About Valladolid

Valladolid rests almost in the center of the Yucatán Peninsula. It is a colonial town with a population of about 70,000. The elegant colonial walls of Valladolid have seen much in their long history. Montejo the Younger and his cousin, Montejo, El Sobrino, overcame truculent Maya resistance to conquer the ancient city of Zací early in 1543. On the site of Zací, on May 28 of that year, the Montejos founded Valladolid, whose colonial coat of arms features a white hawk image and the prophetic slogan, "Heroic City." In the middle of sugar cane and cattle country, but isolated by distance from Mérida, Valladolid matured into relative autonomy and it remained the most "Colonial" of the peninsula's larger cities - more conservative and perhaps more proudly aristocratic than Mérida itself.

Its hubris completely shattered in January 1847, when a Yucatecan secessionist army, using armed Maya soldiers in its ranks, attacked the garrison of Mexican loyalist. A slaughter of non-Indian civilians resulted. Several months later, an informer named a young Maya, Antonio Ay, in a plot for a new revolution to reduce taxes on the Indian population. To set a stern example and to avenge the January atrocities, a firing squad shot young Ay against the Santa Ana chapel on July 26, 1847. If they were looking to curb Maya passions by executing its alleged leader, they were dead wrong. Antonio Ay's death was the catalyst that began the bloody Caste War, with Valladolid in the heart of it. By mid-March 1848, a vicious slaughter of Vallísoletaños occurred and surviving residents fought their way out of the city towards Temax, fleeing the ruthless Maya advance.

It is set around a large plaza, flanked by the imposing Franciscan cathedral. Most of the hotels are clustered around the centre, as well as numerous restaurants catering for all budgets, favoring the lower end. There is a slightly medieval feel to the city, with some of the streets tapering off into mud tracks. The location makes it an ideal place to settle for a few days, while exploring the ruins of Chichén Itzá, the fishing village of Río Lagartos on the north coast, and the three beautiful cenotes in the area.

Enrollment, Costs, and How to Apply

Printable 06 Maya Brochure

FLAS Funding for the Yucatec Maya Program

Level One

Level Two

Yucatec Maya Instructors

Things to know before you go

General Information about the Yucatan

A visit to the town of Xocen

Program Locations: Santa Elena,Valladolid, Merida, and Xocen

Maya Resources

Photos from the Program