Merida... Another Pretty Colonial City

May 12 – 15

From Tulum my next stop was Merida, which is the capital of Yucatan State and an old colonial city.  Those of you who followed my South America exploits know that I got a little tired of “another pretty colonial city”, but what the hell… it’s been a while. I had planned on spending another day in Tulum, but some people I met told me that Merida closes off part of the downtown on the weekends and there is lots of music and dancing going on, so I figured I would get there on Saturday and check it out.

The drive was fine in terms of roads, but this part of the country is HOT this time of year. The last part of the road is freeway, nowhere to stop, no shade, and 104 degrees.  By the time I got to Merida all I wanted was a swimming pool.  

The first night I stayed at the Nomadas Youth Hostel.  Yes, they even let in the “super-annuated” like me.  I like the hostels; many are very nice and you meet a lot of people.  This one had a nice pool, but no air conditioning.  After a sweat-soaked night I figured that one night was quite enough.

The next day I checked into the Trinidad Galerias Hotel.  The Lonely Planet guide said you would either love it or hate it.  It is, in a word, Funky.  Kind of a combination hotel, art gallery, and junk yard.  A strange eclectic mix of “stuff” in every corner.   

My favorite piece of decoration is the beer tree, although I have been singularly unsuccessful at harvesting it. Needless to say, I am more inclined towards the "love it" side of the spectrum.

As promised, there was a good mix of music, dancing, and good food in Merida.  Also some interesting faces. Here are some random pictures of the local scenery:

 

 

 

Merida was, at the beginning of the 20^th century, quite rich.  The main crop, often referred to as “green gold” (no, not the smokable kind), was the agave plant.  One type is used for producing tequila, but not here.  The type in Yucatan was used for its fibers in making sisal for making rope.  This worked out fine until after World War 1, when sisal was replaced by plastics and synthetics for rope making.

However, in the meantime there were some very rich people here, and there are some incredible mansions along the broad avenues.  Many are still private residences.

One mansion is now the Anthropology Museum.  The house itself is a great example of French style architecture that was popular here a hundred years ago (the house was finished in 1911).

The museum exhibits are also interesting, and tell a lot about the Mayan culture.

Other than that, Merida has been a place to catch up on business and on this blog, which was a good thing to do since the temperature in the afternoons has been over 100 degrees F.  Tomorrow, May 16, I’m off to the state of Chiapas.  I’m still in the very south part of Mexico and realize that I only have 5 more weeks in the country.  It sounds like a lot, but it’s amazing how much time I’m really capable of taking.

One final thought:  It's the only place that I've been that has an actual organization dedicated to me, my family and most of my friends: Neurotics Anonymous.  Anonymous, perhaps, but we know who we are, don't we?