Merida MEXICO discount travel deals, travel information

Founded by Francisco de Montejo (the Younger) in 1542, Mérida is built over, and partly from, the ruins of a Maya city known as Tihó . Although, like the rest of the peninsula, it had little effective contact with central Mexico until the completion of road and rail links in the 1960s, trade with Europe brought wealth from the earliest days. In consequence the city looks more European than almost any other in Mexico - many of the older houses, indeed, are built with French bricks and tiles, brought over as tradeable ballast in the ships that exported henequen. Until the advent of artificial fibres, a substantial proportion of the world's rope was manufactured from Yucatecan henequen, a business that reached its peak during World War I.

In 1849, during the Caste Wars, the Maya armies besieging Mérida were within a hair's breadth of capturing the city and thus regaining control of the entire peninsula, when the Maya peasants left the fight in order to return to the fields to plant corn. It was this event, rather than the pleas of the inhabitants for reinforcements, that saved the elite from defeat and brought Yucatán under Mexican control. Around 1900, Mérida was an extraordinarily wealthy city - or at least a city that had vast numbers of extremely rich landowners riding on the backs of a landless, semi-enslaved peonage - a wealth that went into the grandiose mansions of the outskirts (especially along the Paseo de Montejo) and into European educations for the children of the haciendados . Today, with that trade all but dead, it remains elegant and bustling, its streets filled with Maya going about their daily business.

Good restaurants are plentiful in the centre of Mérida, though those on the Plaza Major can be quite expensive. Best head for the historic and atmospheric area around the Plaza Hidalgo , just north, along C 60 between C 61 and C 59, where you'll find plenty of good restaurants and pavement cafés, lively with crowds of tour groups and locals. Further afield, on Paseo de Montejo , the more expensive and sophisticated restaurants include lots of upmarket places popular with young locals.

There are a number of less-expensive places around the junction of C 62 and C 61, at the northwest corner of the Plaza, but cheapest of all are the loncherías in the market , where you can get good, filling comidas corridas. Around the Plaza Mayor several wonderful juice bars - notably Jugos California - serve all the regular juices and licuados, as well as more unusual local concoctions: try mamey or guanabana. Other branches are dotted about the city. Combine these with something from the bakery Pan Montejo, at the corner of C 62 and C 63, to make a great breakfast.

Alberto's Continental Patio , C 64 no. 482 at C 57 (tel 9/928-5367). Delicious international cuisine including Yucatecan/Mexican and specializing in Lebanese food. The setting in an internal leafy courtyard is very pretty. For special occasions only - the menu is pricey.

Café La Habana , C 59 no. 511-A at C 62. Popular buzzing 24hr corner café with excellent coffee and reasonably priced meals.

Café Peon Contreras , C60 adjacent to the Teatro Peon Contreras. One of the most pleasant outdoor spots in the city with decent Mexican food and pizza. A great place to watch the world go by in relative peace.

Cafeteria Pop , C 57 between C 60 and C 62. The best breakfast joint in town which also serves hamburgers, spaghetti and Mexican snacks.

El Patio Español , Gran Hotel , C 60, Parque Hidalgo. Historic restaurant offering good, surprisingly well-priced food, and great service. As the name indicates, Spanish dishes are a speciality.

El Portico del Peregrino , next door to Cafeteria Pop . Classy series of indoor and outdoor patios specializing in Yucatecan cuisine.

El Rincón , in the Hotel Caribe , C 60, on the corner of Parque Hidalgo. Both this and the cheaper Cafetería El Meson , in the same building, are good, central places to eat in pleasant surroundings.

La Reina , Parque de Santiago, C59 between C 70 and C 72. Local café serving excellent home-made Mexican staples at super-cheap (US$2.50 for lunch including drink) prices.

Los Almendras , C 50, between C 57 and C 59, in the Plaza Mejorada. One of Mérida's most renowned restaurants, popular with locals and visitors. Delicious, moderately priced Yucatecan food, especially at Sunday lunchtime. The original Los Almendras , in Ticul, claims to have invented poc-chuc .

Pizzería de Vito Corleone , C 59 no. 508, cnr of C 62. Inexpensive and friendly pizza restaurant that also does takeaway.

Restaurant Santa Lucia , C 60 no. 481, between C 55 and C 57. Atmospheric little restaurant with comprehensive Mexican menu and specializing in steak and fish. Occasional live music.

Restaurante Amaro , C 59 no. 507, between C 60 and C 62. Set in a lovely stone-flagged tree-shaded courtyard with a fountain. Some vegetarian options, offering a welcome change for veggies who are tired of endless quesadillas.

Mérida is a lively city, and every evening you'll find the streets buzzing with revellers enjoying a variety of free entertainment . To find out what's happening on any particular night, pick up a free copy of Yucatán Today from the tourist office or any hotel. Venues include the plazas, the garden behind the Palacio Municipal, the Teatro Peón Contreras (next to the tourist office) and the Casa de la Cultura del Mayas, C 63 between C 64 and C 66. Things can change, but typical performances might include energetic and fascinating vaquerías (vibrant Mexican folk dances, featuring different regional styles, to the rhythm of a jaranera band); Glen Miller-style Big Band music; marimba in the Parque Hidalgo; classical music concerts; and the very popular Serenata Yucateca , an open-air performance of traditional songs and music.

Perhaps the best time to see the Plaza Mayor and the surrounding streets is Sunday, when vehicles are banned from the area and day-long music, dancing, markets and festivities take over - a delight after the usual traffic roar. Street markets are set up along C 60 as far as the Plaza Santa Ana and there's a flea market in the Parque Santa Lucía.

There's plenty to do of a more commercial nature too, from mariachi nights in hotel bars to Maya spectaculars in nightclubs. Those aimed at tourists will be advertised in hotels, or in brochures available at the tourist office. By far the best of these events is the Ballet Folklorico de la Universidad de Yucatan 's wonderful interpretation of traditional Mexican and Mayan ceremonies at the Centro Cultural Universitario, C 60 and C 57 (Fri 9pm; US$2). Less obviously there are video bars and discos in most of the big hotels.

Apart from the hard-drinking cantinas (and there are plenty of these all over the city - including a couple of good ones on C 62, south of the plaza) - many of Mérida's bars double as restaurants

Ay Caray! , C 60 between C 55 and C 57. Popular and noisy upstairs bar with live music, pool table and a younger crowd.

Azul Picante , C 60 between C 55 and C 57. Salsa club with on-site lessons and Mexican and Caribbean-themed nights.

Estudio 58 , C 58, between C 55 and C 57, next to and underneath the Hotel Maya Yucatán . Central disco and nightclub with no cover charge. Live music and a happy hour 9.30-10.30pm.

La Ciudad Maya , C 84 no. 502, cnr of C 59. Floor shows with Yucatecan and Cuban music. Daily 1-10pm.

La Prosperidad , C 56, cnr of C 53. Earthier than the tourist bars, though becoming ever more popular. It's in a huge palapa, with live rock music in the afternoons and evenings. The beer's not cheap but it does come with substantial tasty snacks.

Pancho's , C 59, opposite the Hotel Reforma . A steak restaurant with a pricey Tex-Mex menu and a disco later, Pancho's is a magnet for Americans homesick for "Mexican" food. The fun theme, with giant photos of Mexican revolutionaries and bandolier-draped waiters in sombreros is ridiculously over the top. Try to hit the happy hour, 6-9pm.

Vatzya , Paseo Montejo no. 451 and Av Colon, in the Hotel Fiesta Americana . Hotel nightclub with oldies evening every Wednesday - 1970s and 1980s music.