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Tizimin
The state of Yucatan not only has many Mayan pyramids, various colonial
cities and 160 miles of sandy beaches, it also has some 900,000
acres of cattle, horse and grain country. This area of agriculture
and animal husbandry, located around the bustling small city of
Tizimin (tee-sih-MEEN) is located in the northeast part of the state,
100 miles east of Merida, 33 miles
north of Valladolid, 125 miles
west of CanCun and 26 miles south of Ria
Lagartos. Tizimin is close to Mayan pyramids and numerous cenotes,
one named Kikil in particular.
Tizimin, which means "tapir or Danta" (the sacred animal
and totemic of the supreme God of the Maya), was founded by the
Spanish Franciscan priest conquerors in 1544. It is also known as
"The City of Kings".
Tizimin is another place that has not yet been discovered by most
tourists. You will find comfortable hotels, restaurants serving
a varied cuisine and travel agencies promoting tours to the nearby
sites. Visiting Tizimin will allow you to observe life in a real
Mayan town.
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From December 31 to January 10, with the January
6th being the climax of activities. Tizimin is alive with fiesta
as they celebrate the Three Kings of biblical times: Melcher, Gaspar
and Baltazar. The festivities that include masses, pilgrimages,
parades, bullfights, cattle shows, agro-industrial-commercial exhibitions,
and cockfights, go on for more than a week. The devotion to the
Three Kings is strong throughout the peninsula and pilgrims come
from miles away for this celebration.
The nearby Maya pyramids include Ek-Balam,
a beautiful site with ongoing excavations. Another ruin is the fairly
unknown Kuluba, located southwest of Tizimin.
The land surrounding Tizimin is flat and fertile, unlike the rest
of the peninsula, which has little dirt covering a limestone shelf.
This fertile land and the rainy season from June to October support
the grasses and grains for the cattle and also a busy lumber industry.
Precious wood trees, such as cedar, jabin, tzalam, chacte, bojom,
zapote and others are lumbered in Tizimin.
To reach Tizimin, take the cuota road to Valladolid,
and then follow the signs north. For more information, consult our
map of the Yucatan.
To read in Spanish click here 
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