All about Sandero Jurásico in Chicxulub, Mexico

If you head east from Progreso, the next town on the Emerald Coast is Chicxulub Puerto. Chicxulub is merged with Progreso and that's why it looks like just one city.

The vilage had a population of about 4,000 people. It is a sleepy fishing village but it is known for the meteorite Chicxulub, after which the village was named.

There is a great attraction for kids, the Sandero Jurásico theme park. On the "Chicxulub Jurassic Trail" there are life-size dinosaurs (Velociraptor, Brachiosaurus, Triceratops and many others) that are moved by motors and also make sounds.

The park was opened in 2022. Everything takes place outdoors, which means you should also keep an eye on the weather (see also the tips below).

The beaches around Chicxulub Puerto are narrower, and at high tide the sea often comes close to the beachfront properties that line the coast. Unlike Progreso, the shorter pier is open to the public.

Meteorite crater

The meteorite hit the coast about 66 million years ago. About 75% of the plant and animal species became extinct on Earth at that time.

The impact crater is about 180 km in diameter and was discovered in the 1970s by Antonio Camargo and Glen Penfield. The centre of the Chicxulub crater lies approximately below the namesake village of Chicxulub.

The crater depth is 10 km (30 to 35 km immediately after the impact). The diameter of the asteroid at the time was probably about 10 to 15 km.The impact changed the geology of the entire peninsula and is probably also the reason for today's many cave systems and cenotes.

The Emerald Coast

The Emerald Coast (Costa Esmeralda in Spanish) is an unofficial name for the the 98 km long coastal area in the north of the Yucatan Peninsula. The name comes from the emerald colored water.

Some interesting figures:

A few tips

A good time to visit Sandero Jurásico is from about 7:00 pm, when the dinosaurs are lit up (and it's not so hot). In Progreso, next to Chicxulub Puerto, is the "Museo del Meteorito".

It offers a journey through 14 billion years of history, also focusing on the event that changed the history of the Earth 66 million years ago - the impact of the Chicxulab meteorite.

How do you get to Chicxulub from Mérida?

As the place is not far from Mérida, the best way to get there is by car (or taxi or Uber etc.). It is located on the Chixchulub highway towards Telchac from Progreso at kilometre 4.5.

You will see it on the right. One car park is behind the gas station on the highway in Chicxulub. The other is at the "Víctor Cervera Pacheco" police station, which is just a few metres from "El Corchito".