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Mérida, Yucatán

City in Yucatán, Mexico

  • 19 min read
  • 11 chapters
Collage of the city of Mérida.
the above mentioned · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Mérida is also the cultural and financial capital of the Yucatán Peninsula. The city's rich cultural heritage is a product of the syncretism of the Maya and Spanish cultures during the colonial era. The Cathedral of Mérida, Yucatán was built in the late 16th century with stones from nearby Maya ruins and is the oldest cathedral in the mainland Americas. The city has the third largest old town district on the continent. It was the first city to be named American Capital of Culture, and the only city that has received the title twice.

Mérida is among the safest cities of Mexico as well as in the Americas. In 2015, the city was certified as an International Safe Community by the Karolinska Institute of Sweden for its high level of public security. Forbes has ranked Mérida three times as one of the three best cities in Mexico to live, invest and do business. In 2022, the UN-Habitat's City Prosperity Index recognized Mérida as the city with the highest quality of life in Mexico.

Nickname

Mérida was named after Mérida, Spain because the Maya ruins that the Spanish conquistadors found in the settlement of Ti'ho reminded them of the Roman ruins of Augusta Emerita. Over time, the city acquired the nickname "La Ciudad Blanca" (The White City). This nickname may be due to the white color of the limestone used to paint the façades of the city's colonial buildings. The city can be seen from outer space as a large whitish area in the middle of the immense green forest that covers the Yucatán Peninsula. Other cities in Hispanic America share the same nickname for this reason, like Arequipa and Popayan. Folklore says that the name goes back to the founding of the city when the Spanish conquistadors – motivated by security reasons and given the persistent rebellion of the indigenous Maya people – decided to allow only white-skinned Europeans to live in the city. Old arches at the entrance to the city would have been built for this reason, and beyond these were the Indigenous communities. However, the first arches were not commissioned until 1690, almost 150 years after the city's foundation. The arch of San Juan and the one on 59th street marked the beginning of roads to Campeche and Izamal, respectively. Other arches served only decorative purposes, like the one Juan Quijano had erected in 1760 in front of his house at the intersection of 65th and 56th streets, which has since been demolished. Additionally, the Nahua indigenous troops who accompanied Montejo's troops in the conquest of Yucatán settled in the neighborhoods of San Cristóbal, Santiago, and San Román, where they enjoyed the privilege of exemption from taxes for their military assistance.

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