Merida depicts much of the splendor of Colonial Mexico. The Spanish
Conquistador Francisco de Montejo founded Merida in 1542 on the site of
a former Mayan city he destroyed.
Cut off from the rest of Mexico for many years because of the difficulty
in communicating by train and highway, the Yucatecans became somewhat
independent, having more contact with European and US Gulf Coast cities
and life-styles.
Splendid regional dishes and traditional music and dances local to this
region are found in restaurants, theatres and shops housed in palatial
mansions along Paseo de Montejo - a boulevard fashioned after Paris'
Champs Elysée.
Progreso, Merida's port city, is only 30 kilometers north. Being
centrally located, Merida is a practical hub to explore all of the
splendors of the Yucatan Peninsula.
The secret it out! For years this port town was just a sleepy fishing
village. Then in the 50´s the Meridanos started building summer homes
along the coast to get away from the scalding heat of tropical Merida
during July and August. They also used the houses for two weeks at
Easter. The other 10 months of the year found the fishing villages along
to coast extending from Progreso to be ghost towns.
In the late 60´s and early 70´s small number of Americans and
Canadians "discovered" Progreso, Chicxulub and Chelem to be a winter
paradise. They made a pact to keep the secret. They were enticed by the
warm weather, cheap rents, friendly Yucatecan people, and the laid back
way of life and the safe atmosphere.
Today you will find Progreso to be a bustling town of some 25,000
people. Fancy restaurants are springing up along the seaside promenade
"El Malecón", facades are being painted quaint colors, and the people
are trying hard to better their services.
In Progreso you will find a large grocery store, a large market,
hotels (1, 2 and 3 star), restaurants, a hospital, police station, bus
station, post and telegraph offices, handicrafts stores, taxis, money
exchange, real estate info, hardware stores, pharmacies, bakeries,
etc...
Merida
