54th Annual Meeting of the Association of Tropical Biology and Conservation
MERIDA · YUCATAN · MEXICO
July 9-14, 2017
Play / Pause
MERIDA
Merida is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Yucatán and of the Yucatan Peninsula. It has been nicknamed "The White City" (La Ciudad Blanca") for their colonial buildings made with limestone rocks. Merida is located in the northwest part of the state, about 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the Gulf of Mexico coast. The population is about one million habitants. The city, like much of the state, has heavy Mayan, Spanish, French, British, and to a lesser extent Dutch influences. Mérida has the highest percentage of indigenous people of any large city in Mexico with approximately 60% of all inhabitants being of the Maya ethnicity.
Merida was funded in 1542, adopting his name from the town of Merida in Extremadura Spain, in the site of the Maya city of T'ho, or Ichkanzihóo (“city of the five hills”, a name referring to its pyramids). T'ho had been a center of
mayan culture and activity for centuries: because of this, some historians consider Merida the oldest continually occupied city in the Americas. Merida is a splendid city and their architecture from the colonial period, through the 18th century and 19th century, is still standing in the centro historico of the city. From colonial times through the mid-19th century, Merida was a walled city intended to protect the Peninsular and Criollo residents from rebellions by the Maya people. Several of the old Spanish city gates survive, but modern Merida has expanded well beyond the old city walls.
Merida offers a rich cultural life. It is a cultural center, featuring multiple museums, art galleries, restaurants, beautiful colonial buildings and it is a vibrant cultural center with music and dancing playing an important part in day-to-day life. In recent years, important science competitions and World events have been held in Mérida such as the International Cosmic Ray Conference, a Physics Olympiad, and several international meetings of science and humanity societies.
Merida is within the big crater (more than 180 km diameter) created by the asteroid that fell in Chicxulub and that is proposed as the cause of a major mass species extinction in the Earth history, about 65 millions years ago.
For more touristic information, visit http://www.tourbymexico.com/yucatan/merida/merida.htm