Town Ticul, Yucatán Ruta Puuc Ruta de los Conventos
The "Pearl of the South": a busy Maya town of shoemakers and potters, and a base for Uxmal and the Puuc Route.
From Mérida: 1 h 25 min by car (86 km by road) How to get there ↓
Near here
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Plan your visit to Ticul
Tours to Ticul
Day trips around Maní sometimes stop in Ticul; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Tours from Merida
From Merida: Chichen Itza Tour, Izamal, Cenote Ik Kil and Food
★ 4.9 (578) · From US$74
How to get to Ticul
- From Mérida: about 1 h 25 min by road (~86 km)
- 15 km west of Maní
- Nearest airport: Mérida (MID), 1 h 27 min by car to Maní
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Tours from Merida, near Ticul
Tours, prices and ratings from Viator, checked weekly. We may earn a commission if you book.
About Ticul
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.
How to get to Ticul
Drive from Mérida: 1 h 25 min, 86 km
Ticul is about 85 km south of Mérida, roughly 1 h 20 min by car: leave on federal Highway 261 toward Uxmal, then take Highway 184 through Muna to Ticul. From Maní it is about 15 km west, some 20 minutes on the Ticul–Dzan road. Colectivos link 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.
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From the nearest cities to Ticul
- Mérida · 86 km by road, 1 h 25 min
- Campeche · 149 km by road, 2 h 15 min
- Valladolid · 185 km by road, 3 h
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Before you go to Ticul: hours, prices and tips
- Best season
- Ticul holds its carnival in February (2026: February 12–17). Por Esto · checked Oct 2026
- Guide or tour
- You go on your own: most pottery and shoe workshops are family-run and owners are happy to let you look around; many can pack and ship larger buys. Yucatán Today · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting Ticul: 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.
Plan your trip
Tours & activities
Day trips around Maní sometimes stop in Ticul; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Rental cars
Pick up a car at MID (Mérida): about 1 h 27 min by road to Maní, then 15 km more to Ticul, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Mérida (MID), about 1 h 27 min by road from Maní, the base for Ticul.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Maní: download a map of the way to Ticul before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you. Hotel names from OpenStreetMap.
Photos
When to go to Ticul warm
Ticul shares the climate of Maní, 15 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, November, and December.
See the month-by-month climate of Maní
Weather in Ticul now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
Make Maní your base
Ticul is an easy trip from Maní, a Pueblo Mágico with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
Closest to Ticul
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Santa Elena · Town · 14 km away
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Oxkutzcab · Town · 16 km away
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Grutas de Loltún · Cave · 18 km away
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Kabah · Archaeological site · 20 km away
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Mama · Town · 20 km away
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Yunkú · Village · 21 km away · Yucatán
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Choco-Story Uxmal · Landmark · 24 km away · Yucatán
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Chumayel · Town · 25 km away
Near Ticul
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
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Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.