Merida

Stop #5 Merida

After driving 4 and a half hours from Bacalar, we made it to Merida! The city was so dense, it was astonishing! With almost 900,000 inhabitants, Merida is considered the most populated city in Yucatán. You could definitely tell once you drove through, looking at it from a map it looked like a maze. Every street had beautiful colonial buildings with vibrant colors. This city is the perfect place to discover some of the rich Mayan Heritage.

Where to Eat in Merida

La Chaya Maya:

It is the perfect place to try traditional Yucatecan foods. To start off they served a pumpkin seed and bean paste with some homemade tortilla chips. For the main course, we ordered a signature dish of the Yucatán, Poc Chuc. Made with a grilled piece of pork and prepared in a citrus marinade this dish comes with rice, pickled onion, refined beans, and avocado. We also ordered a Tikin Xic, which was a fish that was marinated with adobo de achiote and sour oranges. The best part is that it is wrapped in a banana leaf and cooked in an earth oven. Traditionally the Tikin Xic is only the fish, but at this restaurant, they added shrimp, squid, and clams. For dessert, they recommended trying the cream cheese flan. For dessert, we had the cream cheese flan. Everything was absolutely mouth-watering.

Flamante Burgers & Friends

We were craving burgers for dinner and we came across this restaurant named Flamante Burgers & Friends. Drawn in by the ambiance and greeted by a friendly staff who also spoke English. They had Vintage black & white films shown as we dined on our burgers. We ordered two different types of burgers. One burger named “Holy Guacamole”, which included the burger meat, Monterrey jack cheese, bacon, a topping of your choice, lettuce, and of course guacamole placed inside a fluffy homemade sandwich bread. The second burger ordered was a “Salmon Burger”, which had a salmon fillet, tempura pumpkin, alfalfa sprouts, arugula, and habanero aioli sauce placed on a homemade sandwich bread as well.

Airbnb Experiences

We booked an evening walking tour which allowed us to see the city and learn about its long history. To begin with, the city Merida was originally the ancient Maya city of T’hó until 1542 when the Spanish came and conquered the city. It was then named Merida after a city in Spain. To build the city, the Spanish took Mayan stones and used them to build their colonial homes. Today, many of the main buildings have these stones and you can see carvings from Mayan culture within them. Through this erasure of their history, the Spanish enforced their religious beliefs upon them which destroyed the Mayan culture.

Cooking Authentic Yucatán Foods

There was a cooking class and of course, we had to try it out. We arrived at the hotel first thing in the morning, met the rest of the group, and then the chef took us to a local market where we bought fresh veggies and meats. Once the shopping was done, it was time to get to work. The chef taught us how to prep the food, showed us techniques and gave us different roles when it came to cutting or mixing different ingredients. We learned how to make popular Mexican salsas, tortillas, and empanadas. For the main course, we ate some poc chuc and papadulzes and for dessert, we made Caballero Pobre

Dzibilchaltun Ruins

About 30 minutes away by car from the city, Dzibilchaltun means in the Mayan Language “Place where there is writing on the stones.” There were settlements from around 500 BC until the Spanish arrived and conquered the area in 1540 AD. There is a museum that displays important artifacts from this time including clay objects, paintings, and weapons. Unfortunately, the cenote along with the museum on site was not open. We were able to walk the grounds of where the structures were located which was incredible to witness.

Progreso

40 minutes north by car, you’ll make it to a city named Progreso. It is home to the longest pier in Mexico, stretching out 6.5km. It is a total beach town with plenty of space to lay out, soak up the sun, and enjoy the water.

Celestún

Another beach town you should try to visit is Celestún. About an hour and a half west of Merida, with perfect white sandy beaches, it is a perfect day trip. Known as a fishing village, this town is also home to La Reserva de la Biosfera Rí Celestún. We had headed to Celestún after our eventful cooking class so we only had enough time to relax on the beach. As soon as we found the perfect spot to lay, some dogs decided to join us and we became best mates. You cannot spend the whole day in Celestún without visiting La Reserva. You will be able to see a variety of animals and birdlife, including a colony of flamingos.