Valladolid

Our next stop with my brother and Jackie was Valladolid. 

The translation from above:

"Valladolid is a quaint colonial city with neighborhoods of great majesty and beauty. It is located east of the state of Yucatan, strategically between the city of Merida and Cancun (only 2 hours drive from each), 40 km from the majestic Chichen Itza (Wonder of the Modern World) and 26 km from the Maya Archaeological Site of Ek-Balam. Is also only an hour and a half on the Riviera Maya, as well as other attractive tourist circuits: the North, Las Coloradas, Largartos Rio and San Felipe, on the east, the archaeological site of Coba and the Mexican Caribbean, the West, the capital Merida and Izamal (Pueblo Magico of Mexico.)"

The picturesque, colonial buildings AND people!

This beautiful church is located in front of the Zocolo.

The fountain in the middle of the Zocolo

We took a break from driving and walked around the city, tried Pollo Pibil, and relaxed in the Zocolo

Pollo Pibil...YUM!

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Aren't they cute?

In Vallodolid, we also visited Casa de los Vendados.  This is a private home owned by a husband and wife from Chicago.  This house was bought in 2000 and completely restored 8.5 years later.  John and Dorianne are collectors of Mexican Folk Art and now have over 3,000 pieces.  They open their home every day to share their collection with the public.

 Everything was made of paper machete

The beautiful colors Mexicans use.

This is a Tree of Life.  The fruit is useless to eat, devoid of any nutritional value, but the Maya used the hard shells to make bowls, cups, and decorative vases.

 Outside in the garden, this mermaid sits made of steel.

The sun came over the top of the cross to create a (almost) heavenly photo.

A Maya creation... They had some great hallucinations!

This is a Catrina portrait over the breakfast nook.  Catrina is the female symbol for the Dia de Los Muertos holiday.  Dia de Los Muertos is a holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and focuses on the gathering of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members whom have died.

More Dia de Los Muertos figures, but these depict Frida Kahlo, a famous Mexican painter and artist.

More adventures to come...