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MAYAN RIVIERA
Tourist Guide MERIDA
HISTORY
According to Yucatecan history, Merida was founded by the Spaniard Francisco de Montejo on January 6, 1547. However, before the Spaniards arrived, Merida had been a large Mayan city known as T’ho. Once conquered, the city of T’ho was dismantled and the stones from its pyramids used as the foundation for the Cathedral of San Ildelfonso (1556-1599), the oldest cathedral on the American continent. Paamul Caribbean Paradise, Riviera Maya Q. Roo México he Cathedral, situated on the east side of the Plaza, is only one of Merida’s many interesting sites. Directly across the Plaza is the Palacio Municipal (1735), Merida’s Town Hall.
On the south side is the Casa de
Montejo (1542), the former home of the conqueror of Yucatan. The Palacio
de Gobierno (1892), on the north side, houses 27 murals illustrating the
history of Yucatan.
On
Calle 60, from the Plaza to Calle 47 (Santa Ana Park), there are many
examples of Merida’s colonial architecture: the Hidalgo Park, the Church
of the Third Order (containing beautiful frescoes and chandeliers), the
University, the Peon Contreras Theater (1618) and Santa Lucia Church and
Park (1877).
At
the beginning of the Paseo de Montejo (1888), which starts at Calle 47, is
Merida’s impressive Museum of Anthropology and History (1909). And along
the Paseo, up to the Monument to the Country (1945-1956), there are many
beautiful colonial houses (some serving as homes and some as businesses)
as well as hotels, restaurants, banks and the American Consulate. MAYAN FENCES
This past weekend while driving from Telchac Puerto to Motul, it was a pleasant site for my eyes and spirit to see the Mayan stone fences or walls that they refer to as “albarradas.” When you get out of Merida and into the villages and countryside, albarradas are quite common.
However, there are
albarradas and there are albarradas. As you begin to take note of the
stone walls, you will notice the different qualities of construction. To
build a nice looking albarrada is really quite an art.
These
stone walls average about 3 feet or one meter high and date back to whom
knows when. They were/are used to define property lines in the fields,
residential limits and to keep the animals (chickens, pigs, etc.) on ones
property. Being as the Yucatan peninsula is a limestone shelf (just try to
dig down more than 4 inches…), it has always been easy to get rock. As
I said, building an albarada is really quite an art, as one must find the
right stones and no cement is used. All
the stones, which are preferably large and pretty square, are lined up and
put in place like a puzzle. Some
great places to see albarradas are on the “free road” to Chichen Itza,
in the villages on the Puuc and Convent Routes, around Ticul, near the
hotel/haciendas, etc. Actually, once you get out of Merida and into the
country, you will see albarradas. Take note of this interesting factoid: When Mexican children loose their teeth, they put them under their pillow and the “tooth rat” comes and leaves money so he can take the teeth to build “albarradas.”
No tooth fairies
for them…and anyway, can someone tell me what the tooth fairy does with
all those teeth? I don’t remember that part of the story..
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