Merida is known as the
White City, nowadays one of the most tranquil and safest cities in Mexico. Her remote Mayan roots, superb colonial monuments
and the splendor of her turn to the XIX century architecture, has made Merida a captivating mixture of cultural influences!
Meriden people
are characterized by their hospitality and pride of their strong traditions and cultural roots. Merida,
Mexico has turned into a splendid city for business and recreation under a peaceful and secure climate, making
foreigners feel at home.
Merida, Mexico
is a city of about 1 million people, is a wonderful mixture of colonial city and cosmopolitan destination.
With Merida as your base, you can visit cathedrals and churches, Mayan ruins, museums, haciendas and centoes. You'll also find movies, theaters, important hospitals,
public and private schools, four universities, shopping malls with such stores as Sear's, and chain stores such as Sam's,
Costco, WalMart, the French supermarket Carrefour, as well as the Mexican chains of Liverpool, Comercial Mexicana, Soriana
and Sanborn's.
~ History
of Merida - Yucatan, Mexico ~
The
Spaniard Francisco de Montejo founded Merida on January 6, 1542. When the Spaniards
arrived, Merida was a large Mayan city known as T'ho, situated on what is now the Main Plaza. It
was conquered by the Spaniards, who dismantled all the pyramids and used the huge stones as the foundation for the Cathedral
of San Idelfonso (1556-1599), the oldest cathedral on the American continent.
The Cathedral,
situated on the east side of the Plaza, is only one of Merida's many interesting sites. Directly
across the Plaza is the Palacio Municipal (1735), Merida's Town Hall. On the south side is the Casa de Montejo (1542), the
former home of the conqueror of Yucatan.
The Palacio de Gobierno (1892),
on the north side, houses 27 murals by Fernanco Castro Pacheco illustrating the somewhat violent history of Yucatan, Mexico.
The Yucatan is one of Mexico's most tranquil and safest states, with a climate resembles that of Florida or Cuba. Yucatecans are good, tranquil and hospitable people who have strong roots and traditions. They
take pride in their city, known as "The White City", not only for the predominance of
white limestone as a building material, but because of its streets, plazas and parks that are cleaned daily.
~
Yucatan Beaches, Gulf of Mexico ~
Near Merida, the most popular beaches are Chelem, Yucalpeten, Progreso,
Chicxulub, Cocal Josefina, San Miguel, Uaymitun, San Benito, San Bruno (both these are not really
towns, but they do have signs), Telchac Puerto, San Crisanto, and Dzilam Bravo.
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![Medira, Mexico: Montonge {click to enlarge]](../sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/.pond/medira_motif.jpg.w560h393.jpg)
