Acanceh adventure

Going on adventures in the Yucatan never fails in showing that ancient history surrounds the area.  While trying to choose where to visit this weekend, we decided on Acanceh.  Honestly, we only looked up this town because we drove by a sign that pointed to Acanceh ruins and when I looked on our map I noticed there was a town but no mention of ruins.  This intrigued me to research further about the city.  It turns out there are two small pyramids right in the city center, as well as a church dating from the 1500’s.  The pyramids have been somewhat restored, but the site is difficult to reconstruct as many ruins lie on private property in backyards or are foundations of current homes.  The city of Acanceh is called a pueblo de tres epocas, or town of three eras due to the Mayan pyramids, the colonial church and the current architecture.  The ruins are fenced off and cost about 2USD to enter.  Once inside, a well dressed local gave us a 30 minute tour and we tipped him about $5 for his trouble.  My Spanish is increasing everyday and I was able to understand most of what the guide explained. 

After fully exploring the two pyramids, we walked around the town square a bit and then went to a cocina economica for lunch.  Cocina economica translates to economical kitchen and they are found in pretty much every Mexican pueblo in the country.  They offer 3-7 dishes for the day, all very reasonably priced.  I decided on the pechuga empanizada, which is thinly sliced fried chicken breast served with rice, corn tortillas and beans.  It is one of my favorite Yucatecan dishes and a comfort food I will surly miss when we’re gone.  I always cut the chicken into strips, put in a tortilla along with rice, then dip in the beans.  It is divine. 

We decided to take the scenic route back to Merida and drove through some other small pueblos; they are all so charming and endearing.  Many of them had circuses or other fiestas going on that evening and were in preparation stage.  I wish we could have stayed later and I can’t wait to go explore more next weekend.