Seen from an arch of the Government Palace, the cathedral stands out majestically and imposingly. The building was finished in 1598 after 36 years of work. It was built as a fort in the Spanish Franciscan style. A coat of arms is carved high over the central doorway. The two towers were added later, the north in 1600 and the south in 1713.

The House of Montejo is on the south side of the plaza. It was built in 1549 and the facade is considered a unique example of the plateresque style of Mexican architecture. Walking by, you will be surprised by the unusual doorways and beautiful gardens. In the register of colonial monuments there are the famous arches, that once marked the limits of the walled city.

This is 19th century building, constructed in 1842, serves as the seat of executive power for the state. Murals by a modern Yucatecan painter, F. Castro Pacheco, found in the interior make the visit to this building well worthwhile. It is located on the north side of the center plaza on the corner of 60th and 61st streets.

Street 70 xs 59 In agreement with bibliographical texts, from before the foundation of Merida, to the east of the old Mayan city of " T' ho" there was an indigenous establishment to which the conquerors baptized with the name of the evangelizador of Spain: Santiago.
The Merida book in the years veintes, of Francisco D. Montejo Baqueiro, indicates that: " Santiago was district of Indians and inclusively it was governed by caciques. Their houses were humble huts constructed in anarchical and disorderly form to the side of their ways without plan of streets. A small square with an area of one hundred meters squared was the center of the community, approximately, in whose contours were great lots, some of them habitados".

The same authors affirm that after 1660 an expansion process began towards the outskirts, that affected Santiago, since the lots that surrounded the square and the church were occupied by the Spaniards. The consequence of the integration of a town as district of the city were the presence of other native ethnic groups different from and the European, as the mixtures of browns, mestizos and Creoles, several of who " they were described people: carpenters, tailors, barbers, blacksmiths and others were sirvientes".

One of the important personages of the history of the city in century XVIII, was Uc Jacinth of the Saints, that, although was born in the district of San Roman, Logwood, its youth was brought by a franciscan friar to Merida, specifically to the district of Santiago. This native happened to history like Canek Jacinth, or Dog Ek. Many are the anecdotes that oscillate between the myth and the reality on the suburb of Santiago.
One of them is the version, not confirmed, of which in the patio of a house of the district the horse would have been buried in century XVIII that used a mysterious rider to assassinate the governor of the Province, D. Lucas de Gálvez and Montes de Oca, the night of the 22 of June of 1792.

The present suburb of Santiago was the first town of natives who the conquerors were when entering T' ho, and indeed imposed the name to him of Santiago, Apostle of Spain. Inside the church of Santiago, where one assumes was the open chapel or " of indios" , in the South flank of the presbytery - habitual site of the Christ of the Transfiguración- is a stone plate embedded in one of the walls that it indicates that in that enclosure the first misa of the city was celebrated, and that the enclosure was destroyed in 1916 by " political agitation sectaria". Unalterable during many years, the small square of Santiago underwent several transformations in the decade of veintes that made the panorama more pleasant of the district. The opening of new commerce and establishments and the construction of the market accelerated the development of that meridano corner.

The cinematographic rooms also comprised - as until now of the atmosphere it cheers and dynamic of a full district of memories. In 1914, in the flank the west of the park the Opposite cinema was inaugurated, in the same site where, at the beginning of century, a hotel of equal name worked. As of November of 1924, the cinematographic hall denominated Rialto. Nowadays in that site there is a supermarket. In 1915 it abrió to his doors to the public the Apolo Hall, founded by the company " Juan Gálvez Torre and Cía." , to the north of the small square.
The facade of the theater, where not only films but spectacles of zarzuelas and operetas were exhibited, represented the face of a clown with enormous abierta mouth, that was the entrance. 1922 one became cinema Rívoli and after many years the name to Rex changed to him, like to date.

Located on the west side of the center plaza, this building often holds pictorial as well as photographic exhibits in its arcade. Behind the building, "The Garden of the Compossers" constitutes an open-air theater where traditional folk dancing programs are held every Monday at 9:00 PM. One only needs to stroll through the city to find surprises around every corner: extraordinary facades, intimate and beautifully designed gardens, monumental arches harking back to Merida´s colonial epoch. Just in the record of colonial monuments, one can find more than 3,000 sites of historic interest.

For those interested in our ethnography, pottery as well as local customs, we suggest a visit to this museum located on 61st and 50th streets. Open from 10 am to 8pm.

Again, close to the main planza (on the 60th and 57th streets) this gorgeous theater was designed by Italian Architect Enrico Deserti in 1910. Complete with marble staircases and cupola decorated with frescoes, this theater is among the most beautiful in our country and has, fortunately, been completely restored recently so as to serve as the City´s cultural center.

Among small churches that merit a visit there is Santa Lucia at the corner of Calles 60 and 55. It is a small, grey, dappled and stuccoed church completed in 1575. The Spanirrds originally used Santa Lucia for the exclusive us of mulattos and negroes whoe were brought to Yucatan as slave laborers. Now, serenades are performed in the square Thursday evening at 9:00 pm.

Barely a block from the main plaza and close to many hotels, Hidalgo park, formerly Cepeda Peraza, can be found. In this park, where students and businessmen alike gather, one can rent a traditional carriage "calesa" and take an enjoyable ride around the city.

At the insistence of Antonio de Voz Mediano, Gobernor of the Yucatan state, that a convent for nuns should be started, this building was inaugurated on July 22, 1546. Its founders were five nuns from Mexico City.
From the roof, a wonderful view of the city can be seen. It is high and solid as a fortrees, and its kitchens created the excellent sweets which have gained fame for Yucatan.
The recipes are still kept as a tradition by many of the city´s ola families.

This church – situated on 69th street between 62nd & 64th - , wich originally served as a small chapel, dates back to the beginning of the 17th century. The main entrance, worked in stone, forms a sort of porch area.
The center and superior parts contain a sheet carved in stone which supports a small gable with decorative elements that outline the wooden doorway.
Legend has it that one of the conspiratiors in the assassination of Captain General and Governor from the province, Lucas de Galvez, awaited in the church to hear the announcement of the crime.

This 18th century beauty can be found at the corner of 59th and 60th streets.
The cross, similar to the one outside the cathedral, is supported by an orb which is on a column with a pedestal base. We recommend also a visit to the Government Palace (corner of 60 and 61 streets), the seat of Executive Power, inaugurated in 1842. A collection of interesting murals by Yucatecan artist F. Castro Pacheco, can be admired in the second floor.
Those interested in knowing more about the beautiful costumes and handicrafts of Yucatan and other regions of Mexico, a visit to the Regional Museum of Folk Art on 59th street behind the Mejorada church is recommended. Located on the west side of the Main Plaza, the City Hall often has art and photographic exhibits in its arcade.