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                                   MERIDA, THE CONQUERORS’ DREAM

            In the dry, hot northern plain of the Yucatan, the peninsula that juts into the Gulf of Mexico, the Maya people built the city of Tiho.  Then the Spaniards came in the 16^th century.  Francisco de Montejo conquered Tiho in 1542 and saw a major Mayan settlement with limestone buildings that reminded him and his men of Roman sites in Merida, Spain.  He renamed the Mayan city Merida, dismantled the original structures, and used some of the materials to rebuild the city in the image of Spain.  It had pride of place as the colonial capital of the whole of Yucatan, and, with its white-washed facades, came to be known as the “White City,” or Ciudad Blanca.

            It was in this graceful, tree-lined city of narrow streets and quiet plazas that I found myself on assignment for several days in December of 2003.

Plaza Mayor

            Just like in Madrid or Mexico City, the central plaza in Merida is where it all happens.  It was also the religious and social hub of the ancient Mayan city.  The pleasant square offers the shade of laurel trees and benches for those who wish to take a break, enjoy a quiet chat and feed some pigeons.  The plaza is surrounded on all sides by public buildings, including the Plaza de la Independencia, a pink-and-white, colonnaded Spanish building commemorating Mexico’s independence in 1821.  It is festooned with lights and lit up at night.  The Palacio de Gobierno used to be a Spanish governor’s palace which became the seat of Yucatan’s state government in 1892.  Its patios are used as a public arcade with boutiques and coffee shops, and customers sip coffee or juice at tables surrounded by murals painted by Fernando Castro Pacheco.  The Palacio Municipal, or City Hall, carries on its white and beige façade the Coat-of-Arms of Merida, granted in 1618 by King Philip the Third of Spain as recognition of the city’s “loyal and good services to the Crown.”  Through the elegant archway of the Palacio Municipal, one can look straight across to the twin-towered, massive and imposing San Ildefonso Cathedral, which was completed in 1598 and is considered the oldest in the Americas. According to guide books, some of the stone from the city’s Mayan temple was used in the construction of the Cathedral in Spanish Renaissance style.  During the Mexican Revolution of the early 19^th century, many of the rich decorative features of its interior were destroyed, but the weathered stone of the exterior still radiates a warm, pink glow.  Then there is Casa de Montejo, on the south side of the Plaza Mayor, built in 1549.  It originally housed soldiers, was later converted into a mansion for the Montejo family, and is now a bank.  Named after the conqueror Fernando de Montejo, the Casa’s richly carved façade portrays Spanish soldiers, in a brazen and odious display of colonial military triumph, holding swords pointing down at the heads of “natives,” supine under the warriors’ feet.

            The colonnaded archways of the various buildings provide shade and space for outside tables of cafes and restaurants and dulcelerias where the citizenry and visitors alike can sip a drink, eat a pastry, enjoy conversation and respite from the blazing sun in summer.  These public areas are also where musical performances are staged in the evening, drawing large and lively crowds several nights a week.

MACAY

            On the south side of the Cathedral stands the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo Ateneo de Yucatan or Yucatan Contemporary Art Museum and Athenaeum, more commonly known as MACAY.  One goes through an arch just behind the Cathedral onto a cobble-stone passageway which leads to another arch at the other end. A number of outdoor sculptures of stone and metal have been placed in this half-enclosed passageway, which serves as the informal, open-air part of the museum, accessible to anyone just passing through. I found that delightful. The museum itself is housed in a former archbishop’s palace, and has exhibits of the Yucatan’s most illustrious painters and sculptors as well as local arts and artisans. Some of the contemporary sculptures are juxtaposed with ancient Mayan pieces that had exerted a strong influence on them, illustrating the continuity between past and present in Yucatan art.  Famous paintings and drawings with a strong political and ideological content, depicting the Mexican Revolution, the exploitation of the poor and the peasantry, and class warfare are also to be seen.

Calle 60

            Walking north from the Cathedral, one proceeds along Calle 60, the main commercial and historic street of Merida, lined with beautifully restored European buildings, theaters, universities, hotels, restaurants and cafes, all forming an integral part of the “Centro Historico,” or simply “El Centro.”  Only one block north of the Plaza Mayor, and facing the Palacio de Gobierno, is Parque Hidalgo, a picturesque little shady square surrounded by the outdoor cafes of several hotels, one of which is the El Gran Hotel, founded in 1901. It retains a faded turn-of-the-century elegance, and its lobby must once have been filled with the political and intellectual elite of Yucatan.

Just a little further north is the famed Teatro Peon Contreras, in cream and ochre, built from 1900 to 1908 and designed by an Italian architect. This Italian architectural style is said to have influenced the design of many mansions in the city. The theater houses the city’s Tourist Information Office, and also an attractive two-storied café-restaurant with balconies upstairs and outside tables downstairs. In the evenings, the adjacent area is alive with the noise and activity of a night market where Mayan silver jewelry, wool rugs woven in bold colors, embroidered white dresses, Panama hats, beaded bracelets and trinkets of every kind are haggled over and traded. Vendors in Merida want to sell their wares, but there’s little in the way of aggressive “hard sell” or persistent importuning that one gets in many developing countries.  Here, they tend to be patient and good humored. Across Calle 60 from the theater is the Universidad de Yucatan, founded in the 19^th century and in Spanish colonial style, with an elaborate carved stone façade and a wrought iron balcony.  The central courtyard of the university building provides the venue for concerts and folk performances every week.  In the midst of the many ornate colonial structures, however, I came upon an interesting building with straight, clean lines, in 1920’s and 30’s Art Deco style, called Edificio La Nacional. 

Further along from the Universidad, is the hotel where I stayed, the Hotel Merida Mision Park Plaza, a renovated colonial house, complete with terraces and a swimming pool.  My spacious room had peach-colored walls and louvered shutters that kept out the sun.  I threw open the shutters and was greeted with a panoramic view of the Plaza Major, looking south. I liked the floor of dark-red and tan stone tiles which felt so cool and smooth under bare feet, and the rattan chairs that were as comfortable as they were attractive. But the lobby was cavernous, slightly dingy and lacked intimacy and charm, when it could well have been stunning had it been properly restored or decorated. Even though I only had breakfast in the hotel, I found the service professional, attentive and friendly, striking a pleasant and welcoming balance. Not as much English was spoken here as one might expect, but I felt trying to communicate in my limited Spanish with the lady at the front desk was part of the fun of being here.  Right across the street is the Hotel Casa del Balam, which has a fountain in the lobby and a lovely swimming pool at the back.  It appeared to be smaller, more intimate and more attractively restored than the Mision. But I knew it was already fully booked as early as in November.

Paseo de Montejo

          At the northern end of Merida, away from “El Centro,” is an upscale residential neighborhood with echoes of Paris or Madrid. This is the area around Paseo de Montejo, which seems to have been inspired by the Champs-Elysees. Lining this broad, tree-lined boulevard are the 19^th century mansions of the rich and powerful in Merida. Many of these were landlords who owned the sisal (henequen) plantations called “haciendas” and who prospered as a result of the lucrative production, sale and export of this hard, strong fiber. They had extensive business ties with Europe and their homes reflect a strong European architectural and social influence.  I started from the Fiesta Americana Hotel, which is in this area, strolled southwards along the Paseo, taking an occasional break on a roadside bench under the shade of trees, and viewing with amused interest the outdoor metal sculptures of different animals, such as deer, bear or boar placed at intervals on the pavement. A serious attempt has been made to create a pleasant and salubrious urban environment of greenery and well-maintained homes here, in contrast to the dilapidation or shoddy construction of most housing in Merida away from the central historic district.  At one point I passed the Church of Santa Ana, a Mexican national hero, then began to see more shops and restaurants, and eventually reached the fringes of the central district again.     

La Cocina Yucateca

          Yucatan food is distinctive and rooted in the culture and traditions of the region.  Perhaps the most representative local dish is cochinita pibil, dating back to pre-Conquest Mayan days – pork marinated in lime, bitter orange and achiote (a hot, spicy mix of dried herbs), wrapped in banana leaves and baked in an earthenware dish. It is served either as a main course or used to make tacos. pollo pibil is the chicken version of the dish. I tried both the pork and chicken, and found the taste pleasant, but perhaps not as aromatic (from the banana leaves) or as spicy (from the herbs) as I had hoped. 

A pleasant and centrally-located restaurant with an English menu (making it popular with tourists) is Portico del Peregrino, with tables in an open courtyard where guests dine in the cool of the evening. Other than the main dish of baked chicken, I had as appetizer deep sea conch ceviche, which was plentiful and quite good. But it could not compare with the succulent seafood ceviche followed by superb grilled abalone, squid and octopus I had one night at an unassuming restaurant away from the central district.

          Perhaps my most memorable dining experience in Merida was at a highly-rated restaurant called Los Almendros, or the Almond Trees. Located just off the second-floor lobby of the upscale Fiesta Americana Hotel, it is elegantly-appointed, and not particularly crowded. I liked it so much I went there on two occasions. At one meal I started with tostada de venado, shredded venison, coriander, sliced onion and chilies (called xnipec, a Mayan word) topping a toasted tortilla. It was excellent. Of course the Yucatan was called by its Mayan inhabitants “The Land of the Pheasant and the Deer” for a good reason. For a main course, I ordered a fresh Mayan fish, which was served with a heavenly pumpkin-seed sauce that was almost beyond description. It was of a perfect consistency, neither too thick nor too thin, with a subtle, savory, slightly nutty taste. The waiter, having discovered my rapturous response, brought me a spoon. On my second visit to the illustrious restaurant, I ordered a selection of regional specialties to share with my companions. The specialties were Vallodolid sausage, which looked curled up like a snake and was crispy-skinned and tasty; papadzules, tortillas stuffed with chopped hard-boiled eggs, served in a spicy tomato sauce; panuchos, small, crisp-fried tortillas topped with shredded turkey and chilies; salbutes, non-fried tortillas covered with bean puree and shredded meat.  As a main course, I had Pan de Cazon, said to be a specialty of the port of Campeche.  It was sautéed dogfish, vegetable puree and refried beans layered with soft corn tortillas, in a spicy tomato sauce. The dish looked very much like a stack of pancakes. What I have called vegetable puree is something called epazote, translated by the waiter as “plant,” which could be either eggplant or some other vegetable.

          I came away from these meals thinking what better way was there to learn about the culture and customs of the Yucatan than to sample its varied and delicious cuisine?

Excursions to Uxmal and Chichen Itza

         It is clear that Merida offers much that would satisfy the cultural, architectural and gastronomic interests of any visitor. But few come to this city without visiting the famed Mayan centers of Uxmal and Chichen Itza, and I was no exception. My impressions of these will be described in a separate article.