Merida - History

The history of Merida Mexico begins perhaps as much as 30,000 years ago. Sometime during the last ice age nomadic tribes of hunter-gatherers from Asia first crossed the Bering Strait and entered the Western Hemisphere. (There is is now an alternative theory that peoples also landed in the South Americas from both Africa and the Pacific Islands and gradually moved north into the North American continent). Following the seasonal supply of wild grains and game, they eventually migrated into the region separating North and South America dubbed by archaeologists as Mesoamerica. With its diverse geography and extraordinary natural abundance, this land gave rise to the development of early civilizations unique in the world.

The first traces of human life found in Merida Mexico date back to about 20,000 BC. Social organization and rudimentary agriculture developed gradually, with the cultivation of squashes, chilli peppers, beans and maize beginning perhaps as early as 6500 BC. As the food supply stabilized, the early hunter-gatherers grew more sedentary. Permanent settlements seem to have first appeared in coastal areas around 1500 BC, marking the beginning of a succession of highly developed and eventually interdependent cultures that would continue to 1500 AD.

Merida &Yucatec Mayans - The Mayas built their temples on immense pyramids with steeped bases, and each side of the pyramid had a set of steps that lead up to the temple. The temples were built out of beautifully carve stones and its only floor was adorned on the exterior with elaborate and wonderful stucco decorations. As for the interior, it was decorated with mural paintings.

Merida Mexico was founded by the Spaniard, Francisco de Montejo on January 6, 1542. Before the Spaniards arrived Merida had been the very large Mayan city known as Ichcansiho; also as T'Ho. Once conquered, the city of T'Ho was dismantled and the stones from its pyramids were used as the foundation for the Cathedral of San Ildelfonso (1556-1599), the oldest cathedral on the American continent. Montejos, the first Spaniards to seriously attempt the conquest of the Yucatan. The Spaniards established this capital among the empty buildings of a Mayan classic city called Tiho or Ichcaanziho, renaming the city Merida after a city of Roman ruins in Spain.