About Us
Yucatán Today, the traveler's companion, is a bilingual media outlet that since 1988 has been the most comprehensive source of free tourist information on destinations, culture, and things to do in the Mexican state of Yucatán.
Available in both print and digital formats, and with a strong social media presence, Yucatán Today covers topics of interest to residents (both new and long-time), tourists, passing travelers, and those who call Yucatán home for only part of the year. For decades, our readers have dubbed us “the bible of tourism in Yucatán,” and to this day we are mentioned by name in international travel guides such as Lonely Planet, Michelin Guide, Rough Guides, Le Routard, and Le Guide Vert, to name a few. This, we believe, is due to our total devotion to sharing our love for our state, its places, its people, and its traditions.
Our Story
The story of Yucatán Today is, from its inception, a love story. It began when Juan Manuel Mier y Terán, a Yucatecan lover of art and design, met Judy Abbott, an American visiting the land of the Mayab for a short stay. Three months turned into a lifetime together; Juan Manuel’s love for design, Judy’s college degree in English Language, and their shared love for Yucatán became a magazine.
Back then, Yucatán was not the tourism powerhouse it is today; Judy and Juan Manuel saw, years in advance, the enormous appeal our land held for people from all over the world, and they sought to share it with anyone who, for whatever reason, arrived here.
Thirty-some years later, Yucatán has grown, as has the team at Yucatán Today and the quality of its products. From a printing press and a magazine, it has evolved into a publishing house that created what was recognized as the best tourism content in Yucatán in 2021. Today, we continue to grow with the challenge of providing the highest quality content in our print magazine, digital edition, website, and social media.
Our Values
The entire team at Yucatán Today operates in accordance with company values. Above all, we are a journalistic medium, with editorial standards and strict adherence to honesty, truthfulness, and copyright. All of our texts are created or published exclusively by Yucatán Today, and the images accompanying them are used with express permission (and, where applicable, compensation) from their creators.
Our mission is to create and maintain trustworthy and valuable tourism and promotional products, through our print magazine, website, and social media channels. We believe every traveler is different and seeks different things; therefore, at Yucatán Today, we do not recommend or endorse any product or service, but rather seek to share a wide range of options for all tastes, preferences, and budgets so our readers can make informed decisions.
However, we reserve the right not to promote products, services, or activities that we consider contrary to our principles; this includes any practice that undermines cultural preservation, animal welfare, or the environment. We are committed to promoting responsible and sustainable tourism that benefits our people without threatening the future of our region. We want to share Yucatán and its essence with all our visitors, but also with our grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.
AI Policy
Content published by Yucatán Today is researched, created, reviewed, and verified by human beings for human beings. We use AI tools to support our work, not as a shortcut to bypass it, and never to replace any human creator or contributor.
Meet the Team
Juan Manuel Mier y Terán Calero (✝)
Founder
Juan Manuel grew up with an innate passion for drawing, sketching, designing, and above all, being in the water—whether snorkeling, scuba diving, or sailing his sailboat. Traditional schooling was never his thing. While all his classmates were taking notes in class, Juan Manuel preferred to spend his time drawing motorcycles and cars.
At age 17, his parents decided to send him to New York to study art. He lived with family friends and attended an art school located in the penthouse of the Flatiron Building in Manhattan, where he studied commercial arts for three years. For his final year, he transferred to the Miami Art Institute.
In 1973, back in the days before computers—when all artwork was done by hand and text was cut and pasted onto layout sheets—Juan Manuel came up with the idea of creating a tourist guide for Mérida. He asked Judy if "she could write the information." It turned out to be the perfect partnership: although Judy was a nurse by profession, throughout middle and high school she had always chosen classes like creative writing, journalism, and public speaking.
They made an incredible team as they traveled across the state of Yucatán, visiting places that at the time didn't even appear on maps. They created maps that, to this day, are used by police officers, bus drivers, and countless people who always keep a copy of Yucatán Today in their cars due to the accuracy and reliability of its printed maps.
Combining Juan Manuel's art, photography, and adventurous spirit with Judy's gift for words, both shared the same mission: to guide people and give them the tools needed to explore the state of Yucatán on their own.
Sailing and watercolor painting were two other great passions in Juan Manuel's life, leading him on grand voyages to Belize and Guatemala aboard his sailboat.
Judy Abbott
Founder
Judy was born and raised in Glen Rock, New Jersey, until age 18, when she left home to study at Central College in Pella, Iowa. In 1971, she arrived in Mérida as part of a three-month study abroad program, and she hasn't left since.
She had only been in Mérida for a week when, one Friday night, students from the program gathered with some local students. What she didn't know was that three years later, she would marry one of the young men from that group, move permanently to Mérida, raise a family, and—alongside her Yucatecan husband—found the city's number one travel guide. Judy fell in love not only with Juan Manuel, but also with Mérida and Chicxulub; both places resonated deeply with her and became her favorite spots in the world.
Raising her daughter, traveling across the state of Yucatán in search of off-the-beaten-path locations, sailing, and writing for Yucatán Today filled Judy's life for many years until she retired in 2008 and founded Telchac Education, a non-profit educational and scholarship program in the fishing village of Telchac Puerto.
Andrea Mier y Terán Abbott
Director
Andrea carries the legacy of the peninsula's most iconic travel and culture guide in her blood. As the founders' daughter, she worked in every department from a young age, acquiring deep knowledge to evolve the brand with a clear mission: to showcase the real Yucatán through a complete fascination with its traditions, gastronomy, and most authentic corners.
Outside the office, if she isn't looking for a cenote, she is almost certainly on the coast. Andrea is passionate about the ocean and sailing, swapping the city heat for the Gulf breeze whenever she can. Her perfect plan is enjoying Yucatán with family, chasing sunsets, and sharing her roots.
Alicia Navarrete Alonso
Editor
As editor, Alicia took the reins of Yucatán Today's content in 2021. Skilled in content creation and curation, Alicia has a keen eye for writing and a deep love for her homeland, Yucatán. Before joining Yucatán Today, she worked within the state government promoting Yucatán's capabilities in research, innovation, and higher education internationally.
Her passion for history, culture, research, and food, combined with her extensive international and intercultural experience, enriches her work and brings a unique perspective to the content under her charge. In her free time, Alicia listens to podcasts and scolds her dogs.
Renée Morales Jiménez
Manager & Sales
Renée is a business administrator with a rather unique superpower: she is intense with details and thinks through millions of possibilities and how they might affect our daily lives. Furthermore, she is always looking for solutions, and always does so with a smile. She worked for years in hospitality and administration, organizing everyone's life, but her favorite place in the universe remains the peace of her room.
Renée likes to recharge with a cup of coffee and a purring cat nearby, and she faces a small life dilemma: she is terrified of flying, yet has an immense desire to see the whole world. So here you see her, conquering fears one airport at a time (or at least planning it from the comfort of her bed).
Sharon Cetina
Marketing Coordinator
Sharon joined Yucatán Today in 2023 to head the marketing department, bringing her experience in social media, creativity, and vast knowledge of memes. Like many team members, Sharon joined out of love and pride for being Yucatecan and the drive to share with the world how wonderful and unique (or sometimes random) Yucatecans can be.
Outside of Yucatán Today, Sharon is an entrepreneur, a non-expert coffee and wine taster, and always ready for new adventures that inspire innovative social media content.
Magali Ramírez D.
Graphic Designer
In addition to being a Graphic Communicator, Magali is a hardcore adventurer and a proud native of "Gran Tenochtitlán," as she likes to call Mexico City. The publishing world, where she has worked for 25 years as a designer (and occasionally as an editor), has kept two of her main passions alive: travel and food. Discovering, being amazed, and learning through the life stories everyone has to tell are innate parts of her curiosity and eagerness to always learn something new.
