Knight School Yucatan 2012: Mérida

Today we left our hotel in Chichen Itza and headed to Mérida. After our hour drive, we arrived at a local market. As soon as we stepped out of the car, we realized that this market would be unlike any farmer's market that we see in America. The market was bustling and filled with mixed smells and sounds. The market sold things ranging from fruit to puppies, and from homemade leather shoes to local spices. It was interesting to see where the locals buy their groceries and home goods because of how lively the market was. There were vendors in every nook and cranny of the place and what little walking space their was, was occupied by a customer. Mr. Spross insisted that we try homemade tortillas, and we're glad that we tried them because they tasted fresh and warm and we couldn't stop eating them. It was interesting to see the locals' food and the variety of it all like Chaya, a Yucatan version of spinach, Achiote, a spice made of flower pollen, and honey candy.

After the market, we visited the town of Mérida and for the first time, saw mansions in Mexico. Inside of these mansions is an archeological museum. What was great about this museum was the fact that we were able to apply our knowledge of hieroglyphics to translate the artifacts on display. For example, using our knowledge of Mayan numbers, we noticed in one the stone tablets, called a stele, that the number nine was engraved. While by the mansions, we also saw a modern sculpture at the end of the Paseo Montejo. This sculpture represented the thirty states in Mexico and their leaders. It is known that many locals will gather around this sculpture whenever the Mexican soccer team wins a big game to celebrate.

Our last stop was downtown Mérida where we were surprised to see that the layout of the downtown is exactly the same as Valladolid. This is because all the colonial cities have been set up this way. We visited the government building and looked at all the murals there. These murals are significant because they are free to the public, so that locals and tourists may enjoy the rich culture and past of the Yucatan. It was also extremely fun to enjoy the culture of Mérida at night and watch the town come alive. We saw the churches and plaza lit up at night and enjoyed eating ice cream at a quaint ice cream shop in the plaza.