Twin towers
Over the square.
Anagoria — CC BY 3.0 · Jami.rc.08 — CC0 · Sharon Hahn Darlin — CC BY 2.0 · Alaniarq — CC BY 4.0 · Sárvol — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Cathedral of San Ildefonso is a massive stone church on Mérida's Plaza Grande, its pale cream facade flanked by two tall towers and its walls as thick as a fortress. The stone turns orange at sunset. Work began in 1561 and finished in 1598, making it one of the oldest cathedrals in the Americas and the second completed there, after Santo Domingo. Its design has clear roots in Andalusia. It was built on the site of the old Maya city of T'ho, on which Mérida stands, and some of its stone is thought to come from Maya buildings. You stand in the square to see the facade and towers, then step inside for the plain, broad interior with its white domes. The square around it is full of trees, benches and old buildings, hosts shows and markets at weekends, and the facade is lit in the evening. It is in the centre of Mérida itself. Dress modestly and avoid mass times.
Over the square.
At sunset.
Around it.
Plaza Grande, central Mérida, Yucatán
Yes.
Late afternoon for warm light.
