I did some work this morning, then headed to Barrio Santiago, Mérida’s preferred expat neighbourhood. It is located just northwest of the Zocalo and is anchored by a plaza and old church of its own. It is Mérida’s oldest neighbourhood.

En route, I spotted some “se renta” and “se venda” signs and made notes of the various agency websites. I’ve had a poke around the sites and it looks like most cater to those with Canadian budgets, but I will still keep them as references. I actually would be happy to deal with an English-speaking agent who could help me through the ropes of finding a place and signing a contract, as long as I don’t end up paying a hefty extranjero tax.

Some of these houses don’t look like much from outside, but are very adequate inside (as per pictures I’ve seen on websites and homes I’ve been able to peek into). I’ve been spoiled with my two Mexican apartments so far as they were very new construction, but I’d be willing to take something older and a bit grottier to have the location and size I want at a good price, as long as I’m allowed to apply a fresh coat of paint. I find these older homes have a ton more character.

I passed “La casa del cheesecake,” the cheesecake house. Temptation was hard to resist!

This is interesting. In Maz, pedestrians don’t seem to have many rights. In Mérida, we have lots of crosswalks and many drivers will do the Canadian thing of stopping to let you pass if there are no cars behind them! But check out this fine: yield to pedestrians or face a fine of 16 salaries something. Not sure what the M stands for, but I can’t imagine it’s monthly… And look at the colourful buildings across the street!

Mérida, like Durango, has tons of signage for tourists. Here’s a helpful placard at Santiago square:

There was lots of good stuff around the square in Santiago. Here, we have an Oxxo, pharmacy, and a small grocery store. On the opposite side were taquerias.

I love Mexico’s city squares as they are oases of greenery.

Santiago’s church:

And there was a cinema on another side of the square. That alone would almost tempt me to join the expats!

Here’s a two-bedroom apartment for rent on a main street in Santiago. Research tells me that this place would likely be two to three times the price of a comparable apartment in a neighbourhood expats find less desirable.

Santiago was beautiful, really a village within a city (kind of like Juárez in Maz), but I saw more expats than I did Mexicans. I’d like to be in a little less desirable area and be able to order ice cream in the language of the country where I am living. To each their own! Again, every expat has their own reason for coming to Mexico. Mine is not to be in a Canada with a better climate, but rather to actually be in Mexico and be “dépaysée.” 🙂

I was ready for lunch after my Santiago wanderings and wanted some basic inexpensive food at a restaurant locals go to. TripAdvisor sent me to El Trapiche, which perfectly fit the bill. The food was good, but not memorable (pretty sure the sauce was canned), and inexpensive. I got a pineapple agua fresca that was essentially watered down pineapple juice (which is just a description, not a value judgement. It was cold, frothy, and super tasty. If I go back by there, I would get one to go!). I picked green “Swiss” enchiladas, which just means they had some barely melted Gouda cheese over top of chicken stuffed corn tortillas drowned in green sauce. Yes, gouda. Very popular here in Mérida. By the way, I’m pretty sure there is some sort of addictive substance in salsa verde…

Look at my bill. Those are Miguel-level prices (although not Miguel-quality food!)! Also another big difference with Mazatlán, just about everyone is computerized here. I know this is something that Mexico is moving towards, but it’s slow to catch on in Maz and the environs (according to the last newspaper report I read).

I then ambled aimlessly and found a restaurant called Pita…

THAT SELLS FALAFEL. I think you know where I’m having lunch tomorrow or Saturday! If Mérida has even remotely decent falafel, I am buying property here! 😀

It’s on Calle 55 next to the “first square,” not that would mean anything to anyone but me. 🙂

I’ve passed this sign a few times and it never fails to make me a little nervous. “Respect my entrance and I’ll respect your car.”

I ended up on Paseo de Montejo near home and popped in at the Museo Regional de Antropología de Yucatán, Palacio Cantón, the anthropology museum. They were open, so I decided to visit. There was very little English here and some translations were interesting.

The building alone is gorgeous and worth a visit!

Entrance was $55. The man at the taquillera (ticket booth) just grunted and pointed to a sign saying how much. The ticket puncher, on the other hand, told me very quickly that photos are okay without flash and to not touch anything. I processed that, blurted out that I understood, and he winked, looked at the surly ticket taker, and shrugged.

The exhibit was called Maya: the language of beauty. There was a lot of information about all the body modifications the Maya did to show off their culture, allegiances, rank, and more. I bemoan the fact that we live in a culture where such things are frowned upon beyond basic ear piercings. I’d have more piercings (beyond my ears and nose) and maybe a tattoo or two if they were more socially acceptable. Mayans would stretch out ear lobes, elongate skulls, chisel teeth into points, and pierce just about anything they could, on top of wearing elaborate clothing.

Along with the very informational panels (which were well translated into English), there were so many wonderful artifacts to behold! Unfortunately, all the artifact descriptions were in Spanish only. I still think that non-Spanish understanders would get a lot for their $55.

This jade mask is hilarious!

Look at the ceiling in the palace!

This reminds me of looking at Egyptian hieroglyphics.

More amazing arches and plasterwork in the palace. It was built in the early 20th century in the “Belle époque” style and was designed by an Italian architect.

This statue shows the ornaments a Mayan wore. Clothing also played a huge role in conveying one’s place and role in society.

This fabric was preserved in the sacred cenote near Chichen Itza. I overheard a guide point out that, if you look closely, you will see it has a swastika pattern, a Hindu symbol of peace that was misappropriated by the Nazis. Like me, the guide believes in the cross-pollenization of ancient cultures and thinks that this fabric points to possible ties and trade between ancient Indians and Mayans… or it could just be a coincidence. Who knows. But how amazing that this thousands of years old fabric has survived!

I loved the hat on this figure.

The pottery is exquisite and so colourful! The Maya used over 30 colours in their pottery, clothing, and artwork, more than many other ancient cultures, and all the colours came from natural sources.

The jewelry was rather impressive too.

This piece really made me think of Egyptian artwork.

Do you see the parrot on top of the cover for this bowl?

One of several beautiful floors in the palace.

Kukulkan, the feathered serpent. I recently lost my scarab pendant and have been looking for a replacement. I’m going to try to find something that features a representation of this deity who represents the sacred vital energy of life.

This is a tejón, or Mexican raccoon (same family!).

Loved this jaguar pot.

The stairs!

Another figure that amused me.

More masks and jewelry.

And another work of art floor.

I like how the jewelry is displayed on this figure.

These skull carvings are quite impressive. The ears on the figure to the left have ear lobe stretchers.

Another figure showing some of the decorations the Maya wore.

And here’s the exterior of the palace, as seen from Paseo de Montejo (the entrance is on Calle 43).

I managed to do quite a lot today without having any firm plans! Hard to believe I only have two full days left. I didn’t make it to the Irish pub last night, but I’m definitely doing that tonight. I am sort of thinking of going to the nearby resort town of Progreso tomorrow as it is very inexpensive to get to. I probably should have done a bus tour of the city when I first got here, but that will likely happen Saturday morning, if I find a company I like. I know there are tours in English since I passed some today.

Mérida is a huge city, but I think I’ve got a handle on the Centro part of it. There is so much beyond the perimeter highway, but I can only see so much in a week. I’m quite pleased with my exploration jaunt so far and am feeling confident about my decision to move here. I really don’t think I could ever be bored living in Mérida.