Merida, a Lesson in Culture
Merida has really been blowing me away lately. I think I may have needed the first month to adjust and get my bearings, and now I've had more time to explore and get to know the city. Although Merida has something like a million people, and at heart, I prefer something smaller and quieter, I feel like I'm getting some major benefits of city life.
The culture here is impressive. The other night I went into the building below, which I pass all the time since it's right on the north side of the plaza grande. It's the government palace and it houses gigantic works of art (by a single artist) that tell the story of the history of Merida.
It's free to go in and walk around. Many of the pieces are out in the breezeways, making it the perfect place to stroll around on a cool evening. I went at around 8:30 p.m. and it showed no signs of closing when I left an hour later.
The art is a history lesson, as you stop and read about who and what is depicted in the sometimes violent paintings. It is, of course, a tragic story of conquistadors invading the Yucatan and brutalizing and enslaving the indigenous people. It certainly made me stop and think about the fact that I enjoy the architecture of these "colonial" cities so much when the European-style buildings so clearly represent this destruction of Maya culture and people.
Needless to say, I left with a somber feeling, but I was glad to learn about Merida's history and put certain things into context, such as the real story of Merida's history of henequen production (a plant used to make rope) or the name of the street I live on (and like so much), Paseo de Montejo. Montejo, from Spain, was the original conquistador of this area in the 1500s, and his son went on to eventually overtake the Maya here and establish the city of Merida.
On what might be considered a lighter note, I saw a different kind of artwork today at a nearby park. Day of the Dead has passed, but this 100% live plant and flower display was still drawing crowds. I loved it!
The culture here is impressive. The other night I went into the building below, which I pass all the time since it's right on the north side of the plaza grande. It's the government palace and it houses gigantic works of art (by a single artist) that tell the story of the history of Merida.
It also has this very elegant hall full of more works by the artist with descriptions of each.
Needless to say, I left with a somber feeling, but I was glad to learn about Merida's history and put certain things into context, such as the real story of Merida's history of henequen production (a plant used to make rope) or the name of the street I live on (and like so much), Paseo de Montejo. Montejo, from Spain, was the original conquistador of this area in the 1500s, and his son went on to eventually overtake the Maya here and establish the city of Merida.
On what might be considered a lighter note, I saw a different kind of artwork today at a nearby park. Day of the Dead has passed, but this 100% live plant and flower display was still drawing crowds. I loved it!
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| This neighborhood was adorable. |
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| Flower graves |
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| The people on the R look eerily fake. |
So that's my Merida cultural check-in. There's so much going on here all the time that this truly is just the tip of the iceberg.
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