Maxcanú is a large town in the western part of the Mexican state of Yucatán

Yucatán

Yucatán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Yucatán is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 106 municipalities and its capital city is Mérida....

; it also functions as the seat for the Municipality of Maxcanú. It is located on Federal Highway 180, approximately 62 km (38.5 mi) south of Mérida.

The ancient Maya site of Oxkintok

Oxkintok

Oxkintok is a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site on the Yucatán Peninsula, located at the northern tip of the Puuc hills - a few kilometers to the east of the modern town of Maxcanú, Yucatán, Mexico.-Etymology:...

 and the caves of Calcehtok are close to Maxcanú, while another ancient Maya settlement, Chunchucmil

Chunchucmil

Chunchucmil was once a large, sprawling pre-Columbian Maya city located in the western part of what is now the state of Yucatán, Mexico.Although the famous explorer and author John Lloyd Stephens traveled within a few kilometers of Chunchucmil during his historic journey across the Yucatán...

, is located ca. 25 kilometers west of the town.

Facilities available in Maxcanú include: internet cafes; grocery stores; fresh produce market; family restaurants; public telephones; DVD rental; hardware stores; bus station (for connections to Mérida and Campeche

Campeche, Campeche

San Francisco de Campeche is the capital city of the Mexican state of Campeche, located at,...

); and a "combi" taxi stand for travelling to local villages.

Maxcanú is the birthplace of Alfredo Barrera Vásquez

Alfredo Barrera Vásquez

Alfredo Barrera Vázquez was a Mexican anthropologist, linguist, academic and Mayanist scholar. He is noted for both his research into the historical Maya civilization of the pre-Columbian era and his contributions promoting literacy in Mayan languages and the culture of contemporary Maya peoples...

, the noted Mexican anthropologist and Mayanist

Mayanist

A Mayanist is a scholar specialising in research and study of the Central American pre-Columbian Maya civilization. This discipline should not be confused with Mayanism, a collection of New Age beliefs about the ancient Maya....

scholar who was the principal editor behind the Diccionario Cordemex, the influential Mayan-Spanish dictionary and orthography.