A Tour of the Heart of Merida

We’ve been here over a week and finally are going to spend some time with a tour guide to learn about all these beautiful buildings and places we have seen in El Centro. We met Eduardo, Jack, and Carol, for a quick breakfast before setting off into the city. Eduardo was our guide and has lived in Merida his entire life. He has a degree in tourism and was a wealth of information on the local traditions and secrets, as well as how the city has changed over the many years of wars, rebirth, and new growth.

Note: Jack and Carol are a couple from Calgary, Canada, who arrived in Mexico a week ago and are staying in a beach house about an hour away. They too are newly retired and are here to see if a long term stay is in their future.

Here are some of the highlights of our 3 hour tour.

St. Lucia Square is a small park with a deep history of music. It houses a very nice outdoor stage and often hosts summer concerts. These unique chairs are sprinkled all around the park. We call them the kissing chairs but they were actually intended for just the opposite. A young girl asked her father if she could date and after much pleading and cajoling, the father agreed but only if she followed his rules … she was not to hold hands, kiss, or even touch her date. We all know how that turned out and when her father caught her, he built these chairs. She was allowed to sit in the chairs and talk without touching. I don’t think that worked either because now they are called the kissing chairs… they just make you want to kiss!

I am always intrigued with the art and structure of doors, the first point of welcoming to a home or structure. This door looks tall because it is. I would venture to guess it is at least 12 feet high. I can’t imagine having to open that heavy door every time - maybe climbing through a window would be easier.

This is the primary church of Merida. It is beautiful, ornate, and well preserved. Several blocks away is the cathedral which is even more majestic than this. However, the cathedral is only open for visitors during mass and we had just missed it.

During the Spaniard conquest of Merida, the Mayan people had to hide their treasures from the invaders. If you look closely, you’ll see two rocks that have a design on them. This was to mark where their treasures were secured, hidden between the walls of the old building and the rock facade.

Citibank purchased one of the old buildings and is restoring it as a museum. These are wood creatures that are to given to a child at their birth to depict what their personality will be. Which do you think is mine and which is Keiths?

It was a great tour of the heart of Merida and we really enjoyed meeting Jack and Carol. We ended our visit together with lunch and a date to meet on Friday at their home on the beach - we’re looking forward to that.