the world outside: mexico part one: mérida

“mérida, once the grand maya city of t’hó. has been the dominant metropolitan center in the yucatán region since the spanish conquest. today the capital of the state of yucatán is a vital and prosperous city, whose deep intellectual and artistic roots have nurtured its emergence into an internationally recognized center for the arts and culture.”
and what an amazing city it is. after one day, coy and i realized we couldn’t possibly experience all that mérida has to offer. we gave it our best, though, and here’s the breakdown:

we stayed at the lovely las arecas, a small hotel located just blocks from the heart of the historic district. our room was fantastic, a small apartment, really, for a mere $25 per night. from the street it looks less than impressive, but inside there is character abounding. an indoor courtyard with a fountain, trees and beautiful plants. tile floors and antique furniture. perfect.

fabulous accomodations at las arecas

there are an abundance of parks and beautiful public spaces in mérida, and we certainly attempted to take in each and every one, in spite of the incessant drizzle that gently soaked us each day in the city. impressive colonial buildings encircle the plaza grande, where food vendors and musicians set up shop every sunday, when the surrounding streets are closed to traffic.

this is actually the back side of a convenience store

around the plaza grande

during regular weekdays, you can find locals enjoying the shade of laurel trees, tourists snapping photos of the stunning architecture, and hammock salesmen pouncing upon unsuspecting gringos (yes, i bought one!). there are artisan shops on nearly every city block, filled with colorful and intricate handicrafts (guayaberas TITA, casa de las artesanías-calle 63, lol-bé, and so many others). mérida, how i love thee.

around the plaza grande

the streets near the plaza are closed to traffic on weekends

we also hit up a few museums. namely, the museo de arte contemporáneo ateneo de yucatán, and the museo regional de antropología. both were spectacular. the art museum was housed in a gorgeous building across from the plaza grande, and won us over with its free admission. there was a permanent display of a local artist, fernando castro pacheco, who depicts much of yucatecán culture in his paintings and murals. his work is gorgeous, check it out. the anthropological museum was possibly the most awesome anthropological museum i have ever visited. it contained everything known about mayan civilization and it was totally captivating. oh, and it was located in an equally stunning building, which was the former governor’s home.

anthropological museum

bank

random display of gorgeous architecture. front view

aside from walking and looking at pretty things, we also ate an impressive quantity of food. everything from traditional mayan cuisine to lebanese fare was consumed with great appreciation and attention to detail. one important detail to note regarding most restaurants in mérida is the existence of the inner courtyard, which allows a delightful taste of the outdoors into the otherwise spacially limited dining area. it’s awesome. while we attempted to sample every bit of food available in the city, our stomachs just wouldn’t have it. we did manage to indulge in the most delicious yucatecan food EVER at la chaya maya. in fact, we ate there twice during our brief stay. i never would have guessed pork could taste so succulent. in fact, i probably wouldn’t have ordered it if i’d known it was pork-the menu was in mayan and spanish.

deicious mayan dishes

poc chuuc

our favorite breakfast in mérida consisted of nestle fitness fruits cereal and lala coconut yogurt. it was delightful, and about a quarter of the price it would be in belize, if you were lucky enough to find such a scrumptious cereal with dried fruits. we ate it every day and loved it. it doesn’t take too much to please us. our last night in the city, we decided to try out the food stalls at the small park around the corner. the food was AMAZING and so inexpensive it almost had me suspicious. grilled beef with veggies, rice, and refried beans; sopa de limón with corn tortillas; and a tortilla topped with peculiarly colored meat product and referred to as a “gringo”; all phenomenal. i am tearing up just thinking about it.
but mérida isn’t just about pretty things to look at and yummy things to eat. there is a particular feel to the city which surrounds you and pulls you in. mérida has a personality you can’t help but fall in love with.