Things to Do in Merida

Better known as Plaza Grande, Plaza Principal, or just “the main square” by English speakers, this has been the center of Merida since the cathedral was finished in the late 1500s. It’s a pleasant place to sit and watch the locals and visitors in action, with families enjoying a bag of popcorn or popsicles from the excellent paleta shop on one side. There are cafes on the edge in the shade for a leisurely drink or bite to eat and several main shopping and dining streets branch off from here.

On one corner you can hire a carriage driver to give you a tour up to Paseo de Montejo and back, but do it at night when there’s less traffic. Explanations will all be in Spanish, but it’s a picturesque trip through the historic district even if you don’t understand a word.

Using the Zocalo as your base, you can walk or take a quick taxi ride to almost anywhere of interest to visitors in the center of Merida.

At the turn of the 19th century in Merida, the henequen plant—a type of agave—was such an important producer of textiles that locals would call it “green gold.” All of that changed when the textile industry evolved toward synthetic fibers, but on a visit to Sotuta de Peon Hacienda, on Merida’s southern outskirts, you can journey back to the golden era was henequen was king. Tour an historic, grandiose plantation home that was built with henequen dollars, before visiting the mill to watch as plants are processed into fibers. The equipment used has been pieced together from farms across the Yucatan, and is a way to preserve the traditional methods of henequen production and harvest. Learn how the fiber is woven to make rope, or spun into high quality yarn, before bouncing around on a mule-driven truck like plantation workers of old. Having worked up a sweat on the hacienda, cool off with a dip in the hidden cenotes, allowing the cool, alkaline-rich waters to rejuvenate your senses. You can also enjoy a traditional meal that’s prepared at the hacienda restaurant, and truly cap off an enchanting day of Yucatan history and culture.

Located on the Yucatan peninsula where the Gulf of Mexico meets the Caribbean Sea, the Mexican port of Progreso is a jumping-off point for tours to the Mayan archaeological sites of Chichen Itza (100 miles/160 km away), Uxmal (70 miles/115 km) and Dzibilchaltun (18 miles/30 km). Book a shore excursion or make your own way to the site of your choice by taxi or rental car (both found at the port).

If you’re looking for a more cosmopolitan day in port, head to the city of Mérida, the capital of Yucatan both politically and culturally, where you can soak up the colonial atmosphere by walking along the square, admiring the European-style architecture or stumbling upon a free concert.

How to Get to Mérida

You’ll dock at the Progreso pier, which at 5 miles (8 km) in length is one of the world’s longest. A shuttle takes passengers from ships to the base of the pier, where you can rent a car or grab a cab to make the 20-mile (35-km) drive.

One Day in Mérida

Begin at Plaza Grande, Mérida’s main square, which puts you in the center of the old town. Work your way around the square, picking up a souvenir or two and checking out the historic sights on all sides.

Don’t miss the House of Montejo (Casa de Montejo) built in 1549 and once home to the family of the Spanish conquistador Francisco de Montejo, and Mérida’s cathedral (the Catedral de San Ildefonso), which was constructed during the last half of the 16th century on the site of a Mayan temple.

Take a breather with a cup of coffee or some lunch in the plaza, and then head north from the square along Calle Ciudad toward the Paseo Montejo, a tree-lined boulevard where you’ll find the Palacio Canton, a former palace that houses the Museo Regional de Antropología (Anthropology Museum). Step inside and be wowed by the exhibits that track the region’s history back to ancient times.

For more of Yucatan’s cultural past, jump in a cab and head to the Gran Museo del Mundo Maya (Great Museum of the Maya World), a recent addition (opened in 2012) to the city’s already-rich cultural offerings. Inside the modern exterior, explore the hundreds of pieces jewelry, ceramics and other Mayan artifacts.

While the center of Merida is all Spanish Colonial in architecture and layout, Paseo de Montejo is the product of a brief period when the French controlled Mexico and built a grand boulevard lined by mansions. Several upscale hotels, nightclubs, and hot restaurants are on this stretch, retaining their original interesting façades. It’s a pleasant street for walking, with wide shady sidewalks and interesting shops and galleries here and there. It ends at a roundabout with the city’s history laid out in stone on a relief in the center. Just before that are two places showing where we’ve come: a small tourist shopping mall on one side and a Super Wal-mart on the other.

If you stay on this boulevard heading north in a car, eventually it turns into a highway that goes 40 minutes to Progreso’s beach and cruise ship dock, on the Gulf of Mexico.

It’s a long, hot walk to get here from the center, however, so most visitors see Paseo de Montejo on a horse carriage ride or take a taxi to the end and walk back via Santa Lucia and Santa Ana parks.

This minor archeological site on the Puuc Route south of Merida is worth visiting to see its Palace of the Masks, an ornate structure covered with hundreds of masks of the same figure: the rain god Chaac. This repeating motif is rare in Mayan art and perhaps illustrates the importance of water—or the lack of it some years. There are no underground cenotes in this area, so rainfall was the only source of water.

Artifacts have been found here going as far back as the third century BC, but most of what remains was built between the 7th and 11th centuries AD. It was abandoned soon after and was empty when the Spanish conquistadores arrived.

Some of the sculpted elements of the site have been whisked off to various museums, but several low stone buildings and pyramids remain. Since Kabah is in a region dotted with other ruins, it’s usually a quick stop as part of a multi-site tour.

If you're looking for guaranteed pink flamingo sightings, a trip out to Celustun is your best bet. There's a pleasant enough beach where you can spread out a blanket, look for shells, or go swimming, but the main reason to visit is to hire a boat captain to take your party out on a flamingo tour. You head into a lagoon area where the big pink birds hang out each day, flying around and settling down in shallow areas in large groups to look for food. It's rare to come here and not see a few dozen flamingoes in bunches as you troll around on the boat.

The tour also usually includes a "petrified forest" with mangrove stumps sticking out of the mud and a visit to a swimming hole on land filled by cool, clear spring water. It's a great place to cool off from the viewing time in the hot sun. Afterwards there are a variety of inexpensive seafood restaurants near the beach and town square, all serving shrimp ceviche, fresh-caught fish from the Gulf of Mexico, and cold beer or margaritas.