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Mark Moxon's Travel Writing

Mexico: Valladolid

Parque Francisco Cantón Rosado with the towers of the Cathedral de San Gervasio in the background
Parque Francisco Cantón Rosado with the towers of the Cathedral de San Gervasio in the background

It's a cliché for a reason, but everything looks better in the sunshine. Soon after our arrival in Valladolid, an old Spanish colonial town a couple of hours' drive west of Tulum, the by-now-familiar clouds rolled in and the heavy tropical rains kicked in, just as we'd headed out to explore the main plaza. Luckily the Spanish built their plazas with colonnades around the outside, so we dashed under cover as the plaza flooded in seconds, and the traffic started driving wakes against the pavement like over-zealous motorboats by the beach.

The sun beating down on the main plaza in Valladolid
The sun beating down on the main plaza in Valladolid
The main plaza in the rain
The main plaza isn't quite as enticing in the tropical rain

Off to Church

Inside the Cathedral de San Gervasio
Inside the Cathedral de San Gervasio

The town centre is clustered round the airy green space of the main plaza, and in particular the Parque Francisco Cantón Rosado. This luscious park contains a surprisingly large number of loveseats, where two stone seats face towards each other but offset to the side, much like business class sleeper seats on modern aeroplanes. If you wander through the park at night, it's easy to see why they're there, for this is where couples come to canoodle, no doubt to get away from prying family eyes.

A loveseat in Parque Francisco Cantón Rosado
A loveseat in Parque Francisco Cantón Rosado
Peta surveys the mound of food you get for a fiver in Valladolid's food hall
Peta surveys the mound of food you get for a fiver in Valladolid's food hall