Another House and Garden Tour

In addition to the House and Garden Tour given each Tuesday by the Mérida English Library, there is another tour given each Wednesday under the auspices of "Yucatán Today" magazine.  I had never been on that tour, and we decided to take it.  It begins at 9:45 at "La 68 Centro Cultural", a cultural center just a few blocks from the house.  

If I had to choose between the two tours, I think that I would go with the Library's tour.  Both begin with a introductory talk on the history and architecture of Mérida.  In my opinion, the lecture at the library was more concise, yet presented more information.  I would also say that if you simply want to see how ex-pats have renovated and decorated old homes in the "centro histórico", the Library's tour is superior.  However, I am glad that we took the "Yucatán Today" tour because we saw some unusual things.  (I'm not sure if today's itinerary was typical of the "Yucatán Today" tours, but it was definitely different from the tours I have taken with the Library.)

The first house on the tour was a huge, elegant old house that is in the middle of renovation.  Tools and piles of construction materials were everywhere.  I would have preferred to have seen the finished product, but the visit certainly makes one appreciate what a gargantuan project a total renovation is.

The facade and front rooms of the second house were typical of a traditional Mérida home, but the back of the house and the guest house to the rear, were ultra-modern in style.  I liked the architecture of the house, but both Jane and I thought that the decor of the rooms was very "ho-hum" and ill-planned.  I'm probably sounding catty, but it seems that if the owners have the money to build this showplace, they could have hired an interior decorator to come up with some eye-catching decor. 

The last house was an unrenovated house that has been occupied by the same Mexican family for generations.  It was a study in faded grandeur and the accumulation of decades' worth of bric-a-brac.  It was definitely an interesting departure from what is usually seen on house and garden tours.

After the tour, Jane and I strolled across the Plaza de Santiago. There we happened to run into fellow blogger Marc Olson and another blogger living in Mérida. (Forgive me, but I have forgotten your name.  If you read this, please leave a comment, so I may mention the name of your blog.)

We returned to the cultural center where we had started the tour.  The center has a courtyard café where we had a bite to eat.  It also has a gift shop, and I heartily recommend it as the antithesis to the "tourist trap" stores that unfortunately are too common in the "centro histórico". The shop contains a wide variety of unique handicrafts and other products made by artesans from throughout the Yucatán.  Both of us bought a number of items there.  If you are looking for some nice souvenirs or gifts, it is worth your while to travel a few blocks west of downtown to "La 68 Centro Cultural" on the corner of Calle 68 and Calle 55.

Finally, to continue the "house and garden" theme, there is a house just a few doors down the street that we have been admiring each time we pass.   It is built in the style of a typical Mayan hut in the countryside.  It has a thatched roof and white-washed walls.  Today as we were returning to our house, a young lady was outside the thatched-roof house.  I struck up a conversation with her, and told her how much we liked her house.  She graciously invited us inside.  It is a simple house, but clean and well-maintained.  Typical of Mexico, three or four generations of the family occupy the house.  The young lady told me that the roof is replaced every three years, and that the house is cool in the summer and warm in the winter. 

What an unexpected and delightful experience, and indicative of the warmth of the people of Yucatán!