Mérida is one of my favorite cities in Mexico. The food is good, it’s beautiful, and it’s a cultural center. Not that I’ve ever done anything cultural there, but always a reason to go back. I’m going to skip the usual Yucatan and Yucatan adjacents such as Chichén Itzá and Tulum (obviously famous for a reason, obviously you should go) in favor of some things that aren’t as commonly known.
Let’s talk about my new favorite thing and the gods’ gift to the Yucatan peninsula: cenotes. Cenotes are basically magical sinkholes. They form when Limestone bedrock collapses and the groundwater is exposed. The water in the cenote is filtered from the bedrock and as a result, is incredibly clear. And because the water flow is so slow, they are usually quite warm. Some more crowded than others, and they can be large or small. Cenotes can also be extremely deep, underground, next to campgrounds, used for sacrifice by the Mayans, and are an all-around unique experience. I finally swam in some on my last trip and it was everything I thought it would be. There are tons scattered throughout the region, and they are worth the trip.
The town of Mérida itself is relaxed. The hot weather gives it a beach vibe and the colonial architecture gives it an elegance. There are tons of art museums and places to eat. The town square, like every town square in Mexico, has a church. But in this one, you will find the Catedral de Yucatán, the first and oldest cathedral built in the Americas. It’s huge and somber and impressive, stepping inside you can almost feel the forced religious conversions happening.
The region is famous for sweet lime soup and marquesitas, a crispy crepe filled with Edam cheese and jam. I make it a mission to eat one of each every day if I can when I go. If you need a vacation from your vacation as I often do, I recommend Mercado 60. It has an especially monotonous hipster vibe so you feel like you could be in the trendy part of literally any town. It is comprised of a variety of restaurants and bars collected together so you don’t even have to argue with your traveling companion about where you’re going to eat. And, live music Wednesday through Sunday until late.
If you like to take impressive photos without really trying, I recommend visiting Las Coloradas. Come for the picture and stay for the weird vibes. I was both pleasantly surprised and extremely anxious to discover I felt as if I had just stepped into a John Waters movie.
The site is an active salt mine inconveniently located 3.5 hours from Merida and accessible only by car, if you time it right you can take a photo of the water appearing pink due to the halobacteria that live in saturated saline conditions. Then you can wander around looking for flamingos and wondering what else you should do for the next 45 minutes since you drove so far to get here. It also features unnecessarily intimidating guards all covering their faces with skull bandanas to make sure you don’t swim.
Valladolid is the closest town to Chichén Itzá and there are dozens of cenotes nearby and in the town itself. It’s small and chill, with none of the silent yet palpable judgment I typically feel when venturing to small towns. We had a delicious and cheap (I’m talking $1.5 for a 1-liter dragon fruit smoothie you guys) breakfast in the market and stumbled across a coffee shop that also gives bike tours of the area for nature and canteen lovers alike.
The last place I want to mention is the Convent of San Antonio De Padua in Izamal, situated between Mérida and Valladolid. Again one of the first of its’ kind in the Americas, it was constructed using materials from the destroyed Mayan temple that originally occupied the site. The first and only convent I have visited, and I’m not one for religion or cheery colors, but I have to say I was impressed. This place is sprawling and everything is painted a beautiful yellow and white.
And that concludes my wildly incomplete and very brief tour guide of the road less traveled in and out of Mérida.
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