Merida Yucatan

I wanted a little end of summer get-away. Mérida has been getting some buzz lately and it was only a short flight away---via Houston. We got there ok and had a nice time. You can guess the end of the story!

“The houses were well built, with balconied windows…The streets were clean, and many people in them well dressed, animated, and cheerful….; calèches fancifully painted…..gave it an air of gaiety and beauty…fascinating and almost poetic,” said author, explorer, and discoverer of many of the Mayan ruins in the Yucatan and Central America, John L. Stephens, upon entering Mérida around 1840. We found it the same today.

The Spanish colonial city of Mérida was built on an old Mayan city and is one of the oldest continually occupied settlements in the Americas. Colonized 470 years ago by the Spanish adventurer Francisco de Montejo, it has a historic center that is one of the largest in Mexico. They used stone from the Mayan pyramids to build the oldest cathedral on the North American continent---the Cathedral of San Ildefonso, finished in 1598 (The oldest is in the Dominican Republic.). Around the Plaza Grande besides the cathedral is the Casa de Montejo of 1549 (beautifully restored and furnished by a bank and opened for free), and the Palacio de Gobierno, and Palacio Municipal where a daily free tour of the central historic district begins at 9:30 each morning and should be one’s first activity.

Sisal production (henequén) in the late 19^th and early 20^th century made Mérida one of the richest towns in Mexico. It is still the cultural and financial capital of the region.

 

The Paseo de Montejo was laid out in 1888 as the Champs Έlysées of Mérida and many beautiful mansions and homes line the tree lined boulevard. Mérida welcomes all to its streets every Sunday morning when the streets are closed off to cars, and bicycles predominate---the Bici Ruta.

 

We had coffee at an outdoor café on the Paseo that had a jazz band, and watched the promenade---people walking with their dogs, kids on tricycles, tandem bicycles and some attached together with awnings and seats in the rear for kids or grandparents; everyone having a good time. Sunday afternoon we walked in the Parque de Santa Lucía where vendors sold books, nick-nacks, food. A band played and people danced. This square has a giant “Sillas Tú y Yo” (you and I). These conversational chairs attached and facing each other are also known as “Sillas Confidentes.” One finds the normal ones everywhere, on the streets especially on the Paseo de Montejo, in all the squares, and there are many squares and all of them have a church.

We stayed in a turn-of-the-century casa renovated into a boutique hotel. Rooms had the usual 20 ft. high ceilings, decorative tile floors, and shuttered windows. They opened onto a wide loggia where one could sit and read, have drinks or eat breakfast looking onto the courtyard garden.

 

They served a beautiful breakfast each morning. I liked their omelettes. I did indulge in Huevos Motuleños one morning---fried eggs served atop a tostada covered with refried beans, and dressed with tomato salsa, chopped ham, and peas, served with slices of fried plantain. And I loved the local tropical honey, miel, on my pancakes.

 

We walked, and visited museums, and shopped in the mornings. My husband bought himself a guayabera, the local shirt worn with the tail out. His was all white linen. They come in other colors and often are highly decorated. He topped this off with a Panama hat---cool wear for the hot sunny days. It was humid but often with a breeze and we would walk on the shady side of the street. I bought some filigree earrings which are a local specialty and a hipil, a gaily decorated top. I found some nice pajamas done with the same decoration which I bought for gifts. Vendors everywhere touted abanicos de mano (hand fans) but I passed, and we did not get a hamaca (hammock) which were also sold everywhere. People used to sleep in them a lot and all the old houses had hammock hooks in the bedrooms. I think with air conditioning perhaps they are not so often used today.

After the morning shopping we would stop at a café on a square and have a snack, empanadas, and dos  cervezas (beer), usually a Corona. Then perhaps back to the hotel for a siesta. We had drinks on the loggia in the evening before going out to dinner.

 

The best place we found was Rosas y Xocolates, a boutique hotel and restaurant on the Paseo de Montejo. My best dish there was seared tuna slices on dressed greens. My husband ordered it the next time we went while I tried a crispy octopus appetizer. I had a great chicken dish there also---farm chicken with brie and xcatic pepper cream. The filet was good with a chayote side the second night, with a reasonably priced Rosas y Xocolate red wine, a local Mexican wine which we thought very good.

One night we took a taxi to an old hacienda on the edge of town which is now also a boutique hotel and restaurant. The place was beautiful. There I had another local specialty---panuchos: corn tortillas topped with chicken, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and onion. It is basically an open-faced tortilla.

Today a new breed of Yucatecan is moving into many of the buildings of Mérida, renovating and restoring to create full time or second or even third homes. They hail from Mexico City, Europe, Los Angeles, and New York. My seatmate on the plane coming in said there were about 5,000 expats living in the city full time and about 10,000 in the winter months. When our plane back to Houston was cancelled we thought of going to the real estate agency and checking it out!

Spoiler----we couldn’t rebook a United flight for many days as all their flights go via Houston. We did get rerouted to Miami, Atlanta and back to New Orleans on Delta. (The flight United gave us to Houston from Mexico City, duh, was cancelled the following Saturday, as I had suspected it might.)

We enjoyed empanadas at two different places. They were a great snack for the middle of the day and very inexpensive. They would be a great pick-up at a party. Here is a good recipe from my Everything Tex-Mex cookbook by Linda Larsen.

Beef Empanadas

Serves 6-8

These can be partially made ahead of time. Make the dough, cover, and chill. Make the ground beef filling, cover and chill. Then assemble and bake just before serving.

I cup lard (You can buy solid vegetable shortening in a version that has zero grams of trans fat in your grocery.)

¼ cup hot water

1 tablespoon milk

2 ½ cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese

½ pound ground beef

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup frozen hash brown potatoes

2 teaspoon chili paste

1 (4-ounce) can diced green chilies, drained

1 egg, beaten

In a large bowl, place lard and top with hot water and milk. Beat mixture using a fork, until the fat absorbs the liquid and is fluffy. Add flour, salt, cayenne pepper, and cheese and mix well until dough forms. Cover and chill while preparing filling.

In a heavy skillet, cook ground beef with onions and garlic until beef is browned, stirring often to break up beef. Drain well; stir in potatoes, chili paste, and chilies; cook and stir until mixture is hot and thickens. Let cool for 30 minutes, then, chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 °F. Divide dough into 16 portions and roll or press out, on cornmeal-dusted surface, to 5” rounds. Place 2 tablespoons beef mixture in center of each dough circle; fold over and press edges with fork to seal. Place on baking sheet and brush with beaten egg. Bake at 375°F for 20-30 minutes or until pastries are golden and crisp.