Town 15 km west of Maní
The "Pearl of the South": a busy Maya town of shoemakers and potters, and a base for Uxmal and the Puuc Route.
Ticul, about 15 kilometers west of Maní, is the largest town in this part of southern Yucatán and is known as the Pearl of the South. It keeps a strong Maya identity, with many people speaking Yucatec Maya in daily life, and it makes a practical base for Uxmal and the Puuc Route, which begin just to the west.
Ticul is a town of trades. It has more than 240 shoe factories and workshops, the largest concentration in Yucatán, turning out sandals, huaraches, heels and closed shoes that you can buy straight from the makers. It is also the state's main pottery center, where workshops make flowerpots, urns and replicas of Maya pieces, masks and stelae with traditional techniques, though potters say the craft is shrinking.
The town grew around the Franciscan convent and church of San Antonio de Padua: a convent was established here in 1591, and the church was finished in 1625, according to a stone plaque still set in its walls. Ticul is also proud of its food, especially poc chuc, pork marinated in sour orange and grilled over charcoal.
What to see and do
Buy shoes or sandals directly from the town's workshops.
Visit a pottery workshop to see clay pieces shaped and fired.
See the church of San Antonio de Padua and the plaque dated 1625.
Eat poc chuc or other Yucatecan dishes in town.
Use Ticul as a base for Uxmal, Kabah and the Puuc Route.
Getting there
Ticul is about 20 minutes west of Maní by car. Colectivos connect Maní, Oxkutzcab and Ticul, and Ticul has frequent buses and colectivos to Mérida.
15 km west of Maní
Directions from Maní on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Ticul
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Ticul.
Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.
Photos
Weather warm
Ticul shares the climate of Maní, 15 km away. The best months to visit are Jan, Feb, Nov, Dec.
Make Maní your base
Ticul is an easy trip from Maní, a Pueblo Mágico with places to stay, food, and more to see.
More around Maní
-
Chumayel
· Town · 10 km away
The village where one of the Chilam Balam books, a key Maya chronicle, was kept; a quiet stop with a colonial church. -
Mama
· Town · 10 km away
On the Convent Route: a stone church with an ornate bell gable and what is said to be the largest baptismal font in Yucatán. -
Oxkutzcab
· Town · 10 km away
The fruit-growing center of southern Yucatán, with a big, busy market of oranges, mangoes and local produce. -
Teabo
· Town · 11 km away
A Convent Route village whose 17th-century church and former convent of San Pedro y San Pablo stand out for their deep red walls. -
Grutas de Loltún
· Cave · 16 km away
Yucatán's largest known cave system, with ancient Maya reliefs and handprints; closed since 2020, with a reopening set for October 2026. -
Tekit
· Town · 17 km away
Yucatán's guayabera capital, with hundreds of sewing workshops, and a large 16th-century church on the Convent Route. -
Santa Elena
· Town · 27 km away
A Puuc village near Uxmal with a hilltop 18th-century church and a small museum of mummies found beneath its floor. -
Mayapán
· Archaeological site · 28 km away
The last great Maya capital of Yucatán, with a round observatory and painted stucco; closed since early 2024 over a land dispute. -
Kabah
· Archaeological site · 31 km away
Uxmal's sister city on the Puuc Route, with a palace façade covered in hundreds of masks of the rain god Chaac. -
Labná
· Archaeological site · 31 km away
The Puuc Route site with the famous carved Maya arch and a temple crowned by a tall roof comb. -
Sayil
· Archaeological site · 36 km away
A Puuc Route city in the forest, known for its three-story Great Palace with columns and masks of Chaac. -
Uxmal
· Archaeological site · 40 km away
The finest Puuc-style Maya city, a World Heritage Site with the oval Pyramid of the Magician and carved stone façades. -
Hacienda Sotuta de Peón
· Landmark · 44 km away
A henequen hacienda that still processes sisal fiber with its old machinery, with a mule-drawn cart ride and an underground cenote.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.