On Sundays the streets in the town's center are closed to cars to accommodate a weekly festival. Vendors set up stalls and carts. Some people lay blankets in the street with a catch-all of items for sale. We purchased silver bracelets, antique books and a 1910's bank note printed "Bank of Merida". Stages are erected and the people, in their Sunday best, dance and salsa in the streets.
Among several structures of note outside of the central square is the Opera House, whose lobby is open to the public. It is a lovely Beaux Arts building whose slightly waterstained walls, like much else in the city, show the ravages of the hot, wet, topical climate. A short distance from our hotel is the former Governor's Mansion. It now houses the History Museum which, while small, did contain several interesting exibits and gave us more detailed information about the sites we had visited earlier in the week.
There are other places I wass not able to get to. Among these is Uxmal, one of the largest and best preserved Mayan sites, and Campeche, notable for being a fortified city, a rarity in Mexico. I hope to return and add these places to my memories of this overlooked, charming, historic city.
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