Attractions in Merida
These recommendations are not exhaustive but are the special recommendations of the owners of Hotel Villa Merida:
- Museum of Anthropology (a must in conjunction with seeing the ruins, on another day of course)
- Street Sculptures on Paseo Montejo (a nice adjunct to a visit to the Anthropological Museum, also on Paseo Montejo)
- Museum of Musical Instruments
- Carnavalito City Bus Tour (has several tours a day and will do hotel pickup with a reservation)
- Family Bicycle Route on Sunday mornings
- Sunday morning Markets, Music and Dancing in Centro
- Sunday afternoon music and dancing
- Contemporary Art Galleries: Galeria de la Luz, Casa Estudios de los Artistas, Galeria Merida
- Art Studio Tour enquiries at the Merida English Library
- Macay Art Museum and Street Sculptures of Pasaje de la Revolucion
- Govenor's Palace (houses murals depicting Yucatan history)
- Saturday night in Merida (streets are closed to traffic, restaurants bring their tables out onto the street, salsa bands and street performers abound as do artisan street vendors)
- Romantic Saturday evening horse and carriage ride through the main streets of Merida
Catedral Principal (the oldest in Latin America)
- La Trova Bar (hear the Yucatan's best Trova performers - romantic music of the Yucatan)
City Events
Weekly
No matter what day of the week you arrive in Merida, every day hosts an event for locals where you can participate and experience what the locals enjoy every week of the year.
Day of the Week Events
Monday: Yucatecan vaquero dancing and concerts in front of the Palacio del Ayuntamiento, 21:00 (9:00 p.m.)
Tuesday: Mexican Folkloric Ballet, Peon Contreras Theatre, (Calle 60 at Calle 59)
Big Band Concert and Dancing of the 50's, Santiago Park (Calle 59 y 72), 21:00 (9:00 p.m.)
Wednesday: Live Music, Trova Nights at the Olimpo Cultural Centre in the Plaza Principal, 21:00 (9:00 p.m.)
Thursday: Serenading and traditional dancing in Santa Lucia Park, 21:00 (9:00 p.m.)
Friday: Serenading on the Patio of the University (Calle 60 & 57), 21:00 (9:00 p.m.)
Saturday: Noche Mexicana, Paseo de Montejo & Calle 47, 19:00 (7:00 p.m.)
Festival in the Heart of the City of Merida, Plaza Principal & Calle 60, 20:00 (8:00 p.m.)
Sunday: Sunday morning markets, eateries, bicycle route, music. 07:00-13:00 (7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.)Sunday afternoon music and dance. 17:00 to 21:00 (5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.)
Annual Events
Festival of the Arts (January) - lasts 3 weeks
Carnaval (February) - lasts 5 days
Trova Festival (March)
Equinox at Dzibilchaltun (21 March)
Semana Santa (April)
Municipal Handcraft Fair in Dzitya (July)
Celebration of the Revolution (September)
World Cup Archery Final (October)
Day of the Dead (1st and 2nd November)
Annual Yucatán Bird "Toh" Festival (November)
Haciendas
Tour stately Hacienda Yaxcopoil and visit the Maya Museum
Visit a working hacienda at Sotuta de Peon or Ake
Enjoy Yucatan regional cuisine at Hacienda Teya
The Archeological Sites
The archeological sites around Merida are many and varied, so much so that you can base most of your day trips out of this city. If you would prefer to avoid the hustle and bustle of Chichen Itza's 80 million visitors per year worth of tour buses, we recommend that you start with the ruins of Uxmal.
Uxmal
Puuc is the architectural style represented in Uxmal and it is also the name given to the internationally-acclaimed tourist route, for its unique characteristics: construction of monumental buildings, walls and vaults dressed in carved stones, geometric forms, columns, lattices and Chaac's large masks. The cities of the Puuc are Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil, Oxkintok, Chacmultún and Labná. Uxmal's former Mayan city is located to the southwest of the Peninsula of Yucatan, exactly 78 kilometres from the city of Merida. Its principal buildings are the "Quadrangle of the Birds", the "Quadrangle of the Nuns", the "Palace of the Governor" and the "House of the Fortune-teller", from whose top, at 35 meters in height, one can contemplate the beauty of this entire site.
Dzibichaltun
Only 10 minutes from the outskirts of the city of Merida, on the way to the Port of Progresso, is Dzibilchaltún, archaeological site of dispersed constructions covering a zone of about 16 sqkm; among them stands the Temple of the Seven Dolls, famous for the contemplation of the phenomena of the Sun and of the Moon. The Sun is contemplated on the 20th and 21st of March, and on September 20 and 21 during the spring and autumn equinoxes. The moon is observed between March 22 and April 20. Another great attraction to this site is the cenote Xlacah, which means "old Village" in Mayan. It houses one of the biggest and deepest underground lakes in Yucatan, with more than 40 meters of depth.
Mayapan
To the south-east of Merida, at kilometer 43 lies Mayapán, the most important center of Mayan civilization during the XIIIth century. It is 4 sqkm in area, and has more than four thousand structures surrounded by a great wall, variety of trees and dozens of cenotes. In the central area, there are buildings that were occupied by priests, merchants and wise persons of the time, all surrounding Kukulcán's Castle, similar in characteristics to Chichén Itzá's Castle, and is decorated with wall paintings that represent gentlemen richly decked with sandals, plumes and bracelets. Kukulcán's Castle registers the astronomic phenomenon of the solstice from June 21 to June 22, when the Sun is on the Tropic of Cancer, and from December 21 to December 22, when it is on the Tropic of Capricorn. Mayapán means "standard of the Maya" or "banner of the Maya". Being one of the youngest sites, it has remnants of colored paint on the plastered walls.
Ek Balam
If you are driving into Merida from Cancun, Playa del Carmen or Tulum and wish to avoid the heavy traffic of the ruins of Chichen Itza, we recommend a stop at the ruins of Ek Balam, just north of Valladolid. Ek Balam, meaning black jaguar, holds an enormous acropolis-type pyramid, from the top of which you can see the rest of the site. It is not completely restored but is nevertheless magnificent. We recommend you have lunch in the delightful courtyard of the hotel El Meson del Marques in the main square of Valladolid.
Labna
Preceded over by an arch that constitutes one of the most representative architectural works of the Puuc, Labná which means "old house" is located in the region of the "uitzes" or "lomeríos" serving as example what was the great cultural classic development of the Puuc. Its arch is the entryway to this state of the Maya world on the Yucatan Peninsular.
Ecotourism
- Swim or snorkel in Yucatan's famous cenotes (underground lakes)
- Explore the caves of Loltun or Calcehtok
- Take a trip to Celestun for a boat ride through the mangroves
- Bring your binoculars to observe over 500 bird species
- Join the local fisherman for a day's catch in Progreso
*Source: Content and images with friendly permission of Hotel Villa Merida
