If one were in the unfortunate situation of only having one day to spend in Mérida, that day should be Sunday. For quite a few years the city has had what is known as "Mérida en domingo" (Mérida on Sunday)... every Sunday of the year is a fiesta in the historic center of the city. Calle 60 (the main street in the center) is closed to traffic for most of the day. In the morning the traffic-free zone extends beyond Calle 60, and families take advantage it to go bicycling. In the evening the restaurants along Calle 60 set out tables in the street (even Burger King!). The main plaza is filled with food stands and vendors selling handicrafts and traditional clothing. A good share of what you will see is tourist junk, but I always find something interesting. (This year I bought a cute nativity scene for around twelve dollars. The figures are crafted out of corn husks by a group of ladies who live outside of Mérida. I plan to donate it to the charity auction that I mentioned in previous posts.) All afternoon in front of the city hall there are performers... dancers, musicians, comics, and clowns for children of all ages.
Down Calle 60 a couple blocks on the little "Plaza de la Maternidad", local artists set up their work for sale. For about six dollars I bought a very attractive miniature oil painting of one of the thatched houses typical of the Yucatecan countryside. Continue down the street a few more blocks and you come to the Plaza.de Santa Lucía. Here in the afternoon you will hear a live band performing and see Mérida couples (many of them older couples) happily dancing to the Latin beat. Sunday in Mérida simply makes me smile.
In the late afternoon we took a dip in the pool, and then in the evening we went to my favorite restaurant in Mérida... Amaro. Amaro, in the "centro histórico" is located in a colonial house in which was born one of Mexico's heroes of the War of Indpendence, Andrés Quntana Roo. The tables are set out in the courtyard under a huge orchid tree. A wide variety of choices are offered on the menu, from Yucatecan dishes to vegetarian dishes to pizza. Everything that I have had there has been very good. Nancy had shrimp salad which she enjoyed. Fred and I had a traditional Yucatecan specialty, "cochinita pibil", pork with local seasonings, wrapped and baked in a banana leaf. It's sort of like our pulled pork but with a tropical twist. Very tasty! However, the reason Amaro is my favorite restaurant, in a city with many outstanding restaurants, is because of my favorite waiter, Enrique. Enrique can be very formal and correct, but if he senses that he can have fun with you, his devilish sense of humor will surface. After many visits to Amaro, when I return to Mérida and walk into the restaurant, Enrique greets me with an "abrazo". When I leave the restaurant after an evening of conviviality, I think to myself, "I love Mérida!"
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