My Host Family and Scenes of Merida

For the three weeks that we had class in Merida (yes, in the state of Yucatan), I was placed (as all other Level II and Level III students were) in a host family's home. Generally, my stay with Dona Hortensia and her grandson Felix Antonio was great. The food was also pretty scrumptious and I was so thankful to be the only student with air-conditioning (and it was in my bedroom!!). So this is Dona Hortensia's house. I loved the cactus and maguey plants that were just outside the front doors. I had to include a picture of Dona Hortensia and me, and also a picture of us with her daughter Sorida (Sor-Ida) and Sor Ida's son Felix Antonio. And, of course, I befriended the family dog Pancho, the cutest and sweetest little chihuahua that I have ever met. I was so thankful to stay with such a nice family.

The last full day that I spent in Merida I walked around the centro, taking pictures and doing the whole touristy thing. After spending three weeks in Merida, I realized that I had not taken many photos because I have been to Merida twice before and I felt like I had already taken the pictures that I wanted to. Anyways, the bright pink building is the Palacio Municipal. Throughout its history, it has been painted different colors, the latest iteration of which is this pink color. It sits on the opposite side of the Plaza Principal of Merida, a beautiful zocalo or town square where the Meridianos casually pass the day as they try to avoid direct sunlight and the hot, hot humidity of the state of Yucatan. I've also included a few pictures of the huge cathedral in Merida, "La Catedral de San Ildefonso," built from 1562-1567. Its architecture resembles the typical Franciscan Renaissance style and I must say that it is enormous inside! Another photo shows the facade of Casa Montejo, dated to 1549 and attributed to Francisco de Montejo, the son of the supposed "conqueror" of Yucatan. I thought that I would also put up a photo of the street I walked down to catch my bus after classes to make the half-hour trip to my host family's house in the neighborhood of Mexico Oriente.

Here is the so-called "Monumento a la Patria," or "Monument to the Homeland (Fatherland)." Created in 1956 by the Columbian artist Romulo Rozo, this fabulous stone sculpture showcases with several images the various epochs of Mexican history from pre-Spanish invasion to the Colonial Period to Independence and then the Mexican Revolution from 1910-1921. It's a beautiful monument that appears quite unique (and I find it fascinating that it was sculpted by a Columbian and NOT a Mexican!!). Anyways, the sculpture incorporates Mexica iconography (like the eagle devouring a snake as it sits on a cactus), Maya imagery, and a collective, nation-state endorsed collection of images. I had to run across the street and avoid being hit by the many cars that traverse this roundabout on the famous street in Merida called "Paseo de Montejo" (where a bunch of old colonial mansions have been restored and are used for offices, stores, restaurants, etc.).