Merida is known as La Cuidad Blanca, the White City, since in the past all the buildings were painted a uniform color. In stark contrast to Cancun and its prefab urban environment, Merida is full of history - from both Colonial and pre-Colombian days. The street layout predates the automobile so the roads are narrow and congested, particularly in the downtown area.

But the Central District is easily navigated walking, so as long as you can find a place to park your car (which COULD be a problem) you can enjoy the city by foot. Then, for a change of pace you can always take a calesa - the horse drawn carriages that are common around both the central plaza and the Paseo Montejo.

And there is actually quite a bit to do and see. There is a lot of colonial architecture - cathedrals, museums, churches and many of the gates that once protected the walled city are still standing. There are several museums that are worth visiting, and as the people here consider this a cultural center of southern Mexico, during most of the year there are public concerts and outdoor events almost every night.

So while the town itself could easily be made a destination, we (and I suspect a lot of people) stayed here as a base to explore the surrounding areas and ruins...

Calesas line the street awaiting their next fare.

The murals in the Gallery of the Governor's Palace depict Yucatecan history.

Merida Index

	Central District / Zocalo
	Governor's Palace
	Paseo Montejo
	Casa Mexilio

Once again, the place we stayed merits a page of its own.  There's no good way to describe the Casa Mexilio so take a look...

Shopping

Every reference on Merida that I saw prior to coming here says that this is THE place to go shopping: all the crafts and handiworks that you will find in the tourist areas for a fraction of the price. Well, we spent some time trolling the mercados and my take on it is this:

For native and handmade crafts, Merida is no closer to the sources that other places and you can do just as well elsewhere. For example, we bought some nice wood carvings on the side of the road in Piste, near Chichen Itza, for much cheaper than anything similar I saw in Merida.  As a matter of fact, I was completely unimpressed with the artisan's market near the Mercado Municipal - nothing that I didn't see other places and WAY inflated prices in my opinion.

Now, having said that, let me say that spending part of a day walking the Mercado Municipal is worth doing just to look around if nothing else. It is a true public market with goods of every kind imaginable and all kinds of food. There were booths with nothing but various kinds of chile's. And there is a meat market / butcher area that you might want to avoid if you are squeamish!

Stylin' in the new hat...

Also, this is a great place to get the kind of stuff that is not craftwork but is typical of the area. Bought a handmade Panama style hat and spent an entertaining hour talking with the guy at El Becaleņo, a shop near the marketplace. The place came recommended and after we found it (the entrance is just a narrow doorway onto the street) we ended up buying more than just a hat. I bought a guayabera, the pleated shirt that reminds me more of Cuba, but which the guy there explained that the Cubans had copied from them!... And that's really the joy of shopping in a place like this... interacting with the artisans (or just the salesman!) and getting a better flavor of the place and the culture. Also found the corner of the marketplace where shoes were being made and came away with some hand-made huaraches after some difficulty finding a pair big enough!..

The entryway of the University of Yucatan with a piņata hanging in the arch.