Mérida lies at the center of the Mayan world in the Yucatán. Surrounding it are archaeological sites dating back thousands of years. But its colonial history is just as interesting.

Things to Do

Start your tour of the city at the Plaza Mayor, or, as it was once called, the Plaza de la Independencia, Mérida's zócalo. The Catedral de San Idelfonso, built by Pedro de Aulestia and Miguel de Auguero between 1561 and 1598, making it the oldest cathedral in North America, stands on the east side of the Plaza. Peek into the Capilla del Cristo de las Ampollas (Chapel of the Christ of the Blisters), to the left of the main altar to see the sixteenth-century Mayan woodcarving of Christ. According to legend, someone carved this from the wood of a tree in Ichmul that the Maya saw burning but undamaged.

To one side of the cathedral stands the former archbishop's house, now the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (Museum of Contemporary Art), also known as the Museo MACAY (MACAY Museum), which displays modern Yucatecan art. Admission is $3. (Open Tuesday to Sunday, 8 A.M. to 5 P.M., 999-928-3258.)

Opposite the cathedral on the plaza's north side stands the Palacio Municipal, Mérida's City Hall, built in 1735, with its clock tower and colonnades. Nearby is the Palacio de Gobierno (Government Palace), built in 1892, which displays twenty-seven abstract murals. Painted in 1978 by Fernando Castro Pacheco, the murals shows his interpretation of the Yucatán's bloody history. A block beyond stands the Convento de las Monjas, a former sixteenth-century convent.

On the south side is the Casa de Montejo, built in 1549, the former home of Francisco de Montejo, a Spanish Conquistador who founded Mérida in 1542, now a bank. You can stroll, shop, and people-watch while doing the Calle 60 Stroll — one of the “must-dos” while in Mérida. Beginning at the zócalo, stroll north Calle 60 to Parque Hidalgo. Stop for a café, a cerveza, or a refresco, and sample some botanas (snacks) while you people-watch.

Just beyond stands the beautiful Iglesia de Jesús, also known as Iglesia de Tercer Orden (Church of the Third Order), with its magnificent frescoed interior. Built in 1618, it's a good place to see a Yucatecan wedding. Parque de la Madre (Motherhood Park) offers some shade as you gaze over at the Teatro José Peón Contreras (José Peón Contreras Theater). The University of the Yucatán's main building, across the street, offers summer courses in archaeology and Spanish and a folkloric dance performance on Friday evenings.

Parque de Santa Lucia (Saint Lucy Park), up next, offers a free Yucatecan serenade every Thursday evening at 9 P.M. Across the street stands the Iglesia de Santa Lucia (Church of Saint Lucy), which the Spaniards originally built for the exclusive use of their African slaves.

Continue your stroll to Calle 47 to Parque Santa Ana surrounded by antique shops and art galleries. Purchase a snack and cold drink from the vendors in the park. Walk over one block to Paseo de Montejo, Mérida's main avenue, considered to be Mérida's tree-lined version of Paris's Champs-Elysées, flanked by French-style old chateaux and monuments that tell of the grandeur of the Yucatán's turn-of-the-centuryhenequén (a hemp fiber used to make rope) boom. At the corner of Paseo de Montejo and Calle 43 stands the Palacio Cantón, built by General Francisco Cantón, a former governor of the Yucatán. Now it houses the Museo de Antropología e Historia, showing exhibits of Mayan history and anthropology housed in a restored mansion. Admission is $5. (Open Tuesday to Saturday, 8 A.M. to 8 P.M., Sundays 8 A.M. to 2 P.M.; 999-923-0557.) If you're tired, take a calesa back to your hotel or to La Ermita De Santa Isabel (Santa Isabel Chapel), south of the zócalo. Its gardens contain Mayan statues. Travelers to and from Campeche used to stop here to pray for a safe journey.

You'll find Mérida's downtown is closed to traffic on Sundays, allowing you to stroll its streets, browse its shops, and attend one of many folkloric shows held in its parks.

For the Kids

Parque Centenario is the place for kids in Mérida. Besides a great zoo (open 8 A.M. to 5 P.M.), it has all sorts of entertainment, including a festival for kids with clowns and magicians, puppets and players, plus organized games with prizes on Sundays at 11 A.M. Pinocchio's Movie House, across from the park, shows kids' movies on Sundays beginning at 8 A.M.

Ecotourism

If you're a bird lover, this part of the Yucatán is like Nirvana. Natural undeveloped beaches are full of seagulls in flight and pelicans fishing in the shallow waters. Of all the places you can visit, Río Lagartos, 165 miles from Mérida, offers the most amazing sight — thousands of bright pink flamingos gathering in the estuary and flying overhead. The Mexican government declared this site a National Wildlife Refuge in 1979. You may also see spider monkeys, whitetail deer, crocodiles, as well as nineteen of the twenty-seven types of birds found in the world in this 90,000-acre refuge. Although you can drive to Rio Lagartos, 165 miles east of Mérida, you'll enjoy taking an all-day tour with lunch with Ecoturismo Yucatán (999-920-2772, ecoyuc.com.mx).

Bullfights

You can see a bullfight at the Plaza de Toros in Mérida between November and April. Tickets, available at the arena, on the zócalo, and at convenience stores, cost 15 to to 50 dollars.