I’m happy to report that my emergency travel fund is woefully depleted. Remember my advice to keep an emergency travel fund in case you get invited on a fabulous trip somewhere? Well, I got invited on a fabulous trip somewhere. Merida, Mexico!
A destination that has been on my shortlist since I saw an HGTV International House Hunters episode a few years back. In it, a soon-to-be-retired American woman toured colonial houses in complete ruin. And then… she bought one! This brave soul purchased a home (read: relic, shell, rubble) in a foreign country and then set about a lengthy, remote restoration process.
I could see her vision. After all, the architecture there is gorgeous. Look at those original tiles. All you’d need are cojones and money. Apparently, she had both.
She’s not the only one. Other soon-to-be-retired Americans must have watched that episode, too, because the city is full of them. There’s a vibrant expat community living in Merida, and on Day 1 of my trip, I met up with a bunch of them to go on a home tour. I wanted to see some of these renovated houses for myself. Here’s one.
But mostly, I saw houses awaiting cojones and money.
The next day, we toured the city. It is full of gorgeous churches, historical mansions, and lively plazas.
Churches
This one was my favorite with its black Jesus.
And its statue of St Charbel holding up the faithful’s prayers.
This is the cathedral.
Which also served as a fort during the revolutionary time. See the weapon slits built into its walls?
Mansions
This one dates back to the city’s Spanish roots. It was built between 1542 and 1549 by the Montejo family -Spanish conquistadores. Looking closely at the “decoration,” you can see soldiers standing on the tops of the conquered’s heads.
These are former mansions built by Hacienda owners during the economic boom that lasted from the late 1800s until the early 1900s. (More on the Haciendas later.) That money is long gone, so these homes are likewise mostly left to rot.
But…
Not this one. This one belongs to the governor. You can walk right in and view the murals surrounding the courtyard and the ballroom. They tell the story of Mexico’s history, particularly that of the Yucatan and the Mayan people.
Plazas
Plazas are scattered throughout the entire town and function as the town’s living rooms. They are lively gathering places that create a sense of community that many Northern Americans have never known. People come out at night to socialize and dance. And they don’t wait for the weekend; the plazas come alive with live music and dancing every night! What a great way to live.
After you dance up an appetite, you can head over to a Marquesita stand- a very popular local invention.
Marquesitas are like crepes made with ice cream cone batter and filled with a particular (sharp) cheese. That’s the classic version. But you can also add fruits and jams to the cheese filling. I tried one with pineapple jam. It was sweet, savory, and satisfying.
Speaking of the local fare… the meals I ate in Merida were unlike the typical Mexican food I’m accustomed to. I quickly concluded that people in this part of Mexico must really favor pork because, in three days, I ate pork chops twice. I don’t normally go for pork chops, but their version, called Poc Chuc, was quite delicious.
Poc Chuc is served with a tangy citrus sauce made from local lemons that taste more like oranges. I loved this lemon orange so much that I considered smuggling some of its seeds back home. But as a farmer’s daughter, I couldn’t do it.
The other memorable meal I ate was this medley. Look at that ink-black sauce.
These are four popular dishes with Mayan roots. Two are made with pork, of course. And two are made with turkey meat and some sort of hard-boiled egg meatball. Very interesting and quite good.
If the city and its food aren’t reasons enough to visit, the setting is. Merida is surrounded by natural beauty and ancient ruins.
Remember that asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs? Well, it hit the Yucatan. The impact created deep sinkholes and tunnels underground where rainwater collected.
These sinkholes (called cenotes) fill with fresh water, creating underground pools inside caves. Swimming in them is a very cool experience—both literally and figuratively.
On my final day in Merida, we hired a local tour guide to take us to see some Mayan ruins by way of a Hacienda.
Uxmal
Chichen Itza is nearby and gets all the attention. But if you ask me, Uxmal is just as spectacular. And way less crowded.
Archeologists believe Uxmal was eventually abandoned around 1450 due to drought, deforestation, and conflict with Chichen Itza. Basically, climate change and war. Hmmm
Hacienda Yaxcopoil
The Haciendas were Mexico’s plantations. This one was once 22,000 acres. I double-checked that fact. Yes, 22,000 acres! Our family farm was about 275 acres so I had a hard time wrapping my head around that number. The indigenous Mayan people worked these plantations as indentured servants, paid in company coin.
During the late 19th and early 20th century, Hacienda owners grew rich from the production of henequen, a fiber (sisal) obtained from the agave plant, used to make rope.
Since rope was necessary to moor ships and bind wheat, henequen was a very lucrative commodity.
That is, until plastic came along.
The invention of plastic brought an end to the Haciendas.
Hacienda Yaxcopoil was a fitting way to end my trip because it helped put much of what I had seen into perspective.
I know how the haciendas, the mansions, and even the pyramids were built. It’s an age-old tale.
While I admire these beautiful structures, they are, nonetheless, crumbling. They stand as reminders that power is fleeting and that real wealth is found in the human spirit. It’s in the ribbons tied to St. Charbel. And it’s in the dancing in the plazas. And that, dear reader, is why I love Mexico and why you should, too.