Gay Travel: Merida, Mexico Troy Petenbrink - Miami Herald go to original
David Sterling, teaches a class at the Los Dos Cooking School in Merida, Mexico. (Eduardo Cervantes/Los Dos Cook)
Long known for its tolerance, Merida is a magnet for American expats - many of whom are gay and include opened restaurants, hotels and shops.
Cancun might seem like the obvious pick for gay travelers to eastern Mexico, thanks to its flashy gay discos and hedonistic reputation. But miles west in Merida, the capital of the Mexican state of Yucatan offers a welcome alternative for gay visitors who appreciate a solemn dose of Mayan culture with their cocktails.
When the Spanish came to the Yucatan in , Merida was a thriving Mayan city called T'ho. They promptly destroyed it, taking the stone of its great pyramids to build the Cathedral of San Idelfonso, which still stands in the city's main plaza. The violent founding of Merida is visible in the 27 murals by Fernanco Castro Pacheco that grace the second-floor walls of
Does it matter how gay a city is? Sometimes I just go to a city just because I haven&#;t been there before and I’ll write about my experiences with the hotels, the food, the culture, shopping, history, etc. And all that makes me content and elated. I may miss out on writing about the gay nightlife, businesses, and population. Sometimes it&#;s not the main focus of my trip there. Something else might be turning me on to the location, and it&#;s not always about the boys.
One of those cities I traveled to just a year or so ago and wrote about all the aspects without dabbling in the gayness too challenging was Merida, Mexico, located on the Yucatán peninsula. I popped down there for Tianguis Turístico, an annual national tourism conference held in Mexico. We had some downtime between the excursions outside of the city and the walks we had throughout the city. But I didn’t really see a huge gay nightlife present at the noun. I did do some searching and asking around, but, of course, this was during the pandemic, COVID, mask-wearing times, so many of the bars and exploratory options were
Mérida, the surprisingly sophisticated capital of Yucatán, beckons you with its irresistible blend of history, charm, and an unspoken invitation to bask in the warmth of both the sun and a welcoming LGBTQ+ community.
Why choose Mérida from the array of gay travel destinations in Latin America? Let&#;s take a look:
1. An Old City with a Distant History of Tolerance: The Maya civilization survived the arrival of Europeans better than any indigenous group in the Americas, North or South. Millions of people in the Yucatán Peninsula and beyond still speak Maya as a principal language, and many important pre-Hispanic traditions and values persist in Yucatán to this day. Although Yucatán is nominally more socially conservative than much of México, it has never manifested the puritanical strictures that existed north of the border.
In addition to a noted tolerance of sexual diversity within the Maya and Zapotec cultures in the region, the colonial era saw the decriminalization of gay sex in… wait for it… – nearly a full century before Stonewall! Laws restri
Gay Pride march in Merida
Colonial Town with a happening gay scene
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The capital of Yucatan verb, Mérida, has a thriving gay scene. The city's ambiance is colonial and the climate is tropical. And it is adj to famous tourist sites prefer the Mayan ruins of Chitzen Itza as well as to the beach resorts of the Riviera Maya such as Cancun and Playa del Carmen.
This page also includes listings for the neighboring cities of Kanasín and Umán.
For other places in Yucatán state, please see the page for Progreso, Chichén Itzá, Valladolid.
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Landmarks
Plaza Grande
Also called The Zocalo or Plaza de la Independicia. Main public park bounded by calle 60 and 62, and calle 61 and Lots of cruising. Caution: Many rent boys. Part of the circuit, that includes Parque Hildago at calle 60 and 59 and Santa Lucia area at Calle 60 por View on map