Before Mérida: T'Hó
Where downtown Mérida stands today there was an ancient Maya center. Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) records that the modern city was built on top of it, and the city government calls it T'Hó. The Spanish reused stones from its pre-Hispanic buildings for the first colonial structures.
The 1542 founding
After Francisco de Montejo the Younger's conquest campaign, the Spanish city was founded on January 6, 1542. It was named after Mérida in Extremadura, Spain, and soon became capital of the province of Yucatán.
The layout started from a main square, today's Plaza Grande, with straight streets in a grid, though the earlier Maya layout altered parts of it.
The colonial city
The buildings of civil and religious power rose around the square. The Casa de Montejo was completed in 1549 on the south side, and the Cathedral of San Ildefonso was begun in 1562 and formally completed in 1598 on the east side. The architecture blended Mudéjar and Renaissance influences and, over the centuries, added Baroque and Neoclassical touches.
The henequen boom
In the late 19th century, henequen fiber made Yucatán extremely wealthy. That money built haciendas in the countryside and grand new homes in the city, and gave rise to Paseo de Montejo, inspired by Parisian boulevards. Today's Government Palace opened in 1892 on the site of the old Casas Reales.
Mérida today
Mérida keeps a historic center organized around squares and gardens, such as Santa Lucía and La Mejorada, with buildings from nearly every era: colonial, Romantic, Eclectic. It was named American Capital of Culture in 2000 and again in 2017.
Walk the history, then take a day trip
To get out of the city, Mary Tours has its office right in the historic center (Calle 61 #518-B, between 62 and 64). The best way to understand Mérida's history is to walk its center, starting at the Plaza Grande. Check the booking section for available trips with current times and prices.
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| Before 1542 | T'Hó, a Maya center |
| 1542 | Spanish city founded (January 6) |
| 1549 | Casa de Montejo completed |
| 1562–1598 | Cathedral of San Ildefonso built |
| 1892 | Government Palace opens |
| 2000 and 2017 | American Capital of Culture |
Fun facts
- Many stones in the first colonial buildings came from Maya structures.
- Mérida's cathedral took more than three decades to build.
- Mérida has been American Capital of Culture twice.
Related tours
Archaeology · 11 h
Chichén Itzá, Izamal and Valladolid
Four stops in one day, and none of them rushed
from $1,200 MXN per person
See itinerary
8:00 AM – 8:00 PM · daily
- 8:00 AM Departure from the office — An hour on the road to Izamal. The guide uses the drive to set up what comes next.
- 9:00 AM San Antonio de Padua Convent — The story of the 16th-century Franciscan convent told in its atrium, then free time to walk the yellow town.
- 11:15 AM Chichén Itzá — Guided walk through the Temple of Kukulkán, the Sacred Cenote, the Ball Court, the Tzompantli and the Jaguars and Eagles platform.
- 1:45 PM Regional lunch in Kaua — Buffet of Yucatecan dishes: cochinita, relleno negro, lime soup and meat-free options.
- 3:00 PM Selva Maya cenote — The swim lands exactly when the sun is at its worst. Changing rooms and showers on site.
- 4:20 PM Valladolid — Francisco Cantón Rosado park with its original railings, the church of San Servacio and the murals in the town hall.
- 8:00 PM Back in Mérida — We drop you off where the day started.
Included: Air-conditioned transport, General culture guide, Regional buffet lunch
Not included: Chichén Itzá entrance, Cenote entrance, Drinks
Cenotes · 7 h
The four cenotes of Santa Bárbara
Four different cenotes and a lunch made by hand
from $1,450 MXN per person
See itinerary
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM · daily
- 10:00 AM Departure from the office — An hour on the road to Homún, through the ring of cenotes.
- 11:00 AM Cascabel cenote — Closed, cave type. You descend inside and the water sits in half-light: the most striking of the four.
- 11:30 AM Chaksikín cenote — Semi-open. You go down between limestone walls painted with Maya-themed murals.
- 12:00 PM Xooch cenote — Semi-open, with a shaft of light that falls straight onto the water mid-morning.
- 12:30 PM Pool Cocom cenote — Open and surrounded by vegetation. You swim along a channel out to the wide part.
- 1:30 PM Regional lunch — Home cooking with hand-made tortillas. Plenty of time to eat without rushing.
- 4:00 PM Back to Mérida — An hour back, arriving around five.
Included: Transport, Certified guide, Entry to all four cenotes, Regional lunch
Not included: Drinks with lunch
Nature · 9 h
Celestún and the pink flamingos
The largest flamingo colony in North America
from $1,600 MXN per person
See itinerary
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM · daily
- 8:00 AM Departure from the office — An hour and a half west, out to the port.
- 9:30 AM Boat ride — Flamingo and bird watching, the mangrove tunnel, the freshwater spring and the Maya bath on the sandbar.
- 11:00 AM Lunch by the beach — Fish, octopus or shrimp from the gulf, at a table facing the sea.
- 1:00 PM Free time on the beach — Almost three hours to swim, walk the shore or do nothing at all.
- 4:00 PM Back to Mérida — Arriving around five.
Included: Transport, Guide, Boat ride, Lunch from a set menu
Not included: Drinks
Coupon −$300 MXN per personCaribbean · 17 h
Bacalar, the lagoon of seven colours
Seventeen hours for water that changes colour every metre
from $2,800 MXN per person
See itinerary
5:00 AM – 10:00 PM · daily
- 4:45 AM Boarding — We leave from the downtown office. If your accommodation is on the way, we collect you there — agreed beforehand on WhatsApp.
- 5:30 AM Drive to José María Morelos — Two hours. Fifteen minutes there for toilets and to stretch your legs.
- 7:30 AM Drive to Bacalar — Two and a half hours more, now crossing into Quintana Roo.
- 10:15 AM Boat trip on the lagoon — Pirates’ Channel, Cenote Negro, Cenote Esmeralda and Bird Island, with an explanation of the stromatolites and the ecosystem.
- 12:15 PM Lunch — Lunch in the town, beside the lagoon.
- 1:30 PM Bacalar magic town — Three and a half hours free: the San Felipe fort, the square, the piers, the cafés and the crafts.
- 5:00 PM Back to Mérida — Five hours back, with a stop halfway. Arriving around ten.
Included: Transport, Guide, Boat trip, Lunch
Not included: Drinks
Frequently asked questions
When was Mérida founded?
On January 6, 1542.
Who founded Mérida?
Francisco de Montejo the Younger.
What was there before Mérida?
T'Hó, an ancient Maya center the city was built on.
Why is it called Mérida?
After the city of Mérida in Extremadura, Spain.
