tana Roo, with must-see Cancún at the forefront. A journey from north to south along this vast tongue of land that divides the Gulf of Mexico from the Caribbean Sea shows how it is a thriving territory, replete with the fusion of civilisations. Mérida is the capital of the state of Yucatán. The day here begins religiously with tacos in the Mercado de Santiago (Calle 57, Parque Santiago) dipped in habanero, the region’s super spicy chilli pepper. This jewel of colonial architecture, where the colonisers actually settled, is the only city with a European layout and buildings. Nowadays, it is the safest city in Mexico, two hours from Cancún Airport and a road with more than three thousand cenotes, or limestone sinkholes. the first magic town But the Yucatán peninsula is best known for its pueblos mágicos, © Hemis / Alamy Stock Photo > El restaurante Kinich en Izamal. // The Kinich restaurant in Izamal.