Mérida

February 11, 2009

Another travel day took us north and east to the city of Mérida. With no river, no port, no large amount of agriculture Mérida is a bit of an enigma. The town is amazingly large. It is also surprisingly European in its architecture. French, Italian, Spanish, Arab, Moorish and just plain modern are blended with a Neo-Mayan style that – while not dominant – is somewhat pervasive in the area.

The city has a strong business class. Near-Eastern and Middle-Eastern refugees came here as importers and eventually seem to have come to control business here.

The northern areas of the city house a relatively recent middle-class. Homes are large by Mexican standards, and occupy quieter neighborhoods on slightly broader streets.

Central Mérida on the other hand has a mix of impossibly narrow and expansively broad streets. Multi-story mansions sit next to modest homes – often with business fronts. Property has skyrocketed in value with Mérida's newfound growth. The prices quoted sound more like San Francisco and Scottsdale than what we'd expect of Mexico's “Out-back”.

The City of Mérida hosts a large array of cultural events. From folkloric performances and dances to a Picasso exhibit, they all run with no admission charges.

Parks and plazas appear every few blocks in the down-town area. Lush gardens, broad walks and impressive statuary populate park after park.

On the other hand, a few blocks south of the bustling town center lies an area with bare wires and dirt streets. While the buildings seem to be of similar size and age there is an apparent lack of municipal attention to these districts. The guide's comment was “It's all about politics, my friend; and politics is money”.

Like many cities Mérida has stumbled with the global economic setbacks. There were massive reconstruction and new-build projects that have halted and sit unfinished. Our guide said that a few projects are coming back to life with European financiers pursuing some real investment bargains.

A largely dis-used six-lane highway travels due north of Mérida to the small town of Progreso, Yucatan. The flat land fades into a shallow sea. The beach has cantinas, restaurants, little hotels and scores of tee-shirt vendors. Broad white sandy stretches are dotted by picnic areas with palapas. The sand slopes shallowly out to sea to the north. Frigate birds sail on the wind with virtually no wing-work as the breezes take them for miles along the water's edge.

The Port of Progreso exists physically at the end of a four-mile long pier. In order to achieve a deep water port the pier was built out to where the deep water is. A four-lane road leads out to a high-rise and a number of warehouses as well as a truck loading terminal. At the land's end of the structure sits an installation of federal border security. Always on guard with automatic weapons at the ready, these young men wear serious looks on their faces. While civilians in Mexico enjoy a hearty wave, these military gentlemen respond with no smile, but a subdued nod that welcomes you just the same.

Lunch at a quiet beach-side restaurant included shrimp stuffed with crab meat, and sauteed conch with lime and garlic butter (tastes a lot like abalone). It's hard to beat the Gulf of Mexico for fine seafood.