Merida

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Merida

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Mérida View of a colonial building Martin Siepmann/ age fotostock

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The first town of Yucatan is the most interesting one in terms of history and culture. Prosperous thanks to the cultivation of sisal (used to make sailing ropes), it has kept its magnificent heritage and has remained Mayan in character, with a touch of Caribbean influence. The Yucatan town has kept alive its affinity for partying and its folk traditions, unique in Mexico. These cultural traditions express themselves fully during the exuberant carnival in mid-February. You can admire the colonial architecture around the Zocalo and lose yourself in the market. In this maze of small shops standing on beaten earth (open every day), you can find huipiles (embroidered blouses), sisal cloth hammocks, fruits and vegetables, armfuls of flowers, straw hats, medicinal herbs and tortillas. Then you can go to the Regional Museum of Anthropology housed in a rococo palace, the Palacio Canton, most of the collections come from Puuc-Maya and Chenes civilizations who reigned on Yucatan from the 10th to the 13th century. Not far, you will be able to see the magnificent Convento de San Antonio, in the small village of Izamal, and especially the Puuc Maya site of Uxmal, about 45 miles south of Merida; the pyramid of the Seer and the adjoining monuments are the most beautiful legacy of the Mayan civilization.