A Walk Around the Block
Casa de Toh is located in the Santa Ana district to the north of Merida’s main square. When the Spanish first developed the city, they created a number of neighbourhoods around the central district which was reserved for the Spanish. In the West Santiago and Santa Catarina was for the local Mayan domestic workers. Indigenous Mexicans from Central Mexico occupied San Cristobal to the South and to the North, Santa Ana was occupied by African slaves. Each district was anchored with its own church and park, providing a distinct character to the neighbourhood.
Santa Ana has a beautiful church built around 1725 and a bustling park with a small market, traditional Yucatecan cocina’s and fresh food stalls. Inevitably, anyone looking for a stroll will find themselves in this delightful square. Art galleries, restaurants, tourist shops can be found bordering the square along with some of the necessities of life such as a masseuse and organic coffee store!
Merida is a town of surprises and there’s always something to make you look twice such as the local pinata store.
As we are print-addicts, two of our favourite places are only a couple of blocks away – the excellent AMATE books and the wonderful Merida English Language Library – the only library I know that has a cash bar with their evening events!
Merida’s famous conversation chairs can be found throughout the city including the park in Santa Ana.
The streets of Santa Ana are narrow and the sidewalks even narrower. There is a constant battle for space on the road and sometimes a game of “chicken” has predictable results.
A legacy from colonial times, rainwater goes into similar narrow drains. Here’s a short video where we are approaching Santa Ana square during the September rainy season.