Mérida

To avoid tourist peak (prices) at the Caribbean coast during Christmas I booked a week in a hotel in Mérida, the capital of the Yucatan state. This city founded by the Spanishin the 1540s on op of a old Maya city.

The city's ambiance is colonial and there is a tropical climate. In the evenings the people go outdoors and the central mainsquare (Plaza Grande) is full with people. Mérida had a rich cultural life and many free cultural performances are held every day of the week. (Except for Christmas Eve when everything is closed and the people spend their time in the churches and with family at home.)

From Mérida I took day trips to the archealogical site of Uxmal, the flamingo reserve of Celestún and the beach of Progreso on the Gulf of Mexico.