12 OCT 2017
125 km from Ek Balam, we arrived in the city of Izamal famous for its buildings and houses all being painted yellow. Built in 1561 atop an ancient Mayan acropolis, the monastery is this little town’s most famous landmark and was visited by the pope in 1993. The atrium was the second largest only behind the Vatican in Rome. Having preserved its historic buildings and character Izamal remains one of the most unique places in the Yucatan.
Before the arrival of the Spanish, Izamal was a huge Maya city, on par with Chichen Itza. Instead of dismantling the pagan pyramids, the Franciscan monks merely repurposed them as foundations for Christian edifices. For example, their great yellow monastery is built on top of the original Maya acropolis. The Franciscans recycled the stones from so many Maya sites into building material for the churches. Today it’s safe to assume that most of Izamal’s 16th-century buildings were built from Maya ruins.
