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Walking tour of Merida

Merida at night

Stroll through the pretty colonial core of the regional capital, discovering historic mansions and churches before taking a promenade in a horse-drawn carriage.

Founded more than 450 years ago on the site of an important Mayan city, the relaxed capital of the Yucatán peninsula has a grandeur and elegance undiminished by the ages. Much of the colonial architecture was built with stones from toppled Mayan temples, and the cultural vestiges of the Maya are equally intertwined in the city’s modern-day society.

The main sights are clustered within a compact area, so a walking tour is an ideal way to visit them while getting your bearings. Begin at the main square, shaded by laurel trees and surrounded by handsome buildings including Latin America’s oldest cathedral. Visit Casa Montejo, the grandiose home of the city’s founder, complete with ornate porticos. Next, take a look around the Governor’s Palace, with its collection of unflinchingly graphic depictions of the region’s violent history, before a final promenade along the stately boulevard of Paseo de Montejo in a horse-drawn carriage – a fitting mode of transport for exploring this sedate and historic city.

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    Hannah had an early introduction to Latin America when her family moved to Ecuador and she returned to study in Buenos Aires for a year before backpacking across the continent.

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    Ben fell in love with Latin America on a six month backpacking trip from Colombia to Mexico in 1995. Since then he has explored most of South America, including living in Peru for a year. He is now Head of Sales.

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    After graduating with a degree in Anthropology and History and having been fascinated by Latin America since childhood by the book featuring photos of Nazca, Juliet first visited the region in 2003. Since then, Juliet has visited the majority of countries in Latin America but has particularly extensive experience with Peru, a country she loves for many reasons but not least, its incredible archaeological richness and delicious food!

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