"Mérida from the roof" drawing and watercolor by Elizabeth Bishop, 1942

About Mérida

Mérida is the capital city and cultural center of the state of Yucatán.  It is located 200 miles west of another world: Cancun. The city center sits atop an important ancient Mayan archaeological site.  There are many notable archaeological sites in the countryside surrounding Mérida.

In 1937, poet Octavio Paz came to Mérida to work in a school for sons of peasants and workers. He began working on the first of his long ambitious poems, Entre la piedra y la flor ("Between the stone and the flower" 1941, revised in 1976), influenced by T. S. Eliot, which describes the situation of the Mexican peasant under the greedy henequen landlords of the day. In 1942, poet Elizabeth Bishop spent time in Mérida with her companion, Diane and Jerome Rothenberg spent time in Merida in 1960, as did poet William Matthews in the late 1960s. For many years, world renowned art collector, Manolo Rivero, hosted contemporary fine artists, including Julian Schnabel, Roberto Matta, Francisco Toledo and Sandro Chia. Leading archaeologists, have stayed for extended periods of time in and around Mérida.  The Gran Hotel has been a hideout for famous writers, musicians, artists and politicians since the turn of the century.

Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (MACAY) (the former Bishop's Palace-Cathedral to the left)

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Mérida's numerous museums include: a fine archaeological museum, a natural history museum, a contemporary fine art museum and their newest edition, the Museum del Mundo Maya. There are art galleries, open artist studios and a matriculated college of fine arts. The city also has six performance theaters, a notable symphony, an art-house cinema, a planetarium, music schools, an ever-expanding English language lending library and numerous language schools. Adding further to the cultural life of Mérida, are seven State owned universities, at least thirteen private advanced educational institutions and several national research centers. Collectively, they enroll students from Yucatán and other parts of Mexico, as well as up to 12,000 foreign students (mostly Europeans, Americans and Canadians) full-time every year. Due to the many students in Mérida, the city has a thriving cafe culture and a good selection of restaurants.

Moorish arches in the courtyard of UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México)

Local public cultural events take place every night of the week in neighborhoods and squares throughout the city. Sunday nights are particularly special in Mérida, when streets surrounding the Grand Plaza are blocked and feature live music.  Couples, families and tourists take to dancing in the street. 

  Monday night dancing

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Starting on January 5th every year, a month-long Festival of the City is held in celebration of Mérida's anniversary.  The festival features cultural events, including dancers, literary seminars and readings, professional music al performances, films and more. In January 2011, Mérida marked its 469th anniversary.

The main plaza (or zocalo) of Mérida was once the central site of the Post-Classic Maya town of T’Hó (in Maya lanaguage - Ichcaanzihó, or "The Five Points").  The city of T’Hó, in what was then the Province of Chakan, was thought by the Maya to be the center of the universe, the place where the four cardinal directions met. The earliest construction in the city of T'Hó is dated during 400A.D. and pottery from the 300B.C. has been found by archaeologists. However, most structures in T'Hó are dated to 800A.D.

Zocalo (Main Plaza)

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During the mid-16th century, led by the Spaniard Francisco Montejo, Jr., the numerous temples and pyramids of T'ho were destroyed. With T'ho conquered,  the city of Mérida was founded on January 6, 1542.  Ancient stones from T'ho's five pyramids were used to construct many buildings in Mérida, most notably, on the east side of the Zocalo, the Catedral de San Ildelfonso (1561-1598), the oldest church in North America. 

Catedral de San Idelfonso

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Across from the Cathedral is Mérida's town hall, the Palacio Municipal, built in 1735 with stones from T'ho and renovated in 1928. To the north is the beautiful Palacio de Gobierno (state office building), 1892, which contains extensive murals by Fernanco Castro Pacheco depicting the turbulent history of the Mayan people and the Spanish conquistadors. On the south side of the main plaza is Palacio Montejo, 1542, former home of Francisco de Montejo.

At the turn of the century, Mérida's affluence flourished due to the cultivation and export of sisal ('green gold', 'sisal' or 'henequén'). Sisal (named after the port city on the coast) is a hard vegetable fiber made from the agave cactus and used for rope (supplying the world at the turn of the century), Panama hats, mats and other products.

Many haciendas, formerly owned by sisal barons from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, are located in the countryside surrounding Mérida. Several haciendas have been converted to boutique luxury hotels or offer tours.  Hacienda Yaxcopoil is a fine example of the era of wealthy henequen barons.

Yaxcopoil Hacienda

Evidence of this rich period of history, when millionaires flourished in Mérida, lines the stunning avenue Paseo de Montejo with decadent Victorian mansions.  By the early 1900s, Mérida was a wealthier city than Mexico City and had more millionaires than any other city in the world.  During this period Mérida became known as "Ciudad Blanco" (the White City).

                                           Twin mansions along Paseo de Montejo                                        Bustling commerce  - turn of the century Mérida

For years, Mérida was somewhat isolated due to difficulty reaching the region and this has added to their unique cultural existence in Mexico today. Many residents of the Yucatan still consider themselves Yucatecans first, and Mexicans second.  Buses now bring visitors across the Yucatan Peninsula from Cancun, cruise ships docked off the coast of the colonial port town of Progresso load tourists onto buses that pass through Mérida's outskirts on the way to Chichen Itza, and the nearby international airport connects Mérida to the world. A high-speed train is currently being planned to cross the Yucatan Peninsula and connect Mérida, Chichen Itza and the Riviera Maya. Despite increased  transportation options, Mérida still retains its unique cultural charm in the midst of being a bustling, expanding city. Mérida is known as the Mexican city with the  highest intolerance for crime, thus earning it awards for "safest city in Mexico." 

Today, modern Mérida embraces all socio-economic groups, but the city's economic revival attests to growing affluence in the area. Some local residents commute weekly by bus to Cancun and the Riviera Maya, but a growing number of  foreign-owned local factories keep Méridianos employed.  Since Mérida's airport is a mere 15-minute taxi ride from centro, some business owners and executives commute daily by private small plane to Cancun.  Just outside the center of the city, you will find upscale neighborhoods and shopping centers such as Galerias Merida Liverpool mall (complete with a large ice skating rink and upscale shopping - Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani, Clinique, etc.), Plaza Altabrisa mall (Benetton, Nine West, a multi-plex movie theater, etc.), Gran Plaza mall (200 stores: Lacoste, Zara's, Sears, Swatch, a camping store, TelCel, large food court, etc.), three casinos, supermarkets, Audi, Mercedes, Jaguar, Land Rover and just about every other car dealership, big box stores such as WalMart, Home Depot, Office Depot and fast food chains such as Burger King, KFC and Starbucks.  Mérida's quaint colonial center is located 10-20 minutes from the above shopping malls.

There is still a strong Mayan community in the surrounding small towns and fishing villages.  A deep-rooted respect for local Mayan people and their culture brings frequent cultural events to centro. Mérida has a thriving market and locally, boasts the best hammocks, Guayaberas (classic men's short sleeve shirt with pockets) and Panama hats in all of México. Mayan women design, sew and wear embroidered huipils that can be found at the market and in local shops.

Mayan women wearing beautifully hand-embroidered huipils