5/3/09-5/5/09

As the capital of the Yucatan, Merida is an important city on the peninsula and an interesting town to boot.  Centrally located inland, temperatures in Merida regularly hit above 100 making for sweltering days.  However the nights cool off enough for pleasant evening strolls among the many historical buildings, cafés, churches and parks.  

We stayed at the quirky Luz en Yucatan, which was a lovely set of guest rooms housed in an ex-convent near the centro.  This hotel is a bit hard to find because of the very small sign, but equipped with the correct address, it is well-worth the search.  The Luz en Yucatan is located at Calle 57 #499, between Calle 60 and 58.  It is a blue building on the north side of the street, sandwiched between a large red church and the Hotel San Juan. Just ring the bell and Mrs. Parmet will show you around.  

Luz en Yucatan Hotel

Luz en Yucatan Hotel Courtyard

The streets in Merida are set up on a grid, with the even-numbered streets running north-south and the odd-numbered streets running east-west.  This numbering system takes a bit of getting used to, but the city design is sensible and well-organized once you understand the layout.  

For food and entertainment, we enjoyed the caberet-type show and live music at El Tucho near the corner of Calle 55 and Calle 60.  The drinks are more expensive at El Tucho, but the live shows are well worth the expense.  The food is good and reasonably priced – they are open in the evenings but seem to close around 9 pm.  We also had a great meal at Amaro, on Calle 57 between Calle 60 and 62, which serves regional Yucatan dishes with a focus on vegetarian specialties.  For coffee and Mayan chocolate, we loved ki’Xocolatl on Calle 55 between Calle 60 and 62.  The Mayan Pub around the corner at on Calle 62 and Calle 55 serves drinks on a lovely patio in the back under the stars or the shade of large trees.  They also have a nice pool table inside. 

ki’Xocolatl Coffee Shop

Merida’s zocalo is a large shaded square, perfect for relaxing from sight-seeing or browsing the many artisanal shops in the centro.  It fronts the main cathedral which is reputedly the oldest church on the continent.  The walkway next to the church boasts various sculptures and artwork.  Merida is also home to many museums and architectural gems, located not only in the center of town, but also along the tree-lined Paseo de Montejo which leads north toward the suburbs and large shopping areas.  While the Mayan influence is certainly felt in Merida in the form of art and culture, it is a very different experience from the Mayan culture we encountered in Chiapas.  (For a snapshot of an autonomous Mayan community in Chiapas, please see Jessica’s entry on San Juan Chamula.)  Merida is a great stop on a tour of the Yucatan peninsula, we recommend it to observe the melding of government and culture, locals and tourists, and new and old traditions.

Main Cathedral and walkway

Zocalo

Sculpture walkway

Two helpful websites for Yucatan travel in Merida and beyond are Yucatan Today and Yucatan Living.