Editor’s Note: CNN Original Series “Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico” airs on CNN Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Sign up to CNN Travel’s four-part Unlocking Mexico newsletter for more on the country and its cuisine.
Mérida is one of those dream destinations where “something for everyone” is not just a tourism-board platitude.
In the capital of the Mexican state of Yucatán, there’s a ton of Spanish colonial and Mayan history as well as stretches of sunny beachfront practically engineered in a lab for perfect relaxation.
Here’s everything you need to know about enjoying the city, whether you have a quick weekend of travel or a lot of time to hang out.
Arts and culture
The best way to begin your visit to Mérida is by exploring the area’s history and figuring out how Mérida fits into the bigger story of Mexico.
Mérida, named for the town in Spain, was built on the site of a thriving Mayan city. The Maya thrived here for thousands of years before the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the 1500s.
Even today, these two major cultures brush up against each other – it’s not uncommon to hear Yucatec Maya spoken in the area.
Next step: take a walk along the Paseo de Montejo, which begins not far from the city center.
The Spanish colonizers became rich from farming sisal, a plant used to make rope, and many built mansions at the end of the 19th century along the Paseo de Montejo, named for one of the first Spanish sailors who landed here.
These days, the mansions serve various purposes – some have been converted into B&Bs, banks or museums and others are still single family residences.
While it’s far from comprehensive, this walk will really help you to visualize how Mérida has changed over the years and what it may have felt like more than a hundred years ago.
Many people combine their visit to Mérida with visits to Mayan sites such as Chichén Itzá throughout the state.
But if you’re short on time or want to experience multiple spots, Dzibilchaltún is close to central Mérida and you’re likely to have it nearly all to yourself.
As yet another example of Mayan and Spanish cultures intersecting with each other, Dzibilchaltún has both a temple and the ruins of a church, as well as a small museum that gives background and context on the area.
For a more modern – and complete – church, head to Mérida Cathedral, aka San Ildefonso Cathedral.
Modern is a relative term here, as the cathedral is one of the oldest in the Americas and dates to around 1598. Look down for foundational stones from a Mayan temple and up for Renaissance-era architecture.
Where to chill
One of the best things about Mérida is how many different kinds of activities are packed into a small area. Besides history, ruins and food, there’s also a great beach culture in Progreso, about 45 km (28 miles) north of downtown.
On weekends and in the summer, this area is packed with families and hotels and rental houses sell out way in advance, so plan carefully.
If you just come out for the day, stroll along the malecón, a promenade along the waterfront, and then break for a casual lunch.
Visiting one of the former haciendas built by wealthy Spaniards is another way to kick back a bit outside of Mérida.
Hacienda Xcanatun, 15 minutes from downtown, is now a resort with an impressive pool and four acres of private gardens. Hacienda Temozon is another historic resort property located about 45 km (28 miles) south of Mérida.
One way to get this languorous feeling while still being in walking distance of the city center is to stay at the lush Rosas y Xocolate hotel on Paseo de Montejo, which is a member of the Design Hotels group.
The neon pink-painted open-air courtyard frames a shallow swimming pool that changes colors throughout the day as the sun sets and the interior lights shift.
But if you’re lucky enough to stay the night there, ask for a room with a bathtub – they are made in an elegant old style where water is poured into a stone-hewn tub via a “bucket” on the wall. It’s as beautiful as it is relaxing.
Comida tipica
Yucatecans have a reputation as independent spirits, and sometimes other Mexicans joke that they think of Yucatán as a separate country.
Their rich, varied food scene is definitely in a class of its own.
There’s a Museum of Yucatecan Gastronomy in Mérida that has live demonstrations and a restaurant.
You’ll want to try cochinita pibil, a Mayan recipe of slow-roasted whole suckling pig. It’s marinated in a mixture of achiote paste, bitter orange juice, garlic and spices, then wrapped in banana leaves and cooked on coals underground. The pork is served in warm tortillas with pickled red onions.
At La Chaya Maya in central Mérida, regional flavors are on full display. Look for lime soup (with peppers, turkey, cilantro and crunchy slivers of tortilla chips), panuchos (small fried corn tortillas filled with blacked bean puree and topped with chopped turkey or cochinita pibil) and papadzules (corn tortillas stuffed with chopped up hard-boiled egg, with a pumpkin and epazote herb sauce).
Ixi’im mixes modern and ancestral techniques and flavors. The restaurant has its own version of cochinita pibil and an extensive tequila collection. At Huniik, chef Roberto Solís innovates with regional, seasonal ingredients to create “Yucatán cuisine as contemporary as it is personal.”
For a splurge, Kuuk’s tasting menu is a stunning, multisensory take on Yucatecan dishes.
Though the menu changes seasonally, you can count on local ingredients such as beans, corn tortillas, shellfish, tamales and fruits like guava and mango paired in unexpectedly delightful ways – and there’s always Yucatecan chocolate at the end.