Mérida
Ciudad HistóRica / Capital De YucatáN · Mérida, Yucatán
The white city, capital of Yucatan, built in 1542 directly on top of the Maya city of T'ho and, literally, out of it - the conquistadors pulled down the pyramids and used the cut stone for the cathedral and the houses, and you can still see Maya blocks in colonial walls. Three centuries later henequen, the sisal fibre the world used for rope and twine, made Yucatan so rich that its planters built a Parisian boulevard through a jungle city and filled it with mansions. Merida is the base for the whole peninsula - Uxmal, Chichen Itza, the cenote ring, the flamingos at Celestun - and it has the best regional cooking in Mexico and something free happening in a plaza almost every night of the week. It is also very hot from April to October, so plan the day around the heat, and it is consistently rated among Mexico's safest large cities, with good-value hotels, markets and museums. A two-night stay becomes four once you begin day trips.
Plaza Grande, Centro Histórico, Mérida, Yucatán, 97000, Mexico
An open city - free, no gate. Museums including the Gran Museo del Mundo Maya and the Palacio Cantón keep daytime hours and generally close on Mondays; INAH Sunday free admission applies to Mexican nationals and residents only. ⚠ THE CITY RUNS A FREE CULTURAL EVENT IN A PLAZA EVERY NIGHT OF THE WEEK - the Monday vaquería, Thursday Yucatecan serenade in Santa Lucía, and Mérida en Domingo on Sunday when the centre closes to traffic. The printed weekly list is available at the tourist office on the Plaza Grande. ⚠ APRIL AND MAY REGULARLY EXCEED 40 DEGREES WITH HUMIDITY - plan around the heat, out early and out again after five. ⚠ HOURS AND PRICES NOT VERIFIED FOR THIS FILE.