins which I had previously only caught a glimpse of on my way to some secret caves in the area with local guide Victor.

However, on the road to Maxcanu where I would be turning off towards Oxkintok I saw signs for the Santa Rosa hacienda, one of the Starwood properties here in the Yucatan and decided that I would like to check it out instead and pehaps hit the ruins afterwards.

What I found was an absolutely gorgeous property, not unusual for the Starwood hotels, along with really friendly and welcoming service and perfect afternoon light for some photographs. The lunch, served for the only visitor in the hacienda - yours truly - was delicious and served in a professional and courteous manner that the Temozon hacienda can only dream of.

With a delicious lunch in me, I continued on to Oxkintok, via Maxcanu and a curious town called Granada, a name I had never heard of in the Yucatan so of course I had to check it out. Not much there, except another grand hacienda, unrestored and full of villagers watching a baseball game in what used to be the main corral of the building.

The road from Santa Rosa to Maxcanu. Granada? Really?

The bright blue church (facade) in Granada, Yucatan.

A quick drive through Maxcanu where the Sunday afternoon drinking activity was fully in session with groups of drunken men on many street corners. Maxcanu deserves a more detailed photographic study, but the clouds were moving in and I had precious little time to get to the ruins before a) they closed and b) the rain started, so I quickly continued on to Oxkintok.

Threatening sky over the Maxcanu skyline

Pretty main street in Maxcanu

Church windows, Maxcanu

Main entry to church, Maxcanu

Facade of the Maxcanu church

Maxcanu church bell tower

The drive to Oxkintok from Maxcanu takes about 10 minutes if you take the old highway that goes right through the ruins. It is a pot-holed, unpaved mess in most parts and will take out a tire if you are not careful, and those holes are hard to see with all the rain. I arrived at the ruins in time to spend about 20 minutes before they closed, and after 5 minutes, the skies opened up and a torrential downpour had me soaked to the skin in just a few seconds. The photos are not great but you can get an idea of what is there - which is probably bigger than some of the other, more popular sites around such as Chichen and Uxmal. The place is HUGE.

Why is this city yellow? It depends on whom you ask. One theory says it was always yellow, while another and in my opinion more believable theory states that it was painted Vatican yellow in honor of Pope John Paul's visit here.

That's right, the Pope came here and if the Pope can get all the way over here from his comfy palace in the Vatican, so can you.

Izamal is about an hour and a bit outside of Merida, towards Cancun on highway 180. There isn't a lot to do on the way, unless you count the town of Kimbilá, which is known for its textiles although a recent visit left me feeling a little Shania about the whole place: So you have hipiles? That don't impress me much.

In Izamal itself, you should visit the monastery, which has as its front yard the second largest atrium (after the Vatican) in the WORLD. That's right. And the whole structure is on the base of a Mayan pyramid that once stood here and whose stones were used for the construction of this and other buildings around town.

There is still the Kinich Kakmo pyramid just across the way, a few blocks walk actually and very near the Kinich restaurant which serves up splendid Yucatecan fare and is a must-visit when in town.

Other interesting places in Izamal are the combination embroidery shop/herbal medicine place (you will have to ask) as well as plenty of handicrafts and artisans goods at several galleries and boutiques. One thing to keep in mind is that if you should visit the shirtless man in charge of the herbal remedies for everything from cancer to impotence to AIDS and want to engage him in a conversation, make some time available as he will go on for hours.

Santa Rosa Hacienda, Maxcanu, Granada and Oxkintok

Izamal aka the Yellow City