Mérida - and some Mexican dictatoriship history

I had a fleeting visit to Mérida! Longer than I was in Campeche but it's a bigger city.

During the late 1800s and early 1900s Mexico had a dictator - Porfirio Díaz. His leadership started off well, with him advancing Mexico much more than any other Latin American country, the introduction of electricity, the streetcar etc. He is also the one - rightly or wrongly - that is responsible for the "Mexican Stereotype" i.e. a big moustache, sombrero, poncho, tequila, cactus and a guitar. Since he felt he was the most important person in Mexico he was the one who starred in all Mexican films as the main character, always fitting the above bill for international audiences to raise an interest in Mexico. However after 30 years of him being "re-elected automatically" as his opponent just "happened" to get assassinated every time just before election day, it turned into a dictatorship. Another issue with Díaz's regime (known as the Porfiriato) was the distribution of wealth. 10% of the country, the aristocracy, were extremely wealthy due to fabric production from the Agave plant in haciendas, whilst 90% lived in absolute poverty. This is what inevitably led to the Mexican Revolution, where two 'Robin Hood' style figures (Emiliano Zapata in the south and Pancho Villa in the north) started the campaign for a fairer distribution of wealth amongst indigenous and poorer communities. For any Year 12 students reading - this is the backdrop to our novel, Como Agua Para Chocolate.

One thing that Porfirio Díaz had an absolute obsession with was Europe - especially France. It was his dream to turn Mexico into a new version of France with regards to architecture, literature and general culture. Thus, he started building hotels and buildings of note all over the country. Mérida was like a playground for Díaz and he built himself a full-on Champs-Élysées style boulevard here. Mérida is also the home of the first hotel in Mexico - I could easily have been in Paris when I entered the lobby! This also explains a curious Metro stop I saw in Mexico City which looked just like a Parisian one!

The cathedral was simply beautiful.

My hostel here is lovely, this part of Mexico is so hot on the Gulf of Mexico so being able to sit in the pool was brilliant after a sweaty 2hr walking tour!

I loved this city but it's time for the next stop - Tulum!