A Walk Around the Plaza

 Saturday - Our first full day in Mérida.
We had breakfast a few blocks from the hotel at Café La Habana, a place that has been around since 1952.  (It's as old as I am!)   We had a very good breakfast.  I suggested "huevos motuleños", and that is what all three of us had.  "Huevos motuleños" is a very hearty breakfast dish typical of the Yucatán.  It consists of a tortilla, smeared with refried beans.  On top of that is a fried egg, and it is covered with a tomato sauce, diced ham, peas, and cheese.  Fried banana slices are served to the side.  Fred and Nancy both enjoyed the dish.

After breakfast we walked a couple blocks to "la Plaza Grande", the town square of Mérida.  The plaza is surrounded by historic buildings.  On the south side is the "Casa de Montejo", the house built for Francisco de Montejo, the conqueror of the Yucatán and the founder of Mérida.  For several centuries the house remained a private residence.  In the 20th century, it became a branch of Banamex (the Bank of Mexico), and a few years ago (in honor of Mexico's Bicentennial, I believe) Banamex converted the house into a  small but very nice museum.  Several rooms are furnished with antiques portraying the way of life for a wealthy Mérida family in the 1800s.  On previous visits photography was not allowed in the museum, but now non-flash photos are allowed, so I can show you some views of the interior.

                                                                La Casa Montejo

Carvings on the facade of the Casa Montejo.  Notice the soldier with his feet on the heads of the conquered.  Montejo clearly wanted to tell the Mayas, "WE are now in charge!!"

 

Interior of the Casa Montejo

We continued on to the east side of the plaza which is dominated by the Cathedral of Mérida.  It was partially constructed from the stones of  a Mayan pyramid which once stood nearby.  It was completed in 1598, making it the oldest completed cathedral on the mainland of the Americas. While we were inside the cathedral, a local fellow started acting as impromptu tour guide giving us a lot of information about the history and architecture of the building.  Much of what he was saying was quite interesting, and I was planning on giving him a nice tip when he was done with his talk.  As it turned out he just wanted to take us to his handicraft shop next door to the cathedral.  His ploy left a rather bad taste in my mouth, and we definitely would never do any shopping at his store. (And,  by the way, he was still expecting a tip for his unsolicited "guide services".)

                                                         The Cathedral of Mérida

On the north side of the plaza is the Government Palace, the headquarters of the executive branch of the state government.  It is notable for the paintings which decorate the courtyard and a large hall known as the "Salón de Historía".  The paintings were done by a local son by the name of  Fernando Castro Pacheco.  The painter made a name for himself in Mexico City, and then returned to his home town to do a series of murals which depict the struggles of the Mayan people.

 

The Government Palace
  

Mural in the Government Palace by Fernando Castro Pacheco portraying the creation of man according to Mayan mythology.  (Notice that they believed that man was created from corn.)
 

After our sightseeing we stopped at "Sorbetería Colón" an ice cream parlor specializing in delicious fruit sorbet.  It has been in the same location on the plaza since 1907.  Even though they did not have my favorite flavor, "mamey" (a tropical fruit unknown in the U.S.), we all enjoyed our sorbet.

 

Waiting for our sorbet

The weather was not the greatest...  mostly cloudy and a light drizzle from time to time.  Ocassionally the sun would peek out.

We returned to our hotel to rest for a bit.  By late afternoon the skies had cleared.  Early evening we went around the corner to a wonderful restaurant called "La Tradición" which serves all the tradicional Yucatecan dishes.  (By the way, in a previous post I talked about my favorite Yucatecan song, "Peregrina", and said that we would probably hear it sometime during our stay.  We didn't have to wait long.  A musician singing and playing the guitar in the restaurant performed the song.  Apparently he could see that I was mouthing the words while he sang.  He later stopped by our table and asked how it was that a "gringo" knew the song.  I explained that I used to be a Spanish teacher, and that I used to play the song to them and tell them the history behind it.)

                                                         Dinner at "La Tradición"

In spite of less than perfect weather, it was a great day...  and I think that Nancy and Fred are enjoying Mérida!