Architecture in Merida

This semester, I've been taking an Art and Architecture course. This Thursday we went on a field trip to see colonial architecture in Merida. We first headed to an old cathedral. By old, I mean 1600s. So it was pretty neat to see!

The stones of the church were taken from the Mayan city that existed before Merida was built. Merida actually built the city to utilize the roads and platforms that the Maya built. The buildings and temples were destroyed to make the buildings on Merida. Not a very nice thing to do...

Anyways, after we checked out the church, we went to a school that used to be an old fort. The fort wall was still up and visible, and the old buildings were also still standing. Part of the area was only about 100 years old, but the center area was from the 1600s. The buildings were beautiful!

We also checked out one of the arches of the city. The arches were built back in the beginning years of the city, to separate the different neighborhoods. At that time, if you lived in one neighborhood, you may not be allowed to go into other sections of the city. There were clear divisions of classes, based on family origens. The Maya and other indigenous peoples were oppressed, and the Spanish had all the power.

Finally, we saw the convent of the church, which is now an architectural school. We explored a bit and saw some old painting on the walls. It was a really neat place to go to school!

On our way home, we stopped for ice cream. It was still pretty hot outside, so the ice cream tasted really good, even if was a little melted. And then our teacher accidentally hit a car...and drove off. That's what happens in Mexico! :)