About a half hour outside of Merida to the east, Motul is one of the state’s largest smaller cities… bigger than Izamal, but definitely smaller than Merida. Motul has a proud history of being a Mayan city ruled by the Pech family (you’ll still find Pech descendants throughout the state…) and then a colonial city colonized by Francisco Montejo himself. Motul is known in modern times most famously for being the birthplace of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, a socialist governor of Yucatan in the 1920′s who was murdered by a firing squad in Merida in 1924.

Today Motul is a sleepier, smaller version of Merida. The town is home for people that either work in Merida or in one of the many maquiladoras in the surrounding countryside. The center of town boasts a park in the town square, a beautiful Franciscan monastery and church and a colonial city hall. The Felipe Carrillo Puerto museum faces the town market, which is also in the center of town.

As a colonial city, Motul still has many colonial buildings, some of which are coming up for sale. The city is small, with a population of about 21,000 people, but it has a bustling market, a large cathedral with many religious activities and events throughout the year as well as various stores and shops. Whereas, once upon a time, it may have been close to impossible for a foreigner to negotiate the purchase of a house in this area, those days are over and now we have seven listings in this fair city.

Here is a recent addition to our listings in Motul that is a lovely colonial building. Something similar in similar condition in Merida would easily cost three times as much. Here in Motul, you can still enjoy the renovation of a beautiful colonial building, and end up living in a lovely colonial city that is a hop, skip and a jump away from Merida, the capital of Yucatan.

Click here to read about an Old Palace for sale in Motul!