What to Do in Mérida – Capital of Yucatán, Mexico?
Exploring Chichén Itzá, Las Coloradas, and Other Destinations
Mérida, the capital of the Yucatán province in Mexico, is a city often overlooked by tourists who mostly visit the Caribbean side of the Yucatán Peninsula. Most travelers head to Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and Cancún, but skip Mérida.
Maybe that’s for the good, because the city has managed to preserve a real “Mexican” character, a blend of ancient traditions, colonial architecture, friendly and welcoming locals, and prices that haven’t yet skyrocketed like in other popular tourist spots.
In addition, the city center is small enough to get around by foot, almost all the streets are laid out in right angles, which makes navigation much easier.
The most interesting part is concentrated in the historic center and the nearby area, which is also the best place to find accommodation. Whether a hotel or a hostel among the colorful buildings, no two of which are exactly alike.
What can we do and what to see in Merida
Plaza Grande and the Cathédral of Mérida
As in most Mexican cities, the main square marks the heart of the city. On its eastern side stands the cathedral, officially named the Cathedral of San Ildefonso.
The cathedral, like many public buildings in Mexico, was constructed using stones taken from the ruins of Mayan and Aztec temples and structures after the Spanish conquest in the 16th century.
In the evenings (from around 7:00–8:00 PM), a local food and crafts market opens in the square, along with live music performances.
If you’re lucky, you might get to see a reenactment of the sacred Mayan ballgame played in front of the cathedral. Known as Pok Ta Pok, the game involves getting a ball through a hoop without using hands, feet, or head.
In the original version, the losing team’s hearts were sacrificed by priests to the gods in the temple that once stood where the cathedral now stands.
Around the main square, you’ll find several interesting and important sites, such as the City Hall, the Governor’s Palace (Palacio de Gobierno del Estado), the Montejo House, which has been turned into a museum (Museo Casa Montejo), the Olimpo Cultural Center, Pasaje de la Revolución, and more.
On the streets surrounding the square, you’ll also find a wide variety of Mexican restaurants, cafés, and bars—some offering live or local music every evening.
Other Places Worth Visiting in Mérida
The Area Between Plaza Grande and Parque de San Juan
This area is full of local shops, historic buildings, authentic Mexican food, tourist offices, clothing stores, bags, shoes.. everything you can imagine.
Don’t miss the vibrant Mercado San Benito market.
Zona Paseo Montejo
A more modern area centered around the main avenue, Paseo de Montejo. On weekends, the wide boulevard becomes a pedestrian zone where locals and visitors come to see and be seen.
You’ll find art galleries, cafés, and the lovely Parque Santa Ana, surrounded by restaurants, coffee shops, and galleries. Just stroll around and enjoy getting lost in the area.
Recommended Museums in Mérida
- Museo de la Ciudad de Mérida – The city’s historical museum
- Museo Regional de Antropología, Palacio Cantón – The Regional Museum of Anthropology
- Museo Casa Montejo – The Montejo House Museum
The Spanish Conquest of the Yucatán Peninsula
The conquest of the peninsula was a long, complex, and violent that took decades and many lives. At the time, the region was inhabited by dozens of Mayan kingdoms, which were not ruled by a single central government but were divided into independent political entities sometimes at war with one another.
The first Spanish attempt to conquer Yucatán took place in 1517 but ended in failure. In 1527, Francisco de Montejo led an another expedition, but then he encountered fierce resistance from the local population and was forced to retreat.
It wasn’t until the 1540s that the Spanish gradually succeeded in taking control of most of the peninsula, after repeated attempts. They exploited internal conflicts between the Mayan kingdoms and used overwhelming military force. Epidemics brought from Europe also claimed many lives among the native population.
Even after the main conquest, some areas remained under indigenous control until the 17th century and even later. The Spanish conquest brought with it a deep suppression of Mayan social, religious, and political life: their religion was banned, temples destroyed and replaced with churches, and their language and culture repressed.
Despite all this, the Maya managed to preserve part of their cultural identity and language to this day.
Recommended Day Trips from Mérida
Chichen Itza
Chichen Itza is without a doubt one of the must-see sites in Mexico. A Unesco heritage site, in 2007, it was declared one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
The name Chichén Itzá in the Mayan language means “At the edge of the well where the wise people of the water” referring to the city’s spiritual and cultural significance.
It’s an especially impressive and beautiful archaeological site, one of the most famous and visited in Mexico. Featuring dozens of remnants from the magnificent Mayan civilization.
The site is divided into two main areas: “Old Chichén,” which includes six primary structures, and the central part, known as “Chichén Itzá,” where about twenty additional monumental ruins can be explored. Altogether, visitors can see 26 archaeological structures, each revealing more about the fascinating history of the Maya.
The most iconic and imposing structure is the Kukulkan Pyramid (also known as El Castillo). Standing about 30 meters tall, it’s the tallest structure at the site and its most recognizable symbol.
Next to the pyramid are the Temple of the Warriors, the Great Ball Court, where sacred Mayan ballgames took place and the round observatory, El Caracol, a testament to the Maya’s advanced astronomical knowledge.
Chichén Itzá was an important religious center and pilgrimage site as early as the 5th century AC. Over its thousand year history, it was influenced by various cultures, especially the Maya and the Toltecs, and these influences are evident in the site’s unique architecture and art.
Beaches
Although Mérida is located about 45 km from the sea, some of the most beautiful beaches along the Gulf of Mexico are not far from the city.
The closest, most popular and therefore most crowded is the beach of Playa Puerto Progreso.
Further along the coast, you’ll find other beautiful and sunny beaches such as Playa Uaymitún, San Benito, Balneario Sac-ha, and Telchac Puerto.
Las Coloradas and Rio Lagartos
The Colorful Lakes and Río Lagartos Reserve
The colorful lakes of Las Coloradas are located within the Río Lagartos Nature Reserve (Parque Natural Reserva Ría Lagartos).
The area is famous for its intensive pink waters and its rich variety of wildlife and bird species.
Río Lagartos is a protected biosphere reserve and a key conservation area.
It’s highly recommended to combine your visit to the pink lakes with a boat tour through the reserve. The boat tour is a wonderful experience for nature and bird lovers.
Why are the waters in Las Coloradas so pink?
The pink color of the lakes is caused by tiny red algae and small planktonic shrimp that live in the lagoons.
The area has been used for salt production since the time of the Maya, and even today, the lakes undergo evaporation to extract salt.
This process increases the concentration of minerals and, naturally, the density of microorganisms which makes the color even more vivid and intensely pink.
Do pink flamingos live in pink waters?
The same microorganisms that give the lakes their stunning pink color are eaten by the flamingos, and that’s how their feathers get their distinctive rosy color.
However, the salt concentration in the pink lagoons becomes too high for them (in fact, the shrimp die off during the final stages of evaporation), so you won’t find flamingos in the most vividly pink pools.
Instead, flamingos live in areas where the salinity is lower, especially within the Río Lagartos Reserve.
What can we see on the boat tour?
The boat tours in Río Lagartos mostly start from the town of Río Lagartos, which serves as the gateway to the reserve.
During the boat tour in the Río Lagartos Reserve, you can encounter a variety of wildlife, including crocodiles, and observe dozens of bird species such as cormorants, pelicans, and flamingos.
The biosphere reserve is a natural area spanning 500 square kilometers and is home to the only flamingo colony in Central America.
The flamingo population, which numbered barely 5,000 individuals in the 1950s, has since grown to over 30,000.
Despite the large size of the reserve, much of it is no longer available to the flamingos and other birds.
Hotels and businesses have been built along the coast, and salt production facilities have altered the salinity of the water. As a result, only a few areas remain suitable for nesting for the flamingos and other birds.
Cenotes
Cenotes are natural freshwater sinkholes or pools formed by the collapse of limestone bedrock, revealing underground sweet water sources.
There are hundreds of cenotes throughout the Yucatán Peninsula. In the Mayan language, cenote means “water well” and these sites were considered sacred in ancient times.
The water in the cenotes is crystal clear and exceptionally pure, and many of them lead into underground cave systems. Some are small and enclosed, while others are large enough for swimming, snorkeling, or diving.
As in the rest of the Yucatán Peninsula, the Mérida area also has cenotes.
The ones closest to the city are part of the “Cenote Ring” (Anillo de Cenotes). However, the most beautiful and famous cenotes in Mexico are located near the town of Tulum.
