Aktun Usil It can be translated as “place where you can see the blowing of the paint”. This name is a reference to the fascinating cave paintings found inside an extraordinary cave complex in western Yucatan.
The Aktun Usil caves are a natural wonder that is very close to the town of Maxcanú, about 65 kilometers from Merida. The treasures it hides reveal that the ancient Mayans used the site as a temple or sacred place.
We tell you more about what to see and how to get to the Aktun Usil cavesa fascinating underground sanctuary to connect with the underworld.
The Aktun Usil caves They have the particularity that they were opened to the public in 2012, which is why altars, vessels, bones and ceramic objects are still preserved inside, among other offerings that have remained there since the days of the ancient Mayan civilization.
In addition, on the roof of the cave, at a height of more than 60 meters, you can marvel at the magnificent, perfectly engraved Mayan hieroglyphics. All this indicates that, for the Mayans, these caves were a sacred place.
These caves are characterized by having immense spaces inside, so you can take impressive photographs of landscapes that seem to be from another planet.
How to get?
By car from Mérida, take the Gulf Coast Highway (federal 180) heading south. One kilometer after the junction with the Muna-Maxcanú highway, is the deviation that leads to the caves.
Recommendations to visit Aktun Usil
- To ensure that you have the best experience, it is advisable to hire the services of local guides, certified in nature and environmental and cultural interpretation. These guides will help you better understand everything you will see and will tell you Mayan stories and legends of the place.
- Whatever you do, do not intervene or take any of the objects found in the caves. It is true that you can find treasures, but it is vitally important that you do not touch them, since their historical and cultural value is immense.
- Visit the site early to avoid the sun on the way to the caves. She wears comfortable clothes and closed shoes.
- Take advantage of this opportunity to connect with nature and learn more about the Mayan culture.
- Be respectful of the environment, don’t litter!
What else to see in Maxcanú?
Just five kilometers to the east is the Oxkintok archaeological zonea settlement known as the oldest mayan city Of the peninsula. A fascinating feature of this ceremonial center is that it has a tza tun tzat (place to get lost or lost)a kind of labyrinth to which the Mayans gave a supernatural meaning.
South of Maxcanú is also the peculiar Former Hacienda Santa Eduviges Chan Chocholá. The ruins of what was once a small medieval style castle stand out in the green of the Yucatecan jungle. Without a doubt, one of the unknown towns in Yucatan that is most worth discovering.
Abraham Bojorquez Writer in love with the deep and ancestral Mexico. Explorer, adventurer and born storyteller.