Tag Archives: Casa de Montejo

Mérida, Yucatán

Mexico, Travel, Yucatán Peninsula, , , , ,

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 site
Carving 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 crushed
Lovely old furniture
Beautiful inlay and murals on the ceiling
Upstairs there was an art display with some pretty strange photos
Woman with iguanas on her head
I liked the colorfully painted wood carvings
We stopped at a famous eatery called Gorditas Doña Gorda, where we watched gorditas being shaped, cooked and filled
These are equivalent to the arepas we tasted in Colombia. Jim was very happy with his gordita
Our next destination was the Museo de Ciudad Mérida. Two statues of Saint James the Moorslayer, crushing Moors
In this carving of the Nativity, Mary is missing her arm, and Jesus has lost his head
We 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!