On Day 6, after swimming in the Ik Kil Cenote and visiting Chichen Itza, we drove to Valladolid, a colorful Maya town.
We had worked up an appetite, and first stopped at Hotel El Meson del Marques, for what turned out to be a pretty wonderful meal!
I ordered vegetarian lasagna that came very well decorated! What is that????!!!!
Next, we went walking around town, and our children were an instant hit with the local Maya women. I am not a tall person (okay, that’s an understatement…I’m only 5′), and I found myself towering over some of the women AND men in Valladolid! I loved seeing the traditional Maya dress in this area…a cotton moo-moo (my definition) with bright embroidery and a simple scarf around the neck. I snuck a photo of some women oogling over our kids as we walked by!
We quickly found a beautiful restaurant called La Casona de Valladolid. No, we didn’t eat again…but something caught our eye…
We almost walked right on by…but through their many arches we could see a towering fountain in the back that required further inspection.
Made entirely from broken Mexican pottery, it is quite a sight to behold!
Okay, it isn’t all broken. But it is very creatively put together!
After getting a sufficient amount of photos, we reversed and went back out towards the street.
We went through the main plaza, and I had to snap this quick (blurry) photo of a little snack stand. It is a moving stand…on a 3-wheeled bike!
Like most Mexican plazas, Valladolid’s plaza is sprawling, very well landscaped, and has tons of park benches.

Ella even managed to find some lover’s chairs…designed so that two people can sit facing each other!
I can never get enough of Mexican chapels. They are so photogenic!
Each one is so different from the next!
Overall, we loved Valladolid. Seriously, don’t miss it!
We returned to El Meson del Marques and spent the night in a luxurious hotel room for $68. A bit steep…but it was worth it 🙂





















I love all colorful Valladolid!