San Bernardino Convent

The Franciscans planted their convent of San Bernardino of Siena in 1552 at the village of Sisal on Valladolid's edge, and built - as everywhere in early Yucatan - a fortress of faith: massive rose-washed walls, crenellations, an arcaded porch broad enough to preach to crowds, and inside, a carved wooden altarpiece that survived when revolutionaries stripped the church in 1910. The convent's secret is beneath it: the complex was raised directly over the cenote Sis-Ha, and in the garden a stone well-house still opens onto the underground water - divers have brought up colonial weapons dumped during the Caste War. The approach makes half the visit: the Calzada de los Frailes, the cobbled lane the friars laid between town and convent, is now Valladolid's prettiest street, a corridor of single-storey facades in ochre, rose and blue housing cacao shops, cafes and boutiques. Evenings add the modern chapter - a video-mapping show projected on the convent facade recounts the city's history in light, and the esplanade fills with strolling families.

What to look for

• The rose facade - fortress walls and arcades of 1552.
• The cenote well - underground water beneath the garden.
• The altarpiece and museum rooms - colonial survivals inside.
• Calzada de los Frailes - the cobbled approach in full color.

When to go

Late afternoon: walk the Calzada as the light warms, tour the convent before closing and stay for the projection show after dark on its scheduled nights.

Before you go

The interior is austere - the power is in walls, well and setting more than treasures. Show nights vary by season; confirm locally. The Calzada's boutiques price for visitors.

Nearby

Valladolid's plaza and Casa de los Venados are ten minutes' walk; the Dzitnup cenotes lie just beyond the ward.