Valladolid Adventures Part 16: A day-trip to Yucatan's north coast

Homenaje al Pescador ("Homage to the Fisherman"). This statue on the malecón celebrates San Felipe's long history as a fishing port on Yucatan's north coast. The blowing palms show the strong, chilly wind off the ocean that was blowing. During the winter months, when we visited, Yucatan's coastal areas can be surprisingly cool and breezy. San Felipe's population is 1,838, but the town looked bigger when we drove into it. It sits at the mouth of an estuary that is part of the Rio Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, which has concentrations of pink flamingos similar to those at Celestún, on Yucatan's west coast.

We went on this adventure to see what  the area to the north of Valladolid had to offer. In this posting, I'll show a bit of San Felipe and its malecón (waterfront) lined with fishing boats. During our drive back to Valladolid, we briefly visited the small city of Timizin, with its historic Parroquia de los Tres Reyes (Church of the Three Kings). Near Tizimin, we also discovered and explored the ruins of the Franciscan Ex-Convento de Kikil.  However, that will be covered in the following two postings.

Overview

Google satellite map of northern Yucatan showing our route. We took Highway 295, a libre (free) road that proceeds due north from Valladolid. At Kikil, a short distance north of Timizin, the road splits, with the right fork going to Rio Lagartos and the left going to San Felipe. The two pueblos are about 11km (6.8mi) apart along the north coast. When you reach San Felipe, stay on the same road all the way to the malecón. The length of the trip (one way) is 107km (66.5mi) and it takes a little less than two hours. The country you pass through is flat and covered with farmland and forests. Traffic was light during our drive. 

The fishing port of San Felipe

The pier near the statue has a palm-frond palapa at its end. I was impressed by the town's general sense of prosperity. All of the boats I saw looked in good condition, with large, powerful motors mounted on their sterns. Everything, including the boats and the town itself, seemed clean and well-kept. Notice the land that lines the horizon in the background. This is part of a long, narrow east-to-west spit of land that forms the northern part of the bay and protects both San Felipe and Rio Lagartos from the open ocean beyond. The land spit is part of the Biosphere Reserve. 

View from the pier's palapa back toward the malecón. The palm fronds show the powerful winds that buffeted us. Restaurants, stores, and hotels line the shore along the malecón. Many of San Felipe's homes and other structures were originally built with varnished cedar which could resist the moist salt air. However, they couldn't withstand the force of Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, which destroyed a lot of them. It was apparently so powerful that even the protection of the land spit didn't save them.

Looking west along the palm-lined malecón. Each of these boats has its own name. The one in the foreground is called "Aremy K". Notice the horizon in the upper right. That is the mouth of the bay and beyond is the Gulf of Mexico (NOT "America"). The shore of what is now San Felipe was first visited 200 years ago by Maya fishermen from Santa Clara or Dzilam Bravo. According to legend, they sought shelter during bad weather. Looking for fresh water, they followed the sound of the native Chuleb birds and found a spring which they called Akta Chuleb ("Ahead of Chuleb").

The view toward the east shows more boats and piers. Although the wind was chilly, the day was sparkling clear, and sunny. Above-ground water is scarce in Yucatan, but with the discovery of the Akta Chuleb spring, it became possible to establish a temporary fishing camp. As more and more Maya visited, they discovered good land for farming and hunting. Some brought their families and settled permanently. At an unknown time, Akta Chuleb was given the new name of San Felipe, to honor the Franciscan martyr San Felipe de Jesus. My bet is that it happened when the the first friars arrived, because that was their usual practice. 

Restaurant El Popular Vaselina is located where the pier meets the malecón. The restaurant is covered by a thatched palapa and its sign has lobsters on either end dressed as waiters. Not surprisingly, its specialty is seafood.  San Felipe has many good restaurants and several inexpensive hotels along its waterfront. Although we didn't stay long, (Carole doesn't care for windy places) the town has plenty to do. In addition to strolling along the malecón waterfront, boats can be hired to fish or to visit the Biosphere Reserve and an archeological site. San Felipe has a very laid-back atmosphere. Hopefully, it is not yet overrun by tourists.

Tizamin de los Reyes

A statue commemorating motherhood shows seated woman nursing her baby. The subject of motherhood is popular in Mexiccan art. I have seen other statues glorifying it in places like Mérida, Yucatan's capital. The statue stands on the perimieter of Parque Principal Francisco Cantón, the main plaza of the city of Tizimin. In the local Maya dialect, the name of the city means "Place of the Tapir". It is located 52km (32mi) north of Valladolid on Highway 295, about half-way between that city and the north coast. With a population of 47,000, Tizimin is the second largest city in eastern Yucatan, after Valladolid. 

Parque Principal Francisco Cantón and its central kiosco. It is a very neat and well-kept plaza with many benches for those wishing to while away a sunny afternoon. All the buildings around the plaza are freshly painted in a variety of pastels. Francisco Cantón (1833-1917) joined the military at age 16 to fight the Maya during the Caste War (1848-1915). He later supported the rule of the French-imposed Emperior Maximillian (1862-1867). However, after the war, he reconciled with the Liberal Party under Porfirio Diaz and served as Governor of Yucatan from 1898 to 1902. 

Parroquia de los Tres Reyes stands across from the plaza's east side. The Church of the Three Kings is named after the three magi who, according to the New Testament, were guided by a star to visit Bethlehem and bring gifts to the Baby Jesus. The church was built in the 17th century, but the Franciscans had been evangelizing in the area since the middle of the 16th. In fact, Valladolid was originally founded in 1543 in the Tizimin municipality (equivalent to a US county). The new city was moved to its present location two years later because the first site was too swampy and unhealthy.

Melchior, one of the Three Kings, standing in a glass case in the church. The other two, Gaspar and Balthazar, stand nearby. A 16th century Franciscan friar named Andrés de Avendaño was inspired to use the Three Kings as an evangelizing tool at Tizimin. The three most important local gods were Yum Chac (Lord of the Rain), Yum Kaax (Lord of the Field), and Yum Ik (Lord of the Air). The Franciscan friar simply worked to substitute the Three Kings for the trio of Maya gods. This was similar to the tactic used by missionaries who created the Christmas tree to capitalize on the pagan German worship of the fir tree. 

This magnificent retablo stands in the apse at the end of the nave. The carved wood structure has thirteen niches for statues and paintings of various saints and sacred scenes. The retablo is in the Mexican Baroque style and includes sixteen spiraling Solomonic columns. Tizimin's Parroquia de los Tres Reyes is the second most important shrine to the Three Kings in the world, after the one in Cologne, Germany. The annual fiesta on January 6 draws thousands of participants. It includes a parade in which the Three Kings are paraded through the town. A similar fiesta is held the same day in a pueblo near Ajijic, where I live.

A sliver reliquary is bracketed by 12 silver candlesticks. Reliquaries are used to contain sacred relics. The number of candlesticks suggests that they represent the Twelve Apostles. Usually, reliquaries are in the shape of a box with a door in the front. This exquisitely decorated version is shaped like a coffee can, with a dome on top. Often, reliquaries are guarded by a brace of angel statues, but there were none in evidence here. There was also no indication of the nature of the relics contained in this reliquary.

A hexagonal pulpit is mounted on a side wall of the nave. I was impressed by the beautifully painted relief carvings of sacred figures on each of its six sides. The term pulpit comes from the Latin "pulpitum". The use of raised platforms dates back to ancient Israelite worship and Greek and Roman speaking traditions. They were first mentioned in regard to Christian practices by Cyprian of Carthage in the 3rd century AD. By the Middle Ages, they had become prominent features in churches. While pulpits in Catholic churches are often found on a side wall, in Protestant churches they are usually in the front.

A niche along the nave's wall contains a statue of the Virgen de Guadalupe. I immediately thought of her when I saw this statue. However, upon closer inspection, I had doubts. Many of the attributes of the Virgen de Guadalupe are present, including the sunburst halo that surrounds her and the type of clothing she wears. However, although I have taken hundreds of photos of her images all over Mexico, until Tizimin I had never encountered one in which she holds a child. After I Googled up numerous images of her holding the Baby Jesus, I was able to confirm my original opinion. Live and learn!

This completes Part 16 of my Valladolid Adventures series. I hope you have enjoyed it. If so, please leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below or email me directly. If you leave a question, please include your email address so that I can respond in a timely fashion.

Hasta luego, Jim