Mérida Things to Do

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The Zocalo includes the Parque Principal.
Merida has the highest percentage of indigenous persons of any large city in Mexico with approximately 60% of all inhabitants being of the Maya ethnicity. You will see a lot of people at the Zocalo. I spent half an hour sitting at the bench and watching people walking along the park.

You can watch my 2 min 17 sec Video Mexico Merida part 2 out of my Youtube channel or here on VT.

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Merida is the largest of the four cities of the world that share the name Mérida. The other three being in Spain, Venezuela and the Philippines.
Merida’s historic center or Centro historico is the second largest in Mexico (after Mexico-City). You will find there a lot of buildings, including those on and around the Zocalo or Plaza Grande. They were built during the colonial period through the XVIIIth and XIXth centuries.
Italian and French style architecture is common in the city center.
The city has also heavy Mayan and Spanish influences.

The quickest way to get to know Merida's Historic Center is by joining the free, guided walking tour of downtown highlights, which is thorough, enjoyable and saves you the cost of hiring a private guide. The tour lasts 1¾ fact-filled and enjoyable hours and begins at the city tourism office located under the arches of City Hall – the Palacio Municipal, which is located on the west side of the Main Square. An experienced bilingual guide leads the group to Merida's most significant historical sites, sharing anecdotes in Spanish and English – depending on the day there might be only a few other travelers in your group or an entire horde of curious tourists. Among the landmarks visited are the Palacio Municipal itself, Main Square, Palacio de Gobierno, Cathedral, MACAY contemporary art museum, Pasaje de la Revolucion, the City Museum, and Casa de Montejo – the striking home of Merida's founder.

Yucatán's 19th century state government building, the neoclassical Palacio de Gobierno, is a required stop in Mérida for two reasons: the excellent tourism office on the first floor corner of Calles 60 and 61 and the second floor Hall of History with its 17 impressive murals by Yucatán's native son and most famous painter, Fernando Castro Pacheco. Installed in 1974, the massive paintings chronicle Yucatán's often-painful history, demonstrated most movingly in "The Execution of Jacinto Canek." The power of the three Spanish conquistadors named Francisco de Montejo – El Adelantado, The Younger, and The Nephew – is symbolized in their joint portrait by a threatening sword engulfed in fiery red. Hanging from the peak of the façade is a reproduction of the bell, which patriot-priest Miguel Hidalgo rang in 1810, beginning Mexico's battle for independence. The staff at the state tourism office is friendly, speaks English, and is eager to help visitors.

Highlighting the Calle 63 side of the Zócalo, the Casa de Montejo was built between 1543 and 1549 by Merida's founder, Francisco de Montejo, El Adelante. His son and namesake, nicknamed The Younger, inherited the house, which remained the family home until 1832. It is a masterpiece of Spain's Plateresque style, which combined late Gothic, Moorish and early Renaissance elements. A monumental façade features a profusion of carved images of conquistador and indigenous figures, with the natives one-third the size of the Spanish. Above the doorway a man hunches over bearing the weight of the upper tier, perhaps representing Montejo's dominance over the Maya. Caryatids flank each window of the house's Neo-Classical extension. Banamex purchased the building in the 1970s (which explains why there's an ATM inside) and, in 2010, was in the process of restoring the landmark as a museum depicting the home life of Spanish Colonial aristocrats.

If you're into fine arts, then drop by the Macay Art Gallery at the Zocalo, where you get to see reprints of some famous paintings by Da Vinci, Kahlo, Rivera, Michaelangelo and others. The rest of the art exhibit are all original works of local artists, housed in different rooms or sections of the gallery.

See website link (in Spanish).

FREE ADMISSION!

On Saturday nights at the beginning of Paseo Montejo, Merida has a Mexican Cultural Performance show. The show is a variety show filled with Mexican signing and dancing. Merida offers all sorts of cultural events all week. These events typically showcase the culture of Merida and the Yucatan. Well on Saturday night, the cultural event is all about Meridans being Mexicans.
The night I went, there were several singers who really got the crowd going. But the best act was this Ballet Folklorico group who danced these amazing dances. They were not typical Ballet Folklorico that you typically think of. They did this one dance about the beginning of Mayan Life. Then the women did this dance with whips and the men did this dance with knives. The dancing was amazing.
Although the variety show is the main event, Mexican Night offers other things as well. They have vendors selling crafts and other souvenirs. They also have vendors selling food.
One of the best things is that you can see locals who come weekly. Its great.

Merida offers free cultural events almost every day. You can pick up a guide in the Tourist Information office to let you know where and when the events will take place. I went to several of these events and had a blast. You would think that these events would be filled with tourists, but they are actually filled with locals. They are great ways to see what Meridans do and how they appreciate their culture, their city, and their people. Definitely go to as many of the events as you can.