MERIDA, Mexico – Even those lured to Merida too often dismiss this
colonial gem – capital of Yucatan state and home to almost 1
million people – as a gateway to the celebrated Maya ruins of
Chichen Itza and Uxmal.
On Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, it doesn’t approach newer and
flashier Cancun, 200 miles to the east, as a favorite international
vacation retreat.
Pause day or night, however, at Plaza de la Independencia – also
known as Plaza Mayor, the central square where past and present
converge in a smorgasbord of riches – and you will quickly
recognize that Merida is the real deal, not a manufactured
playground.
Much of the region’s history is reflected just steps from the plaza
by fabulous murals in the Government Palace; by the Mozarabic-style
towers and white stone columns of North America’s oldest cathedral;
by the 16th-century Casa de Montejo, home to the Spanish conquerer
who began to build here on the ruins of the Maya city Ichcaanzijo,
or T’Ho; by a Municipal Palace believed to occupy the space where
the last original Maya dwelling was destroyed.
A vibrant modern-day lifestyle – a blend of Maya and Spanish
language and customs thriving together after centuries of conflict
– is on display, too. It’s in the singing and folk dancing that
light up this zocalo, especially Sundays, when the area is closed
to vehicular traffic, presenting workers and university students
the perfect venue to party.
Venture into the surrounding neighborhoods – each with its distinct
square or park, its individual church – and you’ll discover men in
guayabera shirts and women in beautifully embroidered dresses,
lounging side by side in S-shaped concrete loveseats known as
confidenciales.
It’s a tradition maintained since the 17th century and favored
especially among young sweethearts because, as our guide, Braulio
Rosales Diaz, explained, “The in-laws can’t see both of you.”
Take sustenance at Los Almendros on Calle 57 and get a taste of the
Yucatan at its most authentic, especially if you ask for poc chuc,
slices of grilled marinated beef covered with onions; or pollo
pibil, perfectly seasoned chicken wrapped in banana leaves.
Then stroll – or, better yet, rent a calesa, a horse-drawn buggy –
along the broad Paseo de Montejo, lined on either side by ornate
19th-century homes, many converted into offices, and by a tree
canopy offering shelter from the tropical sun.
Here, as in many of Merida’s parks and other open spaces, you
witness a European influence attesting in part to another aspect of
the city’s past – beginning 200 years ago, a period of wealth and
opulence generated by the international trade of henequen, a
multi-use agave plant produced on hundreds of haciendas in the
northern Yucatan. It was during this time, in 1821, that the area
gained independence from Spain but when many native Indians
remained without most human rights.
Also beside the Paseo de Montejo is Canton Palace, built early in
the 20th century. Once the Yucatan governor’s official residence,
it’s now the site of the Museum of Anthropology, where a collection
of Maya artifacts merits exploration before any visit to Chichen
Itza or Uxmal.
At the center of a traffic circle along this grand boulevard stands
the Monumento a la Patria (Monument to the Fatherland), an enormous
stone sculpture on which Colombian artist Romulo Rozo depicts the
history of Mexico.
Park Centenario, at the west end of Calle 59, is especially popular
with kids. The park features a free zoo, with tropical birds among
highlights, along with rowboats and a miniature train.
In the main square, there are ample rewards for tourists.
Casa de Montejo, on the plaza’s southern extreme, was built in 1542
as the family home of Francisco Montejo, who led the Spanish
conquest (with the town named for Merida, Spain, but patterned in
its street grid after Paris). Montejo’s descendants lived in the
dwelling for 435 years.
It’s now a bank, but some open spaces can be toured.
On the exterior, facing the square, is a gripping scene: carvings
of Spanish knights standing on the heads of defeated Maya warriors,
believed to be the involuntary work of Maya craftsmen with the
inscription in stone, “Don Francisco Montejo caused this to be
made.”
San Ildefonso Cathedral, to the east, was built between 1561 and
1598, using stones from the ruined Maya pyramids that once occupied
the same grounds. Its altar is less ornate than that of many
churches in Mexico, and the stark exterior – stone against stone –
befits a town often dubbed the “White City” because of the color
and simplicity of its older buildings and its cleanliness.
Adjacent to the cathedral is the Museum of Contemporary Art, also
known as the Macay Museum.
The Government Palace, bordering the plaza to the north, showcases
27 giant murals painted during a five-year period in the 1970s by
Mexican artist Fernando Castro Pacheco showing the social evolution
of the Maya people in the context of Yucatan history, much of it
tragic.
The Municipal Palace, to the west, was rebuilt in the early 20th
century with art-deco touches. In front of this City Hall,
folkloric performances are scheduled Sunday afternoons and Monday
nights, free to the public.
The square itself is a setting for concerts, folk dancing, art and
puppet shows, children’s activities and other merriment every
Sunday and many other nights. It’s a daily gathering spot for
townspeople who commune on benches or on leisurely walks, and the
fun continues safely into evenings.
As with any large city in Mexico, shopping – for traditional
clothing, pottery, wood carvings and more – is an adventure worth
pursuing, too, in and around the main plaza and in neighborhood
bazaars.
Also typical of big cities, Merida is not without pollution or
traffic congestion, most notably on the narrow two-lane arteries
leading to and from the plaza.
And you may be taken aback if you approach from Progreso and
witness a succession of McDonald’s, Burger Kings and Sam’s Clubs.
Don’t fret. Any reminders of home – or Cancun – soon dissipate.
If you go
Continental Airlines operates daily nonstop flights between Houston
and Merida. Some cruise lines also operate excursions to Merida
from Progreso, 23 miles to the north.
Online resources for a visit to Merida include www.mayayucatan.com and www.merida.gob.mx, each with English and Spanish versions.
Mexico’s official website at
www.visitmexico.com also includes Merida information.
Moon Handbooks’ “Yucatan Peninsula” (Avalon Travel, $17.95,
seventh edition) and Lonely Planet’s “Yucatan” (Lonely Planet,
$17.99, second edition) are comprehensive guides to the entire
peninsula.
The largest tourist information center (usually with
English-speaking staff) is on Calle 60, about two blocks north of
the central plaza.
For guided tours, go to
www.turitransmerida.com.mx and click on “private.”
Turitransmerida also offers tours to Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Izamal
and other attractions in Yucatan state. (Cancun is in the state of
Quintana Roo.) Discover Merida operates two-hour open-air trolley
tours from Santa Lucia Park at Calles 55 and 60. Departures usually
are at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Calesas depart from the main plaza and also travel along the Paseo
de Montejo to the Monumento a la Patria. A one-hour buggy ride
costs as little as $12, but agree on a price before you start.
Because of weekday vehicular traffic, buggy tours are most
enjoyable on Sundays.
Top hotels on or near Paseo de Montejo include the Fiesta
Americana, Hyatt and Holiday Inn.
For passengers on Carnival Cruise Lines’ Galveston-based Elation,
which stops at the port of Progreso on Tuesdays, escorted
excursions are offered to Merida and the major archaeological
sites.
