Aug 16 – What should we see today? I wanted to visit the Museum of Modern Art, which wasn’t open when we passed by yesterday. Today there was a big sign saying it was open, but the guard at the door said not yet. We walked around for a half hour and went back. 🤷🏼♀️ Still not open. Oh well.
We like this little pilot on a paper airplane – looks like a Minion!Christ of the Blisters, behind a locked gate
We strolled back over to the cathedral, and they were between services, so we got in! Pretty stark inside, but we were looking for a statue in the side chapel called Christ of the Blisters. Legend says the statue was carved from a tree that was hit by lightning and burned all night without charring. It was also the only object that survived the fiery destruction of the church in the town of Ichmul (though it was blackened and blistered from the heat). The statue was moved to the Mérida cathedral in 1645.
Worshipers waiting to enter the chapel of Christ of the Blisters
We moved on to the Governor’s Palace to see the famous murals. They are huge, and there are a lot of them. The descriptions are printed in Spanish, English and Mayan. I asked a guide if people still spoke Mayan and she assured me they did – 9% in Mérida, and about 25% in the Yucatán overall.
The Governor’s PalaceSome of the murals were of patriots (above) and some had many interwoven elements (below)Natives enslaved by the Spaniards (the shadowy white figures on the right)Big feetA detail of a large mural, showing a serpent and an eagleNext was the interactive Museo de Musica. I expected to see children, but it was all adults with headphones on, listening to classical and Latin musicWe stopped into an open church and encountered life size statues similar to ones we saw in Spain – a full size Jesus above the altarFull sized Last Supper figures next to the altar I thought this painting was interesting – Jesus cutting down evil perhaps?We stopped for lunch at our favorite hole in the wall restaurant, then retired for a siesta. It didn’t rain this afternoon, so we took a dip in our shady pool. Very nice! Tomorrow we move on…
Aug 14 – As we were unable to get provisions last night due to the power outage, we set out early this morning to find some breakfast. Still lots of flooding on the streets, but the sidewalks were okay. We had to navigate around some pretty deep puddles when crossing roads. Thankfully, drivers were considerate and didn’t speed up to splash us (as often happens to me when walking the dog at home!)
We found a nice little restaurant where Joél (pronounced Oh EL) conversed with us while our huevos rancheros were cooking. He said this is the wet season, and the flooding is normal as it rains every day. In September it will get cooler and the rain will stop. He asked if we lived in Mérida, as many expats live here due to safety and the many cultural offerings.
Joel brought us some excellent huevos rancheros – fried eggs on a tortilla covered with a tomato sauce, served with fryol (puréed black beans)We planned a short day of exploring, so we could acclimate to the temperature here. It is HOT! We walked 15 minutes to Centro Mérida, the main city square, which was totally torn up and being renovated.Jackhammers and cement dust everywhere Our first stop was the Catedral de San Ildefonso, built in 1541 by the Spaniards from the bricks of the Mayan temple that formerly occupied the siteCarving above the main door was cemented over due to anti-Spanish sentiment during the revolution, and has now been restored Statues of Saint Peter and Saint Paul on either side of the entrance Unlike many cathedrals we have visited, this one celebrates Mass every hour throughout the morning, then closes in the afternoon. Tourists don’t seem to be welcome, with a guard at the door to keep non-worshipers out. I snapped a photo from the doorway, which shows an extremely large crucifix above the altar. That’s all we got to see.
The day was quickly heating up, so we set out to find a grocery store and get some provisions for our stay. Jim looked at his phone and told me the name of the store, and a local came right over to tell us that the store was closed, and gave us helpful directions to another. He said that lots of things have closed in Mérida. Helpful person of the Yucatán!
The store was only a few blocks away, but I was pouring down sweat even though we stayed on the shady side of the street. Jim got eggs, cheese, bread and the makings of a spaghetti dinner. Our kitchenette has a single burner hot plate, a microwave, one pot and one pan, so Jim had to think of things he could make with limited resources.
The supermarket had a good selection, but the checkout lines were long and slow.
That was enough for one day, so we picked up some lunch and brought it home to eat in the air conditioning. A good first day!
I like statues with birds on their heads
Aug 15 – After Jim made us a yummy egg, fruit, coffee and toast breakfast, we were ready to face a new day. Back to Centro we went.
Our first stop was Casa de Montejo, a museum housed in a manor built by the Spaniards in 1540. The carvings above the door show Spanish conquistadors standing on the heads of the locals.Look at the screaming heads being crushedLovely old furniture Beautiful inlay and murals on the ceiling Upstairs there was an art display with some pretty strange photosWoman with iguanas on her headI liked the colorfully painted wood carvingsWe stopped at a famous eatery called Gorditas Doña Gorda, where we watched gorditas being shaped, cooked and filledThese are equivalent to the arepas we tasted in Colombia. Jim was very happy with his gorditaOur next destination was the Museo de Ciudad Mérida. Two statues of Saint James the Moorslayer, crushing MoorsIn this carving of the Nativity, Mary is missing her arm, and Jesus has lost his headWe stopped in at an open church, with a very native looking Jesus:Hanging near the entrance was my favorite sign for the day: respect the church!
Back toward home to pick up another Menu del Dia to eat in the air conditioning. Shortly after we got inside, the rain poured down. Unlike at home, when it rains, it does not get one degree cooler. A good day!
Aug 13, 2024 – Has the summer been hot where you are? It’s been plenty hot in Virginia. So why would two old people fly south to a place that’s even hotter? In August?
Jim was asked to speak at a conference in Mérida, and you know our motto: once you’ve paid the airfare, you may as well hang out a while and see what there is to see. So here we go!
The Yucatán is the ‘fishhook’ end of Mexico, a peninsula shared with Guatemala (where we’ve been), and Belize (where we’ve not been yet). Our first destination is Mérida, named fondly by the Spanish conquistadors after Mérida, Spain, where we’ve also been! Small world and getting smaller…
Although Jim booked our flight with only one stop in Atlanta, the airline canceled and shuffled us into an additional stop in Mexico City, Although we’d been to this airport before, it was a real challenge to get through Customs and find the gate for our connecting flight to Mérida. When we finally found the gate, passengers were already boarding. Whew!
We reached our destination in the early evening (Mexico is two hours behind eastern time), Knowing that there are no restaurants near our room, we stayed at the airport and had a lovely supper of Yucatán cuisine favorites.
Poc Chuc – thinly sliced pork marinated in orange juice, served red onions, tortillas, black beans and fresh salsaPachucos – shredded pork on corn tortillas – Jim pronounced the haberñero sauce sufficiently hot!
Fortified, we hit the ATM for some pesos (approximately 20 pesos to the US dollar), and arranged a taxi for the 20 minute drive to Hotelito Yum Kaax. We knew that it had rained earlier in the evening, but were surprised by the deep flooding on many of the roads. When we reached our address, the street was totally dark and we had to use my phone’s flashlight to manage the digital entrance code. We got into our room and had our fear confirmed- the electricity in the area was out and it was absolutely dark. And hot.
We brushed our teeth by phone-light and got into bed – what else could we do?
After about half an hour of lying absolutely still and trying not to sweat, the power came back on – hallelujah! So here we are in our air conditioned room with great wifi, and a little kitchen with a fridge containing two cans of welcome Mexican beer. Life is good!
Taking Our Time 