Urban Maya Ruins: How Mérida’s Public Parks Preserve Pre-Hispanic History

Urban Maya Ruins: How Mérida’s Public Parks Preserve Pre-Hispanic History

MÉRIDA, Yucatán — Beneath the bustling streets and expanding residential neighborhoods of Mérida lies the ancient footprint of T’Hó, the pre-Hispanic Maya city over which modern Mérida was founded. While many major structures were dismantled during the Spanish colonial era, several urban public parks throughout the city continue to protect and integrate valuable Maya archaeological remains. Ancient Heritage Amid Modern Suburbs Rather than isolat…

3 Mérida Parks Where the Maya Once Lived

Mérida’s best-known Maya sites sit outside the city — Chichén Itzá, the pyramids of Izamal, Aké, Xcambó, Dzibilchaltún. Fewer people stop to consider that the capital itself was built directly on top of an ancient Maya city, T’Hó. That history hasn’t disappeared. Scattered through Mérida’s neighborhoods and subdivisions, prehispanic structures still stand inside public parks...