 |
| The main Plaza with the Cathedral |
From Chichen Itza we went to stunning Merida, one of the two beautiful colonial cities the Spaniards built on the Yucatan. We spent a couple of days there, just walking around the town and enjoying its beauty. Our hostel was located right next to the main plaza so we spent most of the steamy mid-days on one of the shady benches, eating some ice cream, watching people walk by, reading or just relaxing. It was just too hot and humid to do anything other than that. As soon as it cooled down a little towards the late afternoon, we were up and walking around the city to explore its splendors.
 |
| Inside the Palacio |
We visited a couple of beautiful churches, most notably the grand Catedral de San Ildefonso that rises over the plaza with its huge towers built from rocks of former Mayan cities. We strolled through lush, green parks with a myriad of singing - or screaming?! - birds. We luckily peeped into the guarded Palacio de Gobierno and found the museum that is hidden inside and displays incredible murals by Yucatan painter Fernando Castro Pacheco. The large pictures tell the story of Mayan people, their legends, myths and struggles in modern life since the Spaniards came to Yucatan. It is an emotional place and we spent quite some time there.
We visited another museum in the old manor Casa de Montejo to also see how the Spanish were living in Merida in colonial times. They had quite the stately home and the preserved interior looks like being plugged right from a European castle. We walked along the Calle 60 to see the imposing Teatro, visited the local handicrafts market and spent hours walking around the daily market and watch the busy and chaotic street life surrounding it. We danced with the locals at a Mayan festival at the Parque Santa Lucia and listened to Mariachi bands from outside the restaurants. And then we left for Campeche, the other of the two colonial masterpieces of the Yucatan.
Campeche wasn't as hot and humid as Merida - it sits right at the Gulf of Mexico and some cool winds blow through the city and bring some relief. Still we mostly only got half days for exploring, as it started pouring everyday around 4pm. We first checked out the old city wall that was built as a protection against the many pirate attacks that Campeche suffered from. Today only parts of it remain and we have definitely seen more impressive walls, but they are still nice to walk along. 7 bulwarks still stand and two gates function as main entrances to the historical center of town. The Puerta del Mar leads straight to the port while the Puerta de Tierra houses some pirate artifacts and is home to a light and sound show that was never to be seen or heard while we were there...Anyhow.
 |
| Dramatic sunset through the rain |
 |
| The artsy streets of Campeche |
We visited the Catedral De Nuestra Senore De La Purisima Concepcion for a service on Sunday - the huge church was packed to the point of people standing. In front of it, the pleasant main plaza centers around a pretty belle-epoque kiosk that houses a cafe now. Since it is an open space, the little band that was playing there most of the time could be appreciated even without purchase - which we took advantage of whenever we passed by. We strolled down the long promenade called Malecon along the Gulf of Mexico. The waters were quite murky - not comparable to
those of the Caribbean Sea - and a strong smell of dead fish filled the air, but the breeze was nice and the many monuments along the way, pleasant parks and the vista across the water were inviting enough to keep us walking for some hours. Afterward we spent even more hours loosing ourselves in the beautiful small, cobbelstone streets with perfectly restored pastel buildings in the city center - there is a reason why the Lonely Planet calls Campeche a 'colonial fairyland'...
 |
| Wait a minute, something's wrong here... |
And then it was time for us to leave the Yucatan for a while and meet with our friend from Mexico City to explore the Chiapas State together.
We visited another museum in the old manor Casa de Montejo to also see how the Spanish were living in Merida in colonial times. They had quite the stately home and the preserved interior looks like being plugged right from a European castle. We walked along the Calle 60 to see the imposing Teatro, visited the local handicrafts market and spent hours walking around the daily market and watch the busy and chaotic street life surrounding it. We danced with the locals at a Mayan festival at the Parque Santa Lucia and listened to Mariachi bands from outside the restaurants. And then we left for Campeche, the other of the two colonial masterpieces of the Yucatan.
Campeche wasn't as hot and humid as Merida - it sits right at the Gulf of Mexico and some cool winds blow through the city and bring some relief. Still we mostly only got half days for exploring, as it started pouring everyday around 4pm. We first checked out the old city wall that was built as a protection against the many pirate attacks that Campeche suffered from. Today only parts of it remain and we have definitely seen more impressive walls, but they are still nice to walk along. 7 bulwarks still stand and two gates function as main entrances to the historical center of town. The Puerta del Mar leads straight to the port while the Puerta de Tierra houses some pirate artifacts and is home to a light and sound show that was never to be seen or heard while we were there...Anyhow.
those of the Caribbean Sea - and a strong smell of dead fish filled the air, but the breeze was nice and the many monuments along the way, pleasant parks and the vista across the water were inviting enough to keep us walking for some hours. Afterward we spent even more hours loosing ourselves in the beautiful small, cobbelstone streets with perfectly restored pastel buildings in the city center - there is a reason why the Lonely Planet calls Campeche a 'colonial fairyland'...
Keine Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen