Our Town

 

Our Town: Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Na’atik’s colorful, bustling town, commonly called ‘Carrillo’, is just one hour south of Tulum and two hours north of Belize in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Carrillo is surrounded by green, low-brush jungle in the center of the state of Quintana Roo in the heartland of the Maya resistance. Some of the world’s most spectacular Caribbean beaches are just over an hour away. 

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“Felipe Carrillo Puerto is the real and charming Mexico! I never once felt unsafe and all of the locals were very friendly and helpful.”

—Ronica W.

Carrillo is the perfect place to learn Spanish or Maya. The pace is slower, the people are friendly, and as very few people speak English, you’ll be fully immersed in your new language. People here speak slowly, are easy to understand and will take the time to talk to you.  As a small city with a tight-knit community, it is also extremely safe to walk and bike around the town. The population is of Maya descent and it’s still common to see older women in their traditional huipil dress speaking Maya.

Carrillo Puerto's historical church. Famous for being one of the only churches to be build by white slaves

“I felt very safe in Carrillo, even as a 16-year-old girl by myself, and had a great time exploring other cities nearby on the weekends.”

—Maddie D.

history of carrillo

Rich in history and culture, Carrillo continues to be a source of pride for the Maya. The city is known for its strength in defeating the ‘white’ Spanish-blood Mexicans during their ‘Caste War’ or La Guerra de Castas invasion into the region of Quintana Roo in 1850. In 1930, the town’s name was changed to honor the mayor, Felipe Carrillo Puerto, because he was one of the first politicians to fight for indigenous rights for the local people. Today, Carrillo’s municipality of approximately 80,000 inhabitants covers not only the city, but the surrounding Maya Communities. 

Spanish immersion student with the local basketball team at the state championships that he helped to coach
The Carrillo Puerto main market filled with sweet treats as well as fruits and vegetables.
One of our local homestay families outside their restaurant that they own.
A beautiful local bird with a worm in its mouth
Delicious local homemade donuts
A cute Na'atik neighborhood dog
Carrillo's own traditional musician and music teacher who works in the Carrillo Puerto museum demonstrates how to play his handmade Maya flute
One of Carrillo's murals painted by local artists. This mural shows the toucan, a Maya woman and corn, the lifeline of the Maya people
The entrance to Carrillo Puerto's cemetery all freshly painted and ready for Día de Muertos or Day of the Dead.
Carrillo Puerto's Sunday evening dance and music cultural festival here showing a traditional Mexican dance
Outside the Lady of Guadalupe, La Guadalupana, church on the night the peregrinos, or pilgrims, return home on the 12th of December for the Dia de la Guadalupana.
Local Carrillo Puerto high school students presenting their choir at the Sunday night Domingos Culturales for song, music and culture in the central parque
The entranceway of a typical Carrillo Puerto home.
Local Carrillo Puerto students dressed up as catrines for the Dia de Muertos or Day of the Dead processionas at the end of October
Carrillo Puerto mural of a Maya god designed and painted by a local artist
A Na'atik Maya language immersion university student relaxes in her homestay hammock
Beautiful outdoor eating in Carrillo Puerto with sunshine and greenery
One of the Carrillo Puerto tropical lizards waiting for his meal to fly by
The clock tower in Carrillo Puerto's central square better known as the 'parque'
Fresh avacados right off Na'atik's avacado tree
One of Carrillo Puerto's street vendors selling fresh dragon fruit, pitahaya, off her cart.
One of Na'atik's students excited to have found two fresh avocados right off the tree at the school.
a delicious plate of flor de calabaza - the squash flower, ready to be cooked into a local Maya snack
A spread of local Carrillo Puerto Mayan snacks: sik'il pak' dip, habanero chiles with lime juice and salt, fresh tortilla chips, pico de gallo salsa, and fresh sliced jicama with lime juice, cilantro and salt.
Statue of indigenous Maya General Francisco May, located in Carrillo Puerto to recognize the general's dedication to freeing the Maya people from outside invasion during the Caste War (Guerra de Castas)
Beautiful hammocks hung in the indoror kitchen of one of Na'atik's homestay families. It's common in Carrillo Puerto and the Zona Maya to have hammocks hanging throughout the houses
The famous Pich tree in Carrillo Puerto before the large trunk fell. This tree is still a known landmark for all who live here. It is located just 2.5 blocks from Na'atik
A Carrillo Puerto elaborate altar to the Virgin Guadalupe for the 12th of December festivals
Felipe Carrillo Puerto's Maya museum located in the central plaza, better known as the 'parque'
Felipe Carrillo Puerto's sign in the central plaza below palm trees
The chapel of the Talking Cross, a place of historical sigificance to the Maya of Felipe Carrillo Puerto during the Caste War
A beautiful palm tree shading the Carrillo Puerto church in the central parque
Carrillo Puerto honey from local bees

What’s it like to live in Carrillo?

Do you wonder what it’s like to live in Carrillo and live in the Spanish and Maya languages? Watch this video to listen for a former immersion student recount her experience in Carrillo and her homestay at Na’atik.

 
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“I enjoyed exploring the quaint town of Felipe Carrillo Puerto by bicycle. It's a tight-knit community off the tourist trail. I felt safe on my own and there were a lot of opportunities to practice speaking Spanish.”

— Jen Q.