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    The church of San Pedro Apóstol in Sotuta, Yucatán

    Photo by Donna Yates, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Front of the 16th-century church of Sotuta, Yucatán

    Photo by MikSed, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Sotuta's town hall on the main square, Yucatán

    Photo by MikSed, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Sotuta

    Town Sotuta, Yucatán Yucatán's cenote route Henequen Zone

    The old capital of the Cocom lords in central Yucatán: a 16th-century church, Nachi Cocom's memory, small caves and cenotes, and adventure ranches nearby.

    From Mérida: 1 h 30 min by car (86 km by road) How to get there ↓

    Near here

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    Plan your visit to Sotuta

    Where to stay near Sotuta

    Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Sotuta.

    Hotels in Sotuta Houses on Vrbo

    Tours to Sotuta

    Day trips around Izamal sometimes stop in Sotuta; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.

    3 Hour Tour in The Sotuta de Peón Live Museum ★ 4.6 (84) · From US$55
    Find tours on Viator GetYourGuide

    How to get to Sotuta

    • From Mérida: about 1 h 30 min by road (~86 km)
    • Nearest airport: Mérida (MID), 1 h 10 min by car to Izamal
    Rent a car at MID Flights to MID

    Route, map and directions ↓

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    Popular tours to Sotuta

    3 Hour Tour in The Sotuta de Peón Live Museum ★ 4.6 (84) 3 h From US$55
    Private Tour: Sotuta de Peon Hacieda Day Trip ★ 5.0 (4) 1 day From US$305
    Private Tour: Uxmal & Hacienda Sotuta de Peon by Yucatan Concierge ★ 5.0 (2) 8 h From US$571
    ATV Adventure Tour to Cenotes Holca and Sotuta from Mérida 8 h From US$218
    Private Tour: Uxmal & Sotuta de Peon with Lunch by Yucatan Concierge 8–9 h From US$599

    Tours, prices and ratings from Viator, checked weekly. We may earn a commission if you book.

    About Sotuta

    Sotuta is a town of about 5,800 people (2020 census) in central Yucatán, the seat of the municipality of the same name, about 75 km southeast of Mérida as the crow flies and roughly 100 km by road. Its Maya name is usually translated as "water that turns around".

    Before the conquest Sotuta was the capital of a Maya province ruled by the Cocom lineage, and its halach uinik, Nachi Cocom, is remembered for fiercely resisting the Spanish conquest of Yucatán. After the conquest the town was given in encomienda; after independence it grew and in 1825 became the head of the Beneficios Bajos district. The 16th-century church of San Pedro Apóstol dominates the centre, and there is an 18th-century chapel at the hermitage of Santa Cruz. On the Parque Nachi Cocom stands a monument to the old ruler and the building locals call his castle, the Cuartel General Pedro Sáenz de Baranda, now a cultural centre; another old house is said to have been his palace.

    Around town there is more to do than most visitors expect. The Grutas de Sotuta are a cave about 60 metres long with stalactites and stalagmites, visited with a local guide; Cenote del Gato is a small closed cenote on a family property, and Cenote Zutut'Ha, nearby, is an open cenote with sheer stone walls. The ruined Hacienda Xiat can be explored, and on the former Rancho San Gerónimo a private outfit runs a seven-cenote route with an 18-metre jump named after Nachi Cocom. The town's big fiestas are for the Virgen de la Natividad (4–8 September) and the Virgen de Guadalupe (3–12 December), with vaquerías and jarana dancing.

    How to get to Sotuta

    Drive from Mérida: 1 h 30 min, 86 km

    From Mérida, take the highway toward Cancún and turn off at Holcá, then follow the Holcá–Sotuta road south; it's about 100 km. From Izamal, Sotuta is about 54 km away: take Highway 53 to the Cancún highway, continue via Kantunil on the free road to Holcá and then south. Homún and Cuzamá, with their cenotes, are to the west.

    Directions to Sotuta on Google Maps

    Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.

    Best with a guide Tours to Sotuta on Viator With transport and a guide, leaving from nearby towns and cities. See prices →

    Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.

    From the nearest cities to Sotuta

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Before you go to Sotuta: hours, prices and tips

    Entry
    Grutas de Sotuta: 150 pesos per person with a guide; Cenote del Gato about 50 pesos. México Desconocido · checked Oct 2026
    Best season
    Fiestas for the Virgen de la Natividad (4–8 September), the Virgen de Guadalupe (3–12 December) and San Ildefonso (23 December); Hanal Pixán home altars at the start of November. Wikipedia (es) · checked Oct 2026
    Guide or tour
    The caves are visited with a local guide; the seven-cenote route on the former Rancho San Gerónimo is a private small-group tour (5–10 people) that must be booked. Tours: Viator GetYourGuide El Universal · checked Oct 2026

    Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.

    Visiting Sotuta: what to see and do

    See the 16th-century church of San Pedro Apóstol and the Santa Cruz hermitage chapel.
    Visit the Parque Nachi Cocom, its monument and the so-called castle of Nachi Cocom, now a cultural centre.
    Tour the 60-metre Grutas de Sotuta with a local guide.
    Swim in Cenote del Gato or Cenote Zutut'Ha.
    Book the seven-cenote route on the former Rancho San Gerónimo, with the Nachi Cocom jump.
    Come for the September or December fiestas, with vaquerías and jarana.

    Plan your trip

    Places to stay in Sotuta

    Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Sotuta.

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    Tours & activities

    Day trips around Izamal sometimes stop in Sotuta; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.

    Viator GetYourGuide

    Rental cars

    Pick up a car at MID (Mérida): about 1 h 10 min by road to Izamal, then 37 km more to Sotuta, on your own schedule.

    EconomyBookings Discover Cars

    Flights

    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Mérida (MID), about 1 h 10 min by road from Izamal, the base for Sotuta.

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    Travel insurance

    Medical and trip cover for Mexico, by the week or month.

    SafetyWing

    Mobile data

    Signal can drop away from Izamal: download a map of the way to Sotuta before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.

    Airalo

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    Photos

    When to go to Sotuta warm

    Sotuta shares the climate of Izamal, 37 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, November, and December.

    See the month-by-month climate of Izamal

    The closest Pueblo Mágico: Izamal

    Yellow arcades of the Convento de San Antonio de Padua, Izamal, Yucatán warm
    Yucatán Izamal

    Izamal is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Sotuta, with places to stay, food, and more to see.

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    Near Sotuta

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.