Objective, honest and with no commercial advertising.
|
WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE A SPLENDID VARIETY of museums and galleries. Apart from the great anthropology and archaeology museum housed in a spectacular mansion, there are a series of smaller museums and galleries dedicated to specific themes. There’s a museum to the music of the Yucatán, a gallery that showcases the work of emerging Cuban artists, one that brings spectacular folk art from various parts of Mexico, a husband-and-wife team of artists who live-and-work their gallery space. We even have one gallery with a permanent exhibition of the Frederick Catherwood’s lithographs, which were first published in John Lloyd Stephens’ Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan. Casa Catherwood is Mérida’s claim to fame, the first museum or gallery to be a featured story in an international magazine, which you can read by clicking on the image to the left. But our advice to you is this: Take advantage of the cultural offerings in Mérida, unleash your inner “Culture Vulture,” and learn about this special peninsula, the history of the Maya people, and how society and culture has evolved in this part of the world. History, music, anthropology, food, culture, archaeology, natural wonders and exciting contemporary art awaits you.
|
|
Museum of Anthropology & History
An extensive exhibition of archaeological, anthropological and ethnographic materials related to the Maya civilization and the history of archaeology in the peninsula.
Address: Palacio Cantón, Paseo Montejo and 43rd Street
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; closed on Monday
Admission: $37 pesos for adults, children under 13, senior citizens over 60, students with valid IDs and teachers with valid credentials are admitted free.
|
| ------------------------------------------------------------- |
|
Museum of Contemporary Art of Yucatan (MACAY) Museum
A permanent exhibition of work by Yucatecan artists.
Address: Calle 60, entrance in the corridor flanking the south side of the Cathedral
Hours: Monday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Wednesday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; closed on Tuesday
Admission: Free
|
| ------------------------------------------------------------- |
|
Casa Frederick Catherwood
Houses a permanent exhibition of Frederick Catherwood’s lithographs of 1844, “Views of Ancient Monuments in Central America, Chiapas & Yucatan,” in a beautifully restored Belle Epoque manse. This is the only gallery in town that has won critical acclaim from the international community. A “Fair Trade” gift shop on the first level has an extensive selection of silver by National Geographic Society sponsored Mexican silversmiths and jewelry designers.
Address: Calle 59 #572 between 72 and 74 Streets
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Closed on Sunday
Admission: $50 pesos for adults, children under 12 are admitted free.
|
| ------------------------------------------------------------- |
|
Casa Museo Montés Molina
The only mansion in Mérida that retains its original Victorian and Edwardian eras splendor, including its lavish furnishings, which coincide with the “Golden Age” of the Yucatán’s sisal/henequen wealth. This is one of the homes that gave Mérida the moniker, “Paris of the West” in the 1900s and 1910s.
Address: Paseo de Montejo #469 between 33rd and 35th Streets
Hours: English language house tours, Monday-Friday at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; closed to the public on Saturday and Sunday
Admission: $50 pesos for adults, $25 pesos for children
|
| ------------------------------------------------------------- |
|
Museum of the City
Housed in the former Main Post & Telegraph offices, built in 1910 to commemorate Mexico’s Centennial, the museum houses a curious selection of historical documents, artifacts and material related to the origins and development of Mérida, some which dates back to when it was T-hó, the original Maya city before the arrival of the Spanish.
Address: Calle 65 between 56 and 56-A Streets
Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; closed Monday
Admission: Free
|
| ------------------------------------------------------------- |
|
Tataya Gallery
Galería Tataya specializes in contemporary and mid-career Mexican and Cuban painters. They have a constant flow of new works and hold 6 to 8 exhibitions a year. In addition, they sell the highest quality Mexican “artesanías” (handcraft), coming Chiapas, Oaxaca, Michoacán, Sinaloa, Chihuahua, etc., most pieces being “one of a kind.”
Address: Calle 72 #478 between 53 and 55 Streets
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and/or by appointment: (999) 9282962; closed on Sunday and Monday
Admission: Free
|
| ------------------------------------------------------------- |
|
La Luz Gallery
A gallery specializing in contemporary Cuban artists. Representing critically-acclaimed Havana-based painters, this gallery in an important source for collectors in Paris, Madrid, Los Angeles and New York.
Address: Calle 60#415 between 45 and 47 Streets
Hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; closed on Sunday
Admission: Free
|
| ------------------------------------------------------------- |
|
Casa de los Artistas
Paintings, drawings, sculptures and workshops are conducted from this restored colonial home, where Abel Vázquez and Melva Medina, husband-and-wife artists live, work and teach. Their work is shipped to collectors in the United States and Canada.
Address: Calle 60 #405 between 43 and 45 Streets
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.; closed on Sunday
Admission: Free
|
| ------------------------------------------------------------- |
|
Museum of the Yucatecan Song (Museo de la Canción Yucateca)
A permanent exhibition of photographs, recordings, musical instruments and other artifacts that made Yucatecan music and musicians famous throughout the world. You may not recognize the names of Armando Manzanero, Pastor Cervera, Guty Cárdenas or Ricardo Palmerin, but when you hear their music, you will immediately recognize it from the radio programs and Hollywood films of yesteryear.
Address: Calle 47 #464-A on the corner of 48 Street
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed on Monday
Admission: $15 pesos, except on Sundays when admission is free
|
| ------------------------------------------------------------- |
|
“Juan Gamboa Guzmán” Pinacotea Museum
A permanent exhibition of paintings and sculptures housed in an adjunct entrance to the Church of the Three Orders, whose architecture is of more interest than the works displayed.
Address: Calle 59, side entrance to the church, between 58 and 60 Streets
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; closed on Monday
Admission: Free
|
| ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Mérida Gallery
This gallery focuses on emerging Yucatecan artists with a wide following, and has rotating exhibitions approximately 10 times a year.
Address: Calle 59 #452 between 52 and 54 Streets
Hours: Wednesday-Monday, 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; closed on Tuesday
Admission: Free
|
| ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Museum of Popular Folk Art
A charming exhibition of folk art from the Yucatán and central Mexico.
Address: Calle 50-A #487 by 57th Street
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; closed on Monday
Admission: $20 pesos
|
| ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| City Art Museum (GAMM)
A populist exhibition of local artists, specializing in naïve and outsider works of art.
Address: Calle 65, between 56 and 56-A Streets
Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; closed on Monday
Admission: Free
|
| ------------------------------------------------------------- |
|
In La’Kech Gallery
An innovative art space evoking a certain counter-culture perspective, this small gallery features work by some of Mérida’s cutting edge emerging artists.
Address: Calle 60 #595-A, between 73rd and 75th Streets
Hours: Hours not yet set, so please call 999 242 3948, or if you drop by and ring the bell.
Admission: Free
|
| ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| La Clínica - Arte Contemporáneo
A cutting-edge gallery that showcases Mexican and foreign artists under the Alfredo Cruz and Terrence Jon Dyck, La Clinica strives to bring contemporary art to a hipster level.
Address: Calle 62 #367 between 43 and 45 Streets
Hours: Visit their website for events, or call (999) 924-0734 for an appointment.
Admission: Free
|
| ------------------------------------------------------------- |
|
