Mexico still sounds good to me
http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/03/12/travel/12next.html?th&emc=th
Mérida was founded in 1542 by Spanish conquistadors. Francisco de Montejo and his army dismantled the Mayan structures that were there and used the stone to build a cathedral and other buildings that still surround the Plaza Grande. This central square and the streets or calles around it, known as El Centro, are where many expatriates have chosen to live.
Except for the early afternoon — when most people go home to take a siesta — this roughly two-square-mile area hums with activity. People crisscross the main plaza carrying shopping bags or making their way to one of the many government offices or the Universidad de Yucatán.
Shady pocket parks offer relief from the heat and everything seems softened by a pervasive, though not unpleasant, halo of dust. The air has the faint, warm smell of roasted corn, probably because of the many restaurants and outdoor cafes in the area serving thick, saucer-sized homemade corn tortillas.
Most of the plaster buildings in the historic district are from the early 19th century and have high ceilings, Moorish ironwork and colorful, patterned floor tiles called mosaico. They are also bargains, at around $40,000 for a four-bedroom, two-bathroom colonial home.
"A lot of the places are wrecks with trees growing out of the center," Ms. Dallin said. "And labor is cheap so it doesn't take a lot to fix them up."
Foreigners have done much to preserve and transform Mérida's historic architecture. "It's kind of an expat hobby," said Werner Gross, who is restoring his second home in Mérida after fixing up and reselling the first.
Local laws require that only the exterior of buildings retain their original look. "Behind the facade, you can basically build a brand new house," Mr. Gross said.
Often hidden inside the nondescript plaster blocks that line Mérida's streets are grand tile foyers, tropical central courtyards, marble bathrooms and sleek kitchens. The English Library sponsors walking tours of homes and gardens every Wednesday at 10 a.m. (Calle 53, No. 524; 52-999-924-8401; www.meridaenglishlibrary.com).
Foreigners are not only buying and rehabilitating real estate in Mérida's central district, they are also snapping up decrepit haciendas in the surrounding countryside. From the 1880's to around 1945, many of these haciendas were the leading exporters of the fibrous material used to make rope and twine, which they extracted from henequén, a spiky plant similar to agave. But when synthetic fibers came along, the once-grand haciendas were abandoned and allowed to fall into ruin.
At least a dozen haciendas within a 30-mile radius of Mérida have been restored. Some are private residences, and others have been transformed into resorts.
Mérida was founded in 1542 by Spanish conquistadors. Francisco de Montejo and his army dismantled the Mayan structures that were there and used the stone to build a cathedral and other buildings that still surround the Plaza Grande. This central square and the streets or calles around it, known as El Centro, are where many expatriates have chosen to live.
Except for the early afternoon — when most people go home to take a siesta — this roughly two-square-mile area hums with activity. People crisscross the main plaza carrying shopping bags or making their way to one of the many government offices or the Universidad de Yucatán.
Shady pocket parks offer relief from the heat and everything seems softened by a pervasive, though not unpleasant, halo of dust. The air has the faint, warm smell of roasted corn, probably because of the many restaurants and outdoor cafes in the area serving thick, saucer-sized homemade corn tortillas.
Most of the plaster buildings in the historic district are from the early 19th century and have high ceilings, Moorish ironwork and colorful, patterned floor tiles called mosaico. They are also bargains, at around $40,000 for a four-bedroom, two-bathroom colonial home.
"A lot of the places are wrecks with trees growing out of the center," Ms. Dallin said. "And labor is cheap so it doesn't take a lot to fix them up."
Foreigners have done much to preserve and transform Mérida's historic architecture. "It's kind of an expat hobby," said Werner Gross, who is restoring his second home in Mérida after fixing up and reselling the first.
Local laws require that only the exterior of buildings retain their original look. "Behind the facade, you can basically build a brand new house," Mr. Gross said.
Often hidden inside the nondescript plaster blocks that line Mérida's streets are grand tile foyers, tropical central courtyards, marble bathrooms and sleek kitchens. The English Library sponsors walking tours of homes and gardens every Wednesday at 10 a.m. (Calle 53, No. 524; 52-999-924-8401; www.meridaenglishlibrary.com).
Foreigners are not only buying and rehabilitating real estate in Mérida's central district, they are also snapping up decrepit haciendas in the surrounding countryside. From the 1880's to around 1945, many of these haciendas were the leading exporters of the fibrous material used to make rope and twine, which they extracted from henequén, a spiky plant similar to agave. But when synthetic fibers came along, the once-grand haciendas were abandoned and allowed to fall into ruin.
At least a dozen haciendas within a 30-mile radius of Mérida have been restored. Some are private residences, and others have been transformed into resorts.
posted by sarah at 12:07 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home