• Mexico Guide

  • Introduction to Mexico
  • Weather
  • Things not to miss
  • Getting around
  • Entry requirements
  • Money
  • Public holidays

• Explore Mexico

  • Baja California and the Pacific Northwest
  • The north
  • The Bajío
  • Northern Jalisco and Michoacán
  • Mexico City
  • Acapulco and the Pacific beaches
  • Veracruz
  • Oaxaca
  • Chiapas and Tabasco
  • The Yucatán

• Cities

  • Acapulco
    
  • Cancún
    
  • Guadalajara
    
  • Mexico City
    
  • Monterrey
    
  • Oaxaca
    

Mexico Guide

The Yucatán

Chetumal

• Accommodation
• Eating

If you're heading south to Belize or Guatemala, you can't avoid the capital of Quintana Roo, CHETUMAL, 15km from the Belize border – the neighbouring country's influence is reflected in everything from the language (many people speak English) to the clapboard houses. Obliterated by Hurricane Janet in 1955, the city is a hodgepodge of modern concrete buildings (some even exuding a bit of 1960s flair) and a few old wooden houses with porches that remain from the settlement's earliest days. With almost no notable "sights" to speak of, Chetumal is largely oblivious to tourists – which can be refreshing after the hedonism of the Riviera Maya.