Today adorned by striking yellow colored buildings, origin of the nickname Yellow City, the small colonial city of Izamal was in pre-Hispanic times an important Mayan pilgrimage center, still very influential when Spanish conquerors arrived. During the Early Classic Period of the Maya, it became the home of Kinich Kakmo, the Sun God, and Itzam Na, the God of Healing. To deal with the 'pagan' cult, the religious who came from the Old World used a formula that today would scare, but at that time was repeated in many corners of America: Spanish conquerors destroyed the major Mayan temple of Polpochac, for the worship of rain, and built on his imposing stone basement a Christian Convent in honor of San Antonio.
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The Church and Convent of San Antonio de Padua, built on top of the Polpochac pyramid with stones taken from the Kinich Kakmo temple, the largest convent in the Americas during the 16th century. The church is the home of the Virgin of Izamal, patron of the city and all Yucatan, brought from Guatemala by Friar Diego de Landa, the second bishop of the Yucatán. It was here, in the vast churchyard of the convent, that Friar Landa burned the Maya codexes and held his inquisition.
In addition to the lovely character of the town and its people other interesting sites are the church of Los Remedios, a 16th-century chapel, and the ruins of Kinich Kakmo pyramid dedicated to the Sun God, the biggest pyramid built in the Yucatán.
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The Art and Cultural Center, housed in a colonial mansion, contains numerous pieces of artistic and traditional craftworks.
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