Mérida, Yucatán

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Cathedral on the Plaza Mayor, the oldest in North America [1].

Mérida is the capital city of the Mexican state of Yucatán. It is located in the northwest part of the state, about 35 km (22 miles) from the Gulf of Mexico coast, at 20°58′12″N, 89°37′12″W. In 2003 the population was about 793,000, ranking 11th among the most populous Mexican cities.

Mérida is served by Manuel Crescencio Rejón International Airport (IATA airport code: MID)

1 History
2 Weather
3 Culture
4 Geography
5 Food
6 Language and accent
7 Twinning
8 Sources
9 External links

[edit] History

Mérida was founded in 1542 by Francisco De Montejo, a Spanish Conquistador known as "El Adelantado." It was built over the Maya city of Ti'ho, also known as Ichcaanzihó or land of the great “sihoes” which had existed for centuries earlier. Some carved Maya stones from ancient Ti'ho are still visibly reused in some Spanish Colonial buildings. Some Maya still use the ancient name Ti'ho when referring to Mérida. Much of Mérida's architecture from the Colonial period, through the 18th century and 19th century is evident in the central portion of the city. From colonial times through the mid 19th century Mérida was a walled city to protect the Spanish and Ladino residents from periodic revolts by the indigenous Maya. Several of the old Spanish city gates survive, but modern Mérida has expanded well beyond the old city walls. Late in the 19th century and the early 20th Century, the area surrounding Mérida prospered from the production of henequén (known as sisal in English, because it was exported from the port of Sisal, which for most of the 19th century was the most important port in the State). A legacy of those times are the several European-style houses that still survive in the city, especially on the north side, close to Colón, Montejo and Pérez Ponce avenues. After the decline of the henequén industry, this area of Merida suffered, and it is now simply historic.

In recent years, two important science competitions were held in Mérida: the 2005 International Mathematical Olympiad and the 2006 International Olympiad in Informatics.

In 2006 Mérida hosted FITA Archery World Cup Final.

[edit] Weather

Warm-hot humid weather. The average high temperature is 91 degrees Fahrenheit (33 degrees Celsius), and there is a rainy season from June through August.

[edit] Culture

A city street in Mérida

A statue in a traffic rotary on the Paseo De Montejo, Mérida

Mérida is nicknamed "The White City" both for a common color of its buildings and the fact that the residents keep the city particularly clean. Mérida was named after the Spanish town of the same name, originally (in Latin) Augusta Emerita (see Mérida, Spain). Mérida served as the American Capital of Culture in the year 2000. The city is full of exquisite art galleries as well as the inevitable tourist shops. The main thoroughfare, Paseo de Montejo, is lined with original sculpture by up-and-coming local and foreign artists, as part of an exhibit.

Mérida and the state of Yucatán are somewhat isolated from the rest of the country, and it shows in many things. The conquistadors found the Mayan culture to be incredibly resilient, and their attempts to eradicate Mayan tradition, religion and culture had only moderate success. Many inhabitants today are Mayan descendants. The surviving remnants of the Mayan culture can be seen everyday, in speech, dress, and in both written and oral histories. It is especially apparent in holidays like Hanal Pixan, a Mayan/Catholic Day of the Dead celebration. It falls on November 1 and 2 (one day for adults, and one for children) and is commemorated by elaborate altars dedicated to dead relatives. It is a compromise between the two religions with crucifixes mingled with skull decorations and food sacrifices/offerings. Múkbilpollo is the Mayan tamal pie offered to the dead on All Saints' Day, traditionally accompanied by a cup of hot chocolate. Many Yucatecans enjoying eating this on and around the Day of Dead. And, while complicated to make, they can be purchased and even shipped via air. (Muk-bil literally means "to put in the ground" or to cook in a pib, an underground oven).

For English speakers or would-be speakers, Mérida has the Mérida English Library [2], a lending library with an extensive collection of English books, videos, tapes and children books. The library is also the site for expatriate meetings, children's storytelling hours and other cultural events.

[edit] Geography

The city as seen from the 16th floor of Hyatt

Merida is located in the Northwest part of the state of Yucatan, which occupies the northern portion of the Yucatan peninsula. To the east is the state of Quintana Roo, to the west is the state of Campeche, to the north is the Gulf of Mexico, and far to the south is the state of Chiapas. The city is also located in the approximate epicenter of the Chicxulub Crater. Yucatan has a very flat topography and is situated very near sea level. The land outside of Merida is covered with smaller scrub trees and former henequen fields. Almost no surface water exists, but several cenotes (underground rivers) are found across the state. Merida itself is centered around a downtown "centro" typical of colonial Spanish cities. The street grid is based on odd-numbered streets running east/west and even-numbered streets running north/south, with "calles" 60 and 61 bounding the "Plaza Grande" in the heart of the city. The more affluent neighborhoods are located to the north and the most densely populated areas are to the south. The Centro area is becoming increasingly popular with American and other ex-pats who are rescuing and restoring the classic colonial structures.

[edit] Food

Yucatecan food [3] is its own unique style, different from the rest of Mexico in many ways. It includes influences from the local Mayan culture, and Caribbean, Mexican and European, and Middle Eastern cultures.

There are many regional dishes. Some of them are:

Poc Chuc, a Mayan/Yucatecan version of barbecued pork.
Salbutes and Panuchos. Salbutes are soft, cooked tortillas with lettuce, tomato, turkey and avocado on top while panuchos are pretty much the same, with the difference mainly in the crunchy tortilla with a spread of refried beans inside the tortilla. Habanero peppers accompany most dishes, either in solid or purée form, along with fresh limes and corn tortillas.
Queso Relleno, this is a "gourmet" dish that involves ground pork inside of a carved edam cheese ball served with tomato sauce
Relleno Negro, Turkey meat cooked with a black paste of condiments from the region, served in tacos or sandwiches
Lime Soup, Turkey, Lime and Tortilla soup
Escabeche, Chicken cooked with condiments and onions

[edit] Language and accent

The Spanish spoken in the Yucatán is readily identifiable as different, even to non-native ears. It is heavily influenced by the Mayan language, which is still spoken by a third of the population of the State of Yucatan, although mostly in smaller towns and villages. The Mayan language is harshly melodic, filled with X sounds ("X" is pronounced "sh" in the Mayan language) and very full throated vowels.

Being enclosed by the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, and with poor land communication with the rest of Mexico, Yucatecan Spanish has also preserved many words that are no longer used in many other Spanish speaking areas of the world. Also unique among Yucatecan speakers is the heavy use of diminutive language that shows affection towards even mundane objects.^{[citation needed]} However, with the improvement in transportation and especially with the overwhelming presence of radio and TV, this isolation has eroded, and many outside elements of culture and language are now slowly but consistenly permeating the culture.

Even if fewer younger Yucatecans are fluent in Mayan today, it is still, even in Merida, the second language of the State. Some people, especially younger, have chosen to learn a foreign language like English, which is taught in most schools starting in the first grades. Most attendees of private schools speak at least halting English, but the education levels of the public schools vary widely. French is taught to some students during their second of the three years of high school.