Sayil

Tickets and tours: which to book

Nothing for Sayil alone is sold online. The site is run by INAH, the Mexican institute of archaeology, and entry is a small fee in pesos paid at the ticket hut. Mexican citizens and residents get free entry on Sundays. Signs in Spanish, English and Maya describe the main buildings, and guides can sometimes be hired at the entrance.

Most visitors see Sayil on the Ruta Puuc, the road that links Kabah, Sayil, Xlapak and Labna, either by hire car or on a day tour from Merida that adds the Loltun caves or Uxmal. Those tours include transport and a guide and often lunch; entry fees may be extra, and time at each site can be short. Some guesthouses in Santa Elena and near Uxmal arrange drivers for the route, and cyclists sometimes ride it from there, though the distances and heat make that a long day.

The sensible plan is to stay a night near Uxmal or in Santa Elena, see Uxmal one day, and drive the Puuc route the next morning in your own time, with about an hour at Sayil between Kabah and Labna.

A short history

Sayil grew in a shallow valley of the Puuc hills from about AD 800, possibly from an older settlement nearby. It reached its peak around 900, when perhaps 10,000 people lived in the city and several thousand more in the surrounding farmland, relying on cisterns for water. The Great Palace was built and enlarged in this period. The city declined after about 950 and was largely abandoned by around 1000. John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood described it in the 1840s, INAH restored the palace in the 20th century, and American archaeologists mapped the city in the 1980s. It was added to the Uxmal UNESCO listing in 1996.

Getting there

Sayil lies on the Ruta Puuc, a minor road that leaves Highway 261 south of Kabah and runs east towards Labna and Oxkutzcab. From Merida the drive takes about two hours via Muna and Uxmal, and from Santa Elena or the hotels at Uxmal about 30 minutes. There is a small car park at the entrance. No regular bus serves the site; some agencies in Merida run a Puuc route bus or tour, but schedules change, so a hire car or a driver is the reliable choice. Merida airport is the nearest. Fill up with fuel in Muna or Ticul, as stations on the route are few.

Rules and what to bring

Climbing is not allowed on the Great Palace or El Mirador; follow the ropes and signs. Drones need an INAH permit, and tripods may be charged for. Bring plenty of water, a hat, insect repellent and comfortable shoes: the paths are rough and the forest hums with mosquitoes after rain. There are basic toilets at the entrance and sometimes a vendor selling drinks, but no restaurant; eat in Santa Elena or Oxkutzcab.

When to go

Yucatan is hot for most of the year, so arrive at opening or come after about 3 pm, when the light turns warm on the palace facade. Midday is hot and bright, though the causeway is shaded by trees. Sayil is one of the quieter sites in the region; tour vans on the Puuc route usually arrive in the late morning and stay only half an hour.

From November to March the weather is drier and more comfortable, and this is the best time for driving the whole Puuc route in a day. April and May are the hottest months, often above 35 degrees. The rainy season from June to October brings afternoon storms, lush forest and more mosquitoes, but also fewer visitors. On Sundays Mexican families take advantage of free entry, which is still rarely crowded here. Allow about an hour, or an hour and a half if you walk to the far end of the causeway.