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Merida, Yucatan
- A Charming Colonial City
- And Land of the Mayan Hammocks! |
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Merida was a pleasant city to visit
on our last trip to Cozumel.
It is a four hour drive from Playa
del Carmen, but if you have the time, Merida
is worth the long drive.
Merida is located in the state of Yucatan, so
you will have to cross the state line if you are
coming from the state of Quintana Roo.
The town square of Merida is filled with beautiful
old buildings including a large cathedral and impressive
colonial government buildings. The atmosphere
is relaxed and the university brings a vibrant
and youthful energy to the city.
There is a large Mayan presence in Merida, and
it is a great place to shop for Mayan artisan
crafts. The most popular Mayan product offered
in almost all of the artisan shops are the Mayan
hammocks.
Merida claims to have the best hammocks in the
world because all of the Mayan people in the area
still sleep in hammocks instead of beds. The hammocks
are hand woven on special looms, and the 'quality'
hammocks are constructed from a fiber called sisal
which comes from a local agave plant. Sisal is
supposed to be incredibly strong and durable,
its subtle aroma is supposed to repel mosquitoes,
and it is much more expensive than cotton or nylon
hammocks. We found there are many different quality
levels of hammocks, and we are now becoming hammock
connoisseurs.
When shopping for a hammock, make sure to lay
in it in order to experience the full size and
the tightness of the weave. We found many street
vendors' hammocks did not have nearly the tightness
of weave or hammock size when compared to some
of the hammocks sold through the artisan stores
that we could actually lay in before purchasing.
If you want a good laugh, make sure to ask for
the book on how to make 'hoochie-cochie' in a
hammock. Our vendor had a booklet called Maya-Sutra,
and another shop had the Hammock-Sutra. They had
about 50 fairly graphic drawings of ancient
Mayans putting their hammocks to the test!
Merida also has a number of beautiful old mansions
that have been restored to their original grandeur.
A perfect way to see the mansions and other beautiful
buildings and parks is to hire a horse drawn carriage
for a ride. Rides can last from about 40 to 90
minutes, and it is a fun and charming way to view
the city. These little horse are incredibly well
trained to weave through the car traffic while
also providing a pleasantly smooth ride.
Merida is also a great place to shop for locally
made clothing such as Caribbean style linen shirts
and dresses.
Merida is a great place to spend a day or two
if you wish to escape the mega-resort towns of
the Cancun area. |
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