Travel Guide CHETUMAL Contents DISCOVER CHETUMAL 01 CHETUMAL PROFILE 03 CHETUMAL ATTRACTIONS 04 CHETUMAL DINING 09 CHETUMAL SHOPPING 10 CHETUMAL NIGHTLIFE 12 THINGS TO DO IN CHETUMAL 14 DISCOVER CHETUMAL Chetumal is a small, charming city. Whether you’re walking or cycling, you can enjoy the view along its long boulevard, where the combination of the breeze and birdsong makes it an unforgettable experience. Here you enjoy many festivals and traditions, the abundant plant and wildlife, the lagoons, and the mystical archeological sites that can be found nearby. The “Old Chetumal” district, in the downtown area, stands out for its romantic English colonial-style houses made with beautiful woods and roofs of corrugated sheets painted in red. Avenida Insurgentes, in the north of the city, is where you’ll find most of the recent urban development, including shopping malls, universities, and tourist attractions. On the other hand, the boulevard or coastal road is the epicenter of the city’s night and social life. BIRTHPLACE OF THE “MESTIZO” Many important events happened in Chetumal, from the start of the Spanish conquest to the fall of the Mayan empire. An old legend tells the tale that this was where the Spanish soldier Gonzalo Guerrero married the Mayan princess Zazil Ha, and together they had the first “mestizo” children in history. This is why Chetumal is also known as the Birthplace of the “Mestizo”. 1 CHETUMAL Y BELICE, DOS PUEBLOS HERMANOS Chetumal and Belize link Mexico with Central America, which is why they have shared a lot since their foundation, including cuisine, architecture, music, and traditions. Reggae, Zanebay (a type of Samba) and Punta Rock (a mix of English and African lyrics) are the musical genres adopted by the locals, while passacaglia and calabaceado are popular dance styles in the region. The fact that the people of Belize go to Chetumal to make the most of the clinics, schools, shopping, shows, and other services, has strengthened the links between them. Belize also has a duty free zone where people from Chetumal usually go to buy clothes, electronics, and other imported goods. 2 CHETUMAL PROFILE State capital of Quintana Roo. Peaceful, small city with a laid-back lifestyle. Birthplace of the “Mestizo”. English-style architecture in downtown areas. Eco-tourism and archeological sites in the surrounding areas Mayan roots reflected in the customs, vocabulary, and cuisine A charming bay with a beautiful coastal road. Affordable lodging with a tendency towards business hotels. Shared cultural elements with Belize. 3 CHETUMAL ATTRACTIONS There are countless attractions to see in Chetumal. You’ll find culture, fascinating history, and architecture, as well as adventure and natural beauty in the surrounding region. Plan a trip into the wild or the archeological sites, and admire the stunning natural scenery that the state of Quintana Roo has to offer. Enjoy the charming solitude of the bay, sail on the river Rio Hondo, or go to Bacalar and visit the eco -archeological sites in the Kohunlich and Dzibanchen areas. Whether by land or sea, you can have an incredible adventure in Chetumal! THE BOULEVARD The Boulevard is the main meeting point where the locals like to relax, exercise, and hang out. Featuring a fantastic view of the bay, this coastal avenue stretches for more than three miles from the Renacimiento Park to the Quintana Roo University. Along the way you’ll find restaurants, clubs, parks, and other entertainment options. Enjoy contact with the outdoors, savor a refreshing ice cream, or have fun at the music concerts that are held on the avenue. 4 CASINOS IN BELIZE If you’re looking for a different way to have fun, then the Las Vegas style casinos in the Belize Free Zone are ideal. If you’re lucky, you’ll even be able to take some extra money home! Featuring a wide variety of games like Blackjack, Roulette, and Poker, they also have lots of slot machines. The Belizean casinos offer great shows, bars, and restaurants with enticing menus. MAYAN CULTURE MUSEUM This museum teaches you about an extraordinary civilization that survived for more than two thousand years. With the help of modern technology, the museum lets you get close to this culture that has stood the test of time, as the wisdom of the Mayans has been preserved in the region to this day. This museum is recognition of the artistic inspiration and knowledge of the Mayans. Visiting the city’s museums is just one of the activities not to be missed during your vacation in Chetumal! CITY MUSEUM This museum, on the grounds of the Instituto Quintanarroense de la Cultura (Quintana Roo Cultural Institute), one of the oldest buildings in Chetumal, was created to preserve and tell the history of the city. It has six galleries displaying historic documents, photographs, furniture, weapons, and other artifacts that depict a past of fighting for the growth and well-being of the city. 5 BIOUNIVERZOO This small nature reserve is located in a fast-growing area in the north of the city, on Avenida Insurgentes. Its lush green areas are ideal for relaxing walks as you discover the region’s plants and animals, some of which are in danger of extinction. The animals are located in settings similar to their natural habitat; there are none of the traditional cages on show. The reserve also offers guided evening tours to see the many nocturnal species. BACALAR Bacalar is a sleepy town with pre-Hispanic origins, located about 20 minutes north of Chetumal, that was founded about 500 AD by the Itza Mayans. The region also served as a point for unloading and loading merchandise on route to Honduras and Guatemala. The San Felipe Bacalar Fortress was built in 1727 to protect the area after the town suffered repeated pirate attacks from Caribbean and European smugglers and privateers. Today it is a wonderful museum that displays close to 300 years of history featuring Mayans, Spaniards, and pirates, as well as pre-Hispanic and colonial artifacts. The saltwater of the Caribbean Sea mixes with freshwater in the town’s beautiful lagoon, which is also known as the Lagoon of Seven Colors or the Rainbow Lagoon. This combination has created different tones of blues and greens that light up in the sunshine. Featuring abundant mangroves and lush vegetation, it is a perfect place to enjoy boat tours and water sports, especially scuba diving. The lagoon has underwater caves and tunnels that connect it to the sea, making it ideal for any fan of diving. 6 CENOTE AZUL Located near Bacalar Lagoon, Cenote Azul is an amazing display of nature. This magical place is an obligatory stop for fans of scuba diving, as it is a challenging site to dive because of its depth, enormous size, and characteristics. You can plan dives in different areas to explore every corner of the sinkhole, making for an unforgettable experience. DZIBANCHE Dzibanche is located about an hour from Chetumal and is considered to be the most important Mayan settlement in southern Quintana Roo. The impressive, beautiful buildings are loyal witnesses of the complexity of the Mayan sociopolitical system and are excellent examples of the architectural development of the area. During your tour you’ll see the Dinteles Temple, which has a base with ornate bodies in a sloped shelf design, built in a way similar to Teotihuacan. At the top you can see a very-well preserved temple that dates back to the year 554 AD. 7 BANCO CHINCHORRO BIOSPHERE RESERVE This reserve is located on Mexico’s Caribbean coast near Chetumal. Here you’ll find numerous shipwrecks along four sandbanks, including Cayo Norte, Cayo Centro, and Cayo Lobos. There are a wide variety of wildlife, sea life and coral to explore here, making this ships graveyard and diver’s paradise, well worth a visit. KOHUNLICH Less than 40 miles from Chetumal you’ll find the most studied archeological site in southern Quintana Roo, Kohunlich. It is a fascinating place to visit featuring architectural treasures like Templo de los Mascarones (Temple of the Masks), the building with the highest symbolic and ritual importance at the site. Other highlights include the Ya’axna group, the oldest at the settlement, as well as Plaza de las Estelas and Acropolis. A number of residential buildings have been found in this area, which were originally occupied by the governing elite, including the sites 27 Escalones and Pixa’an. 8 CHETUMAL DINING The cuisine in Chetumal has strong Belizean and Yucatecan influences, with one of the highlights being the traditional “rice and beans”. This dish is prepared using colored rice fried in coconut oil with bananas and beans, and accompanied by chicken or fish. Another traditional specialty is “meat pie”, a spicy beef pie. The Mayan culture leaves its culinary mark on Chetumal in the form of tamales made with a special bean called “xpelon”, or in the delicious “brazo de reina” (queen’s arm), which is also known as “sotobichay”. The latter is a tamal, the main ingredients of which are egg and chaya (a plant related to spinach), with the optional extra of being covered in a tomato sauce. During different festivals, the locals prepare special dishes, like “mucbi pollo” (large, oven - baked tamales) for the Day of the Dead (November 2nd). Obviously, being a coastal city, we have to mention seafood specialties like “pan de cazon”, originally from Campeche, and tikinxic fish, originally from Yucatan. Other highlights include specialties prepared with conches, which you can enjoy in the Calderitas area (to the north of Chetumal) or in the town of Bacalar. For dessert, you could try the “machacados”, which are made up of blended fresh fruit sweetened with condensed milk and cinnamon, ideal for a warm afternoon.