The city of Mérida is the capital of the
Mexican state of Yucatan.
While much of the peninsula is famed for its
resorts,
Meérida is the epicentre of Yucatan culture,
history, and, Mayan pride.
At the city’s heart is Plaza Grande.
This relaxed square is surrounded by some
of the city’s most beautiful buildings,
many built from the sun-baked stones of the
great Mayan temples which once stood here.
Facing the square is Merida’s oldest building,
Casa de Montejo, built by the city’s founding
Conquistador.
Step inside the shady courtyards and lavish
interiors of this residence,
home of the Montejo dynasty for over four
centuries.
Just across the square rises Mérida Cathedral,
whose massive altarpiece symbolises the eventual
reconciliation
between the Maya and the Spanish peoples.
Right next door,
discover modern sculptures, at the Contemporary
Art Museum,
which proudly displays works by some of the
region’s most popular and thought-provoking artists.
Radiating from Plaza Grande are pastel streets
filled with architectural treasures and cool parks.
Just a block away, relax with locals in Hidalgo Park,
an oasis surrounded by cafes, restaurants
and charming hotels.
From here it’s just a few steps to The Jose
Peon Contreras Theatre,
the home of the Yucatan Symphony Orchestra.
In the late 1800s, Yucatan became the centre
of henequen production,
and Merida fast became one of the wealthiest cities.
Take a walk up Paseo de Montejo,
an avenue inspired by the great boulevards
of Paris,
where Yucatan’s elite built their stately homes.
Pay a visit to Casa Montes Molina,
a mansion preserved down to its very last detail,
and experience the scents and patinas of a
bygone era.
Mérida is filled with windows into the past,
including its many museums,
which cover everything from Yucatan song to
the folk arts of Mexico.
Just a short walk south from Plaza Grande
is the Museum of The City of Merida,
which charts the rich and sometimes turbulent
history of Yucatan’s capital.
Once the residence of a former governor and general,
Palacio Cantón is now home to Yucatan’s
Anthropology and History Museum.
While nearby, the Great Museum of the Mayan World
creates a striking contrast to Mérida’s
historic streetscapes.
The building was inspired by the form of the
sacred ceiba tree,
which the Maya believed was a bridge to the
heavens and the underworld.
Inside, its collections are the perfect gateway
to a civilisation,
which has long captured the imaginations of
explorers and anthropologists.
One such adventurer was the Englishman, Frederick
Catherwood.
Step into the explorer’s historic residence
to see his lithographs of lost Mayan cities,
which when published in the 1800s,
created a sensation all over the world.
When it’s time to take your own Mayan adventure,
hit the road.
Just ten miles north of Mérida,
are the Dzibilchaltun Ruins.
Or take the forty-minute drive south to Mayapan,
the Mayan capital from the 13th to the 15th centuries.
The deeper you venture into Yucatan, the greater
the reward.
An hour’s drive southwest from Mayapan are
the hills of Puuc.
Here you’ll find the incredibly ornate ruins
of Uxmal,
where the Pyramid of the Magician looms high
above the expansive Governor’s Palace.
In Yucatan, all roads eventually lead to Chichén Itza,
the most famous of all the Mayan cities.
Walk across the blood-soaked ball court, where
opposing teams literally played for their lives.
Wander through a forest of stone at the Court
of a Thousand Columns.
Then, let your gaze climb the staircase of
El Castillo,
and you’ll soon appreciate why these ancient
ruins are considered one of the world’s great wonders.
The heat and humidity of Yucatan can be fierce,
so when the Mexican sun starts to climb,
escape underground into the incredible caves
of Calcehtok.
The Yucatan Peninsula has also been blessed
with an incredible network of over 6000 cenotes.
For the ancient Maya, these clear subterranean
pools provided water for their cities.
And some, such as the Sacred Cenote of Chichén
Itza,
were considered portals to the afterlife.
Today, many of these cenotes are the perfect
place to cool off.
But of course, there’s nowhere better to
wash away the Yucatan dust than back in Mérida,
one of the most cultural, historic and coolest
cities in all of Mexico.
