September lies across the peninsula. Here on the NW coastal plain of the Yucatán, the day dawns warm and humid, the tropical air a wet blanket draped across the landscape. This is actually the dry part of the peninsula, with rainfall closer to 35-40 inches as compared to the near-80 inches found farther south. The “forest” hereabouts reflects it: this is a scrub woodland, especially when compared to the taller tropical forest as one heads toward Belize and Guatemala. The open scrub woodland appears to be reclaiming some of the old Henequen (Agave fourcroydes) plantations that were common around here through the mid 20th century (the plant, unlike its more famous cousin in Jalisco (Agave tequilana), is used primarily for textiles; the development of synthetic fibers has dramatically reduced the industry). The landscape is flat, subtle; when a small mound or hill is encountered, it’s time to pay attention…it is more likely archeology than geology…
The geology is notable primarily for the aguas sagradas (sacred waters), or, more commonly, “cenotes”, the sinkholes and (often) associated cave systems of the great limestone platform that is the Yucatán Peninsula. When looking across the landscape one is struck by the light color of the ground against the green of the woodland. The limestone is white, ranging to mid-gray and mid-tan in color; but against the woodland green, the landscape is white.
Mérida. La Ciudad Blanca. The White City. As part of the European settlement of the Americas, it has the distinction of great antiquity (established in 1542, 50 years after the arrival of Cristóbal Colón). This is, however, the Yucatán, and others have a prior claim. Mérida is built on the ruins of the Mayan city T’hó, and a great deal of the building material for that city has been recycled for use in the construction of La Ciudad Blanca – the City of Limestone. (Photo: The Mérida Cathedral. Note the heterogeneity of the building blocks).
The heart of the city is the Plaza de la Independencia and the great Catedral de Mérida. This is a place where you can hear the city’s heartbeat. It thrums… New York hums. London hums. Mérida thrums. It is not…steady…it’s rhythmic, it ebbs, it flows…
Something about this place… It’s not unlike other Latin American cities…vibrant, pulsing, energetic. But there’s something more…
El Caribeño? The Caribbean? Listening, the Spanish of the Yucatán falls gently on the ear, the sound much like that in other parts of Mexico. There are other elements though…Mayan, certainly. Creole? El Caribeño again? It’s certainly reflected in the food: the Sopa de Lima, the legendary Cochinita Pibil (marinated pork with achiote). There are expats living here, Mérida is home to one of the largest English language libraries in the Spanish speaking world. Scandinavians have found a winter retreat in Progreso on the coast, 40 km (25 mi) north. But this place, situated on this tropical peninsula…not an international city, nor a purely Latin one…not captive to its geography, but certainly defined by…
December lies across the peninsula. The clouds are troubled, but the day is mild. Here in the mid-latitudes the gentle westerly breezes are familiar. Portugal is a mere 70 kilometers (45 miles) to the west, the Atlantic coast of the peninsula only 225 kilometers west of that. The road here starts in Sevilla, the old Roman Via de la Plata, running N-S and serving western Iberia. This is, however, most certainly not Andalusia. The elevation in the valley of the Rio Guadiana is not as high, but the broad plains flanking the river are more like the Meseta Plateau of Castilla-La Mancha. The landscape is old, formed and defined by massive mountain building forces now buried in the geologic past. Today, there is a calm, a tranquility blanketing Extremadura, this lightly-visited but lovely part of the Iberian. Specifically, this is Emerita Augusta, the retirement haven for Caesar’s legions…
The history of Mérida is deep, rich, complex. The Visigoths were here, as were the Moors. The city remains however (with the possible exception of Tarragona on the Balearic Coast), the most Roman place on the peninsula. The A-5 from Badajoz loops around the NW part of the city; the N-630 from Andalusia around the SE. But the way to enter Mérida is the same way the Roman legions did: over the Puente Romano (the Roman Bridge). It is walking the nearly-half-mile, 2000 year-old arch-style triumph of Roman engineering that establishes the sense of place.
The city is small, around 60,000, but feels smaller. The pace is relaxed, unhurried, a sense of deeper time around you…the legionnaires retirement haven… The flair, flamboyance, and sheer energy of Andalusia remain well to the south. That difference is reflected in the cuisine. The broad culinary sweep of the myriad tapas bars is replaced by something simpler, although still signature: this is Jámon country, home to the celebrated dry-cured ham of Iberia – Jámon Ibérico. Listening around the restaurant patio, the Spanish here is the Spanish of Spain, but the ear is drawn easily to the “esse” sounds of Castilla. There is much less of Andalusia and the soft-to-almost-imperceptible “thu” sound of Sevilla. Portuguese floats through the air. But there’s something else here. Coming from the far side of the patio, a mixture of… French?… Italian? Could it be Catalan? There’s something oddly …right… about the possibility of hearing Catalan spoken here. After all, it has a direct line of descent from Vulgar Latin, the language of Caesar’s Legions…
AUTHOR’S NOTE: According to Geotargit.com, there are 15 different cities in the world with the name Mérida/Merida. One is located in the United States, approximately 35 miles north of Bismark, North Dakota.
