Beautiful, Historic Merida
Yucatan Pen., Mexico
By Fred Perry
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The spacious Plaza Mayor, bordered by the cathedral.
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Dave and I spent two weeks enjoying the blue skies and warm breezes of Yucatan State, using Mérida as our base. It's a beautiful historic old city, in a good central location to explore the fabled cities of the lost Mayan civilization. It's also not overrun with tourists. This article is about attractions that we found interesting there, which travellers sometimes overlook.
Called "the white city" because of the limestone construction of many of its buildings, Mérida is beautiful, clean and safe. It has a European air about it, perhaps because it is closer to the cosmopolitan culture of the Caribbean islands than to Mexico City. Founded in 1542 by Montejo, it now has close to a million inhabitants. Being located inland, it was not subject to attack by pirates or foreign invaders, so it lacks the fortifications typical of many Mexican cities. Its central area was built with stones recovered from Mayan temples which the Spaniards destroyed. It has a beautiful Plaza Mayor (zócalo), bordered by government buildings and one of North America's oldest cathedrals (late 1500s), but unlike many Latin cities this is a landscaped and peaceful place for family relaxation, rather than one for official functions.
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The lowly sisal, source of fine rope, once made for high dollars.
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Sisal, the humble plant growing on the scrubby land surrounding the city, provided the foundation for many a dynasty. Wealthy "sisal barons" laid out a great residential boulevard, the Paseo Montejo, which they lined with European-style palaces and mansions of limestone and white marble. Today one is the Museum of Anthropology and History, most others have been converted for office space, and some have seen better days, but overall they are still a joy to behold.
Unlike some Mexican cities where tourism is the main business, Mérida relies on poultry and hog farming in the surrounding area, textiles, light industry, museums, universities, and craft markets. In 2000 it was officially designated "Cultural Capital of the Americas". Fiercely proud of their heritage, the residents consider it the cultural centre of the Mayan world, and usually call it "Mérida, Yucatan", without mentioning Mexico at all.
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Courtyard of the Gran Hotel.
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There are good accommodations in all price ranges. We stayed downtown at the colonial-style Gran Hotel, where wood-paneled and marble-floored rooms with high ceilings cost CAD$28 per day for two. Although we sometimes ate in the hotel courtyard dining-room, in the morning we usually went to the Jugos California juice bar on the zócalo where CAD$1.75 got us nearly a litre of juice squeezed right before our eyes from a variety of fruits of our choice. For a few cents more we enjoyed fresh pastries from the Montejo Bakery next door. In the nearby government building there are inexpensive restaurants serving delicious Yucatecan food, mainly chicken and pork, with citrus and other sauces on the side. Four dollars bought a good meal and a bottle of thirst-quenching Montejo Dark beer. But a word of warning: DON'T TRY THE GREEN HABAÑERA SAUCE, WHATEVER YOU DO!!
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Montejo standing on Mayan heads.
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We found the people friendly and cheerful. Stores were well stocked, sales personnel were helpful (though few spoke English), and the prices were very good. We bought guayabera shirts, silver for our wives, hammocks, and lace-trimmed dresses for my grand-daughters. The weather was warm and sunny, and we were able to visit the main places of interest on foot. A useful one to know is the bank on the zócalo in the original founder's palace, the Casa Montejo (1550). Its exchange house gives the best rate in town. You can't miss it: over the door is a statue of the conquistador with his feet firmly planted on two Mayan heads. Be sure to see the Monumento a la Patria (Monument to the Nation) on Paseo Montejo boulevard, not far from the Anthropological Museum. It is the enormous and intricately-carved work of sculptor Rómulo Rozo, which the city commissioned in 1956 to honour the history of the Mayan people.
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Ballet Folklorico performs a traditional harvest dance.
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One extraordinary "plus" was the series of free cultural events such as concerts, poetry readings and folklore dances which the city provides daily at various locations. Unlike most places I've visited, they are for the enjoyment of their own residents, not events staged for tourists. Every Sunday, for example, the Ballet Folklórico performs a variety of colourful and traditional dances on the street in front of the City Hall. Bring your own chair and enjoy!
If you decide to go to Mérida, I hope you won't just rush through on the way to the coast or to Chichén Itzá, for there is much to see, and a very pleasant experience to be had among its friendly Mayan people.
Questions?
If you want more information about this area you can email the author or check out our North America Insiders page.
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