Yucatán crafts: what to buy and in which town
A guide to Yucatán crafts by town: hammocks from Tixkokob, embroidered hipiles from Tenabo, Ticul pottery, Dzityá woodcarving and filigree jewellery, with prices and tips.
In Yucatán each town makes one thing, and has made it well for generations. If you’re going to buy crafts, it helps to know where each piece is born and what it should cost.
Buying in the town of origin has two advantages: a fair price reaches the maker, and you avoid the industrial imitations that fill the tourist markets. Here’s the guide by product. For the background on the towns, read Maya crafts: 10 towns born to create.
Hammocks — Tixkokob and Chumayel
The Yucatecan hammock is one of the best in the world. Look at:
- Material: cotton (cool, soft), nylon (tough, for outdoors) or sansevieria (softened henequen, expensive and traditional).
- Size: single, double, “special double” or family. Always buy a size larger than you think.
- Density: count the threads per arm-span; more threads, more comfortable and more expensive.
A well-woven cotton double runs 1,200–2,500 pesos. Be suspicious of the 400-peso ones.
Embroidery and clothing — Tenabo, Maní, Teabo
The hipil (huipil) embroidered by hand, with cross-stitch flowers or “xocbichuy”, can take weeks of work. A machine-embroidered dress hipil costs from 1,500 pesos; a hand-embroidered one, several thousand. Also guayaberas, blouses and tablecloths.
Pottery — Ticul
Ticul is the clay town: planters, tableware, comales and archaeological replicas. Look for the traditional glazed earthenware and the unglazed red-clay pieces for cooking.
Woodcarving — Dzityá
On the outskirts of Mérida, Dzityá carves cedar and granadillo: mortars, boards, trays, figures. They also work limestone. A good place for a purchase on the way to the airport.
Filigree jewellery — Mérida (centre)
Gold and silver filigree (thread braided into flowers and “arracada” earrings) is a colonial legacy. In the jewellers of the first blocks and in the market. Ask for the metal hallmark.
Others
- Jipijapa (“panama” hats) — Becal, already in Campeche, but sold across Yucatán. They’re woven in caves because of the humidity.
- Artisanal candles and soap, melipona honey, Xtabentún liqueur — in Mérida and the southern-cone towns.
- Contemporary ceramics and design textiles — young workshops in Santiago and La Ermita.
Where to buy in Mérida without leaving the city
- Casa de las Artesanías (Calle 63) — fixed prices, guaranteed quality, the state shop.
- Santiago and Lucas de Gálvez markets — haggle with judgement.
- Sundays on the Plaza Grande (Mérida en Domingo), with artisans from several towns.
Continue with the traditions of Yucatán month by month and the Yucatecan dictionary.
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