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MEXICO
-- The peninsula here gained fame because of its high profile
resort, Cancún, on the peninsula's east coast, a city with fabulous
beaches, luxury hotels and a multitude of tourists.
But only three hours away by super highway, near the peninsula's
western coast, lies a very different city, colonial Merida,
the tenth oldest city in Mexico, founded in 1542 by Spanish
conquistador Francisco de Montejo.
Although a complete contrast from Cancún, Merida has been
slicing out its own piece of the tourist pie in recent years,
as tourists take note of this remarkable metropolis, population
one million, within easy reach of Cancún.
The majority of Mexico's colonial cities are located in the
center of the country and owe their heritage to mining -- be
it silver, copper or gold. But Merida, located far away in the
Yucatán, gained its wealth not from a mineral source but from
an agricultural source, the green gold of the henequen, or agave,
plant. A century ago, agave was much sought after as it produced
a versatile natural fiber used to make rope and Panama hats.
From the late 1800s into the early 1900s, the area exploded,
spawning the growth of close to 300 haciendas where the plant
was grown and then processed. Many of these haciendas were owned
by French immigrants whose new-found wealth was transferred
into the construction of Victorian style mansions in Merida
along a street named Pasejo de Montejo where their lavish, decadent
dwellings still stand to this day; and the Pasejo de Montejo,
built to emulate Paris' Chanps Elysees, remains one of Merida's
landmarks and is not to be missed. To add the charm of a bygone
era, calesas, horse drawn carriages, are for hire. The clip-clopping
of their hooves is a familiar sound on the city's cobbled streets.
Downtown Merida brims with Spanish colonial architecture and
is protected by some of the most rigid historic preservation
regulations in Mexico, according to travel writer Richard Harris.
One historic city block, the Plaza de la Independencia, or central
zocalo near calles 60, 61, 62, 63 -- the tourist center crams
in more architectural wonders than can be imagined. With streets
surrounding it closed on Sundays, the plaza's weekly Merida
a Domingo celebration makes for the best sightseeing. Local
food vendors' stands offer an eating bonanza and you will not
be disappointed when trying out the wares -- corn on the cob,
French fries (papas fritas), sausages (salchichas), ice cream
(helado), cotton candy and soft drinks. Balloon vendors wander
through the area, adding a circus-like effect.
In the square's interior every type of Yucatecan product can
be found: Lovely embroidered dresses and Mayan huipiles, guayabera
shirts for men, wood and stone carvings, silver jewelry, talavera
pottery, handmade tablecloths, hand-strung hammocks from nearby
pueblos. Roving mariachi bands wander by strumming familiar
Mexican ballads and oftentimes seating will be set up for hundreds
of people for some city celebration or event, complete with
30 foot scaffolding to hold enormous sound speakers, which in
Mexico, are put to good use.
Merida is like a gracious, well-connected, well-heeled social
matron, known for her charm, her contacts, her wit, her unerring
social graces and her vivacity. She never stops, she never loses
her dignity and she never fails to charm you.
The Pakacio Municipal (city hall) on Calle 62 stands on the
plaza's west side. Built in the 1850s, it still serves as a
local government post, another architectural beauty.
On the plaza's north side, the recently restored Palacio del
Gobierno (Calle 61) serves as executive headquarters for the
Yucatán. Walk in and survey the mural like paintings depicting
scenes of the Spanish conquerors' conquest of the Maya, both
on the ground and second floors, by one of the Yucatán's most
famed artists.
Casa de Montejo on the south side of the plaza stands on the
former ceremonial center of the post-classic Maya city of T'ho.
Francisco de Montejo, who founded the city in 1542, ordered
all the pyramids and temples then standing to be destroyed,
as was the custom in those times. Those very ancient stones
were used to build his lavish home. Probably not so different
from the idea of ancient Hawaiians eating the heart of Captain
James Cook after killing him, this act may have symbolically
suggested that the conquerors could reap an endowed strength
which came from the original city's creators breaking down their
monuments and rebuilding their own. Or perhaps this action was
simply economic, utilizing stones already cut to create a new
mecca in a new world.
On the exact site of the former main temple of T'ho now sits
the Merida Cathedral, on the plaza's east side, on Calle 60.
Originally used as both a fortress and a church, it was built
in 1561, again from stones known to be that of the Mayans' ancient
temple. This church was the first Catholic church ever built
on the North American continent and has stood the test of time.
Set far back from the street, its grandiose presence looms large
on the square. In the bell tower, its chimes ring loudly and
languidly on the hour.
Just one block down from the famous main plaza is another
Merida favorite, Parque Hidalgo, on Calles 59 and 60. On Sundays
in front of the Gran Hotel, the city's oldest known hotel, a
stage and chairs are set up for singers, comics, clowns and
mimes who entertain the large group of locals who come for the
day's festivities.
Hoards of food vendors and artisans also crowd this popular
square that is shaded by one of the largest Almendron trees
ever. By day there are vendors selling tee shirts, hammocks,
blankets, stone and wood carvings, odd Mexican toys and balloons.
At 6 p.m. as darkness falls, a shift occurs. The day vendors
close their stands and pack up and an entirely new set of vendors
arrive -- mostly Chiapas Mayans -- women selling amazing embroidered
purses and satchels for ridiculously low prices, along with
fetching gauze tops and shirts, some embroidered, some plain,
some dyed by hand. With the Mayans come silver jewelry sellers
of every conceivable sort. Even though the stage and chairs
have now long disappeared, the show goes on. Watching the interactions
of the vendors one sees their lives unfold. On the square young
lovers now lounge and embrace Parque Hidalgo is obviously the
spot for a romantic rendezvous. On a totally different tack,
hawkers are out, ready to run some scam on unknowing tourists,
but all is entertainment to the practiced eye.
To Meridanos, these local parks and plazas are like living
rooms; they live out their lives here, amongst their neighbors,
letting their stories unfold for all to see. In Merida, in these
grand old plazas, the world is truly a stage. When I go to there,
I usually take a room on the second floor of the Gran Hotel
when I'm feeling extravagant. It's such fun to watch the goings-on
in this park. When I'm on a budget, I book a room at the eccentric,
hip Hotel Trinidad on Calle 62 between Calles 55 and 57.
Merida's streets team with life. They are packed, crowded,
difficult to walk on. Although mornings start a little slowly,
by mid-day, throngs of people crowd the streets going about
their normal daily routines. Even long into the night, Merida's
sidewalks will be four-deep with passers-by. I start my day
at the classic Restaurant Express across from the Gran Hotel,
with tables nearly on the sidewalk after the large, steel shutters
are raised. City buses careen perilously close to outdoor diners'
tables trailing noxious fumes, but the fun is in the watching
as daily life unfolds in this magnificent city, in all its debacle,
and in all its glory.
Merida's municipal market or Mercado is a vast rambling affair
bordered by calles 56, 65, 54, 59. Clothes, shoes, art, hardware,
stoves, hammocks, rope, jewelry, vegetables and produce, meat,
chicken and even live birds can be found there. You can find
anything in this sprawling, noisy, sometimes frightening maze
of city life. This Mercado is Mexico with no holds barred; not
some sanitized gringo version of a Mexican artisan's market,
so be prepared.
The city of Merida itself is meticulously clean. Even after
large fiestas or the weekly Sunday celebrations, early the next
morning I am always amazed at the spic-and-span cleanliness
and the unlittered streets. The cleaning crew either works very
late or very early, but the streets are immaculate by 7 a.m.
Known as the White City, Merida was named not for its cleanliness
but because in years gone by, only certain colors of paint were
available. Merida was always painted white, blanca, and its
neighbor and rival Izamal (known for its wondrous church) was
known as the Yellow City because it was always painted yellow
(amarillo).
Do not forget to enjoy the feast of food you will find in
Merida. The Yucatán prides itself on its food -- pibil chickenm
salbutes, empanadas, mole, tortas. Los Almednros tops most tourist
lists for sumptuous restaurant local fare, and it is delectable,
served up in a large cavernous, rather sterile high-ceilinged
place with experienced, courteous waiters ready to serve. A
picture menu, not unlike those found in sushi bars, shows delectable
photos of the tasty local dishes. You just point and pick.
Equally tasty and much more fun is La Prosperidad on Calle
53 at Calle 56. Here you will find the same Yucatecan food,
even less expensive than at Los Almendros, but with ambience
off the charts. Eager waiters dressed in white wearing sharp,
stylish Panama hats hawk you into a scene that could go back
100 years. Live music, apparently well-known tunes, sound off
from a small center stage and the party begins. The food has
a tapa-like flair and is served in small delectable portions.
Try as many as your constitution will allow before bursting.
Merida makes for a wonderful weekend or a three or four day
stay. Along with the parks and plazas, the Museum of Anthropology
on Paseo de Montejo is certainly worth a visit.
September's hurricane Isidore did damage to the area, toppling
many of the city's ancient, signature trees. While stalling
out over Merida for a few days the city was then ravaged by
three more days of intense rains. It took a beating. According
to Lorna Gail Dallin of the Merida English Library, the hurricane
will become known as the tree destroyer for its wrath damaged
the look of the city.
In an email report, Dallin went on to say that all the lamina
roofs blew away and with the heavy rains, it was very hard for
many of the locals to exist, literally without a roof over their
heads.
"The surrounding countryside flooded," she said, "and whole
portions of the Yucatán between Merida and the coast were underwater
for a week.
"Cholera became an epidemic as well as dengue (a fever like
malaria carried by mosquitoes) due to the large amount of water."
Dallin fears that some villages will be changed forever. She
said "a henequen way of life in one village will never exist
again when a processing unit was destroyed. It had been used
since forever," Dallin continued, "with old equipment in the
original hacienda setting now all gone. What will that village
do?
"Clouds of strange mosquitoes blew into the city from surrounding
countryside," and she emphasized that these were clouds.
"Campesinos lost their soon to be harvested corn and pepper
crops" she continued in her informative email missive. Dallin
hopes that the government has a plan for the spring when these
people will need seed corn to replant.
"Some lost everything, some were hardly touched. Such is the
elemental force of Mother Natue ... blowing on rich and poor
alike."
She did say that the cleanup was amazing, the town fathers
announced electricity would be restored from the center of the
city moving outward. Some had electricity in three days, while
others waited up to three week, and some even longer.
And Dallin's final announcement on Hurricane Isidore, "Nine
months from the end of September, the birth rate in the city
and surrounding countryside will jump dramatically; No TV!"
she predicts -- not unlike the birth rate jump in New York City
decades ago during the famed blackout.
But in spite of being a target for the hurricane, the city
has rebounded, and if you have a chance to spend a few days
on an adventure to the Yucatán, make sure to include magnificent
Merida in your itinerary. You will not forget it!
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