Progreso: newest Mexican Yucatan port is the gateway to the best Mayan sites

Cruise Travel, Nov-Dec, 2004 by Max Hunn, Bea Hunn

You may be taken aback while standing on the upper deck of your cruise ship the first time you pull in to Progreso, newest tourist port on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. The dock is fine, but where is Progreso?

Then you soon learn that the village is barely visible, five miles away on the mainland. But before you have nightmares of huge taxi fares, you thankfully discover the port has a complimentary shuttle service--40-passenger buses operate between the newly developing cruise dock and the mainland, near the famous, 120-foot-tall Progreso lighthouse (built 1885-1886). And the buses operate at 15-minute intervals.

Indeed, this seems strange, but then the physical geography of the Yucatan itself is strange--a limestone shelf, which gradually extends seaward. Today, the cruise port consists of two causeways. One, six kilometers in length, was built in 1936-41 as a small-vessel/shallow-draft harbor; it was later extended to the new cruise-ship dock. You quickly appreciate the tremendous expanse of shallow water during your first bus ride--cruise ships dock in only 28 to 32 feet of water, yet they're still miles from land!

For years the port of Progreso was just a sleepy fishing village. But in the 1950s, residents of Merida, capital of the state of Yucatan, only a 40-kilometer/35-minute drive away, began building seaside retreats to escape the torrid temperatures of July and August (and also used them for two weeks during Easter). At other times, the seaside villas, many quite lavish, stood empty.

In the late 1960s, both Canadians and Americans discovered Progreso could be an ideal winter resort. Wisely, they didn't boast about their beautiful, inexpensive winter hideaway. But word did get around, and Progreso began to be more than just a fishing village.

In fact, it had become an important port for Merida in the days when export of sisal rope from Yucatan's henequen plantations brought wealth to the area. Merida's population doubled in size, from 30,000 to 60,000. But there was no extensive harbor expansion. Then foreign competition, following the invention of synthetic rope-making, ended the sisal boom.

Today Progreso is a bustling, growing Gulf of Mexico city, such as the Caribbean-facing Cancun was 50 years ago. But it would have one big advantage over Cancun--Progreso is the nearest port to the greatest Mayan city sites, Chichen Itza and Uxmal.

Chichen Itza, now the most-visited site in the Yucatan, had begun to decay when the Spanish arrived in the 16th century. Its most famous structure is the four-sided Kukulcan Pyramid (also known as El Castillo). The 91 steps on each side indicate the knowledge of astronomy and calendars the Mayas had developed; the 91 steps, times four, along with the platform at the top, represents 365 days in the year.

El Castillo is famous for the "Descent of Kukulcan," which occurs twice a year. Each side of the main north staircase is lined with carvings of the plumed serpent Kukulcan leading down to giant serpent heads at the bottom. On 21 March and 21 September, the spring and autumn equinoxes, the afternoon sun coming around the pyramid's corner exactly focuses on the snake. In March, the light triangles that are formed descend to focus on the serpent's head; in September the triangles appear to be climbing up El Castillo. Thousands flock to Chichen Itza to witness the event, which lasts barely an hour, and admission is free for those days. The plumed serpent's performance can be seen for a shorter period of time during the weeks before the equinoxes, and the effect is artificially reproduced every night at the "Sound & Light Show."

Another famous Chichen Itza site is the Bali Court, the largest ever found in the Maya ruins of Mexico and Central America. It measures 504 feet in length (a little less then two U.S. professional football fields) and 231 feet in width. It has no roof, but high vertical walls and remarkable acoustics--echoes resound like gunshots, and you can carry on a normal conversation with another person at the opposite end. Other notable sites here are the Temple of Warriors, Red House, Observatory, Cenote, Square of the 1,000 Columns, and Oozier Temple.

Cruise ships normally offer a selection of nine tours at Progreso, ranging in length from three-and-a half to seven-and-a-half hours. Among those offered are: Chichen Itza; Merida City Overview & Uxmal; 4x4 Nature & Ruins Adventure; Caves & Caverns Snorkeling; Dzibilchaltun Mayan Ruins; Mexican Fiesta & Merida Shopping; Izamal Colonial City; LaCeiba Golf Course. A little something for everyone, and naturally, you don't want to overlook shopping in Progreso's main market with the lighthouse in the background.

Uxmal, the other famous Mayan ruin near Progreso, is rated by some experts as the finest example available. The name Uxmal means "thrice-built" and refers to the construction of the 115-foot Pyramid of the Magician (actually, five different stages of construction have been uncovered to date). Other notable sites include Palace of the Governor, Nunnery Quadrangle, House of the Turtles, Quadrangle of the Birds, Platform of the Steles, and the Dovecote.