Paseo Montejo

A trip to Mérida wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Paseo Montejo. Inaugurated in 1904, this wide boulevard resembles the Champs Elysées in Paris and is a world away from the bustle of the central square. Lined with towering tamarind, maculis and flame trees, it is a magnificent setting for the palaces of the henequen barons. Built in a variety of styles, some resembling chateaus, European town houses or even mosques, they are the legacy of those heady days when money flowed like water in Mérida.

Nowadays, few mansions are still homes - many have been taken over by insurance companies, airlines, restaurants and bars, colleges and shops.

Perhaps the finest of Paseo Montejo’s mansions is the Canton Palace, built by Enrique Deserti in 1910-11 in the Italian Renaissance style. It now houses the Regional Anthropology and History Museum, which is well worth a visit for its interesting exhibits on the ancient Maya. Highlights include gold and jade dredged from the Sacred Cenote at Chichén Itzá, stone carvings and polychrome ceramics that were unearthed at sites throughout the state. The museum is closed on Mondays.

Paseo Montejo officially ends at the Monumento a la Patria, a circular stone monument depicting scenes from Mexican history that was sculpted by Colombian artist, Romulo Rozo. Once you have passed the Monumento a la Patria, you are on Prolongación Montejo; the boulevard continues towards the north and boasts more restaurants, bars, fast food outlets and a couple of large shopping malls. This is the road you take if you want to visit the archaeological site of Dzibilchaltún or the port of Progreso.