Must-see attractions in Mérida

  • Gran Museo del Mundo Maya

    Mérida

    A world-class museum celebrating Maya culture, the Gran Museo houses a permanent collection of more than 1100 remarkably well-preserved artifacts,…

  • Regional Museum of Anthropology, housed in a 19th century building, Paseo de Montejo, Merida, Yucatan State, Mexico, North America

    Palacio Cantón

    Mérida

    This massive mansion was built between 1909 and 1911, though its owner, General Francisco Cantón Rosado (1833–1917), lived here for only six years before…

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    Catedral de San Ildefonso

    Mérida

    On the site of a former Maya temple is Mérida’s hulking, severe cathedral, begun in 1561 and completed in 1598. Some of the stone from the Maya temple was…

  • Casa de Montejo

    Mérida

    Casa de Montejo is on the south side of Plaza Grande and dates from 1540. It originally housed soldiers, but was soon converted into a mansion that served…

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    Plaza Grande

    Mérida

    One of the nicest plazas in Mexico, huge laurel trees shade the park’s benches and wide sidewalks. It was the religious and social center of ancient T’ho;…

  • Palacio de Gobierno

    Mérida

    Built in 1892, the Palacio de Gobierno houses the state of Yucatán’s executive government offices (and a tourist office). Don't miss the wonderful murals…

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    Teatro Peón Contreras

    Mérida

    The enormous Teatro Peón Contreras was built between 1900 and 1908, during Mérida’s henequén heyday. It boasts a main staircase of Carrara marble, a dome…

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    Iglesia de Jesús

    Mérida

    The 17th-century Iglesia de Jesús was built by Jesuits in 1618. It's the sole surviving edifice from a complex of buildings that once filled the entire…

  • Paseo de Montejo

    Mérida

    Paseo de Montejo, which runs parallel to Calles 56 and 58, was an attempt by Mérida’s 19th-century city planners to create a wide boulevard similar to the…

  • Museo de Arte Popular de Yucatán

    Mérida

    In a building constructed in 1906, the Museo de Arte Popular de Yucatán has a small rotating exhibition downstairs that features popular art from around…

  • Parque Santa Lucía

    Mérida

    The pretty little Parque Santa Lucía has arcades on the north and west sides; this was where travelers would get on or off the stagecoaches that linked…

  • Museo Fernando García Ponce-Macay

    Mérida

    Housed in the former archbishop’s palace, the attractive museum's impressive collection holds permanent exhibitions of three of Yucatán’s most famous…

  • Museo de la Ciudad

    Mérida

    The Museo de la Ciudad is housed in the old post office and offers a great reprieve from the hustle, honks and exhaust of this market neighborhood. There…

  • Hacienda San Ildefonso Teya

    Mérida

    Founded as a livestock ranch in 1683 and converted into a henequén plantation in the 19th century, today Hacienda Teya is a restaurant, hotel and popular…

  • Iglesia La Mejorada

    Mérida

    Across from Parque de la Mejorada stands Iglesia La Mejorada, a large 17th-century church. The building just north of it was a monastery (el Convento de…

  • Quinta Montes Molina

    Mérida

    This living history house gives you a sense of the splendor and grandeur of the 'Oro Verde' (Green Gold) henequén era. The only original house of its kind…

  • Mercado Municipal Lucas de Gálvez

    Mérida

    Mérida’s main market is an ever-evolving mass of commerce, with stalls selling everything from panuchos (fried tortillas stuffed with beans and topped…

  • Centro Cultural Olimpo

    Mérida

    Attempts to create a modern exterior for Mérida's municipal cultural center were halted by government in order to preserve the colonial character of the…

  • Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán

    Mérida

    The modern Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán was established in the 19th century by Governor Felipe Carrillo Puerto and General Manuel Cepeda Peraza. Inside…

  • Parque de la Mejorada

    Mérida

    Head six blocks east of Calle 60 and you'll find this pleasant square flanked by a pretty colonial-era monastery.

  • Palacio Municipal

    Mérida

    Originally built in 1542, the Palacio Municipal was twice refurbished, in the 1730s and the 1850s.

  • Iglesia de San Juan

    Mérida

    This 18th-century church is on the east end of Parque de San Juan.

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