Investment Opportunities - The travels to Merida

Last week, I described in brief, the history of Yucatán Peninsula starting from its discovery by Hernández de Córdoba, describing the Mayan artisan influence in this region and emphasizing the importance of Mayan people for the Mexican tourism industry. As well, I have described Yucatán’s geological phenomena such as lack of above-ground rivers, abundance of limestone deposits and the wonders of cenotes or deep holes filled with underground waters.

This week, I would like to talk about my experiences in the city of Merida. I have rented a car and started my journey from Riviera Princess located in the Mayan Riviera, driving towards the city of Cancun on the main highway referred to by the locals as “la federal”. From Riviera Princes to the city of Cancun I drove for about 120 kilometers, contemplating the views, gathering a feel for the road and the Mayan population. The highway is well-maintained, although it contains a lot of “los topes” or bumps in the road, which serves as a government strategy to reduce speed in more populated areas. Sometimes, these annoying topes are so badly marked (yellow paint used) that I almost found myself flying through the air in my rental car.

The city of Cancun is located to the east of “la federal”, so I turned towards the west onto another highway (la federal 180) which links Cancun to the great city of Merida.
To reach Merida, (located approximately 320 km from Cancun) I drove through the cities of Xcan, Chemax, Valladolid, Dzitas, Tunkas, Izamal, to finally reach the Centertown of Merida. Merida has a fascinating history; this city was built primary on top of the ruins of the city T’ho (old Mayan city). The magnificent Catholic cathedral has been constructed using stones transported from actual Mayan pyramids. The Mayans cherish Merida as a special place in their culture, believing that this was the centre of the universe, a point were all lines intersected. Currently, modernized Merida serves as cultural and commercial meeting place were a wide variety of goods is freely exchanged. Merida has many parks which become populated by people of various cultures, loud music at night, dance and rejoicing. Merida brings foreign tourists who roam around in search of colonial treasures.

The main city centre known as "zocalo", fills one city block, and is bordered by Calle 61 (calle means street in Spanish) to the north, Calle 62 to the west, Calle 63 to the south, and Calle 60 to the east. The best way to rediscover the city is to use a local city map and roam around, one can never get lost, because the streets are numbered the following way; even-numbered streets run north-south, with numbers increasing to the west and odd-numbered streets run east-west, increasing to the south. During my stay in Merida, I saw the following sites: Zocalo, The municipal palace, The cathedral of Saint Idelfonso, The casa de Montejo, The regional museum of anthropology and history, The museum of popular arts, and el parque Hidalgo (free marimba concerts).

Cathedral de Saint Idelfonso: This old cathedral has over 400 years (built in 1598), making it the oldest cathedral on the American continent. Like most colonial structures in the Yucatan Peninsula, the cathedral was built using stones stolen from the Maya temples of T’ho. The main feature of the cathedral is the impressive 20 meters wooden representation of crucified Christ, which is one of the largest crucifixes in the world.

Palacio del Gobierno: Built from 1883 to 1892, the palace was built using two architectural styles known as Tuscan (main floor) and Dorian (upper floor).
The Palace contains gigantic murals which tell the story of Spanish domination over Mayan culture and the history of the Yucatan peninsula. The painting encountered above a stairway shows the Maya belief that their ancestors were made from maize. I participated in Jarana performances known as the “Yucatecan colonial dance” on Monday evening between 9 P.M. to 10 P.M. Merida is surrounded by many historic palaces and on Sunday, which is the busiest time of the week, I was treated to an open air folklore show at the zocalo near the front of the Palacio Municipal.

The Casa de Montejo: This structure displays a 16th century portico which was built in 1549. This was a former residence of the city founder, Francisco de Montejo. The carved façade, according to the Toltec tradition, demonstrates warriors standing on their conquests’ heads.

There is a wide variety of inexpensive hotels that can be stayed at:

Hotel Trinidad Galeria (I stayed in this one), is a colonial mansion filled with works of art, some very questionable, yet still interesting. The cost of the stay was something like 20$ per night. The other hotels which seem to be habitable are: Casa Bowen, Hotel Montejo and Hotel las Monjas.

In order to be able to admire all these cities in Yucatan Peninsula a lot of time is needed. This situation can be easily reconciled by investing in a condominium property, so that you may have an anchor in one part of the peninsula and roam around to the other areas such as Merida. One possible solution to this dilemma is owning a condo hotel mexico, that is a good investment which practically pays for itself. You can rent out the condominium for profit while you are away, and live in it yourself while you explore various parts of Yucatan Peninsula, including Merida.
Next week, I will explore my voyage to the Chichen Itza, one of the most important archeological sites in Mexico, and in Yucatan Peninsula.

Yucatán Peninsula

When famous Hernández de Córdoba dropped his anchor at the shores of this part of the world in 1517, he encountered Mayan population of this region. All communication broke down quickly between the two peoples largely due to the language barrier. Hernández de Córdoba mistakenly called this region “Yucatán” thinking that this is the actual name given to the peninsula by the Mayans. Today, Mayan is still the first language of peninsula’s inhabitants who have learned Spanish as a second language.

Indigenous religious practices continue to persist within the region intertwined with some form of Catholic rituals. The Mayans dedicate themselves to corn production, fishing, hunting, farming and hammock-weaving, but most recently, and in great numbers, Mayans have joined the ranks of the tourism industry/development. The Mayans support the tourism industry in Cancun, Mayan Riviera, Playa del Carmen, and Cozumel among other destinations in Yucatán peninsula, Mexico by working in restaurants, hotels, and providing services of multilingual guides at archaeological sites.

The foreign and Mexican developers continue to expand through the construction of hotels, condominiums, commercial and residential investment properties along the Yucatán coast in efforts of transforming the “wild tropical forest region” into a luxury destination.
“The peninsula’s interstate borders form a “Y”, Quintana Roo sees the Caribbean sun rise on the eastern coast, and Campeche faces the Gulf Coast to the west. Flat limestone scrubland and tropical forest dotted with cenotes (freshwater underground rivers enclosed by naturally forming underground caves) dominates the landscape. Because of the highly porous limestone subsoil, above-ground rivers do not exist in the Yucatán. Poor soil and the lack of water make farming difficult, so maize remains the staple crop. The prominence of the rain god Chac at most Maya ruins testifies to the eternal importance of the seasonal rains, which fall from May to late summer. “The Yucatán” refers to the peninsula, not the state, whereas “Yucatán” without the article can refer to either entity. Yucatán state’s rich history draws thousands of visitors each year, who come to scramble up and down the incomparable Chichen Itza and other majestic May ruins, marvel at old colonial towns, explore the area’s many dark caves, and take a dip in the cenotes. Quintana Roo’s luscious jungle, crystalline coastline, and monumental Maya ruins were idylls beneath the Caribbean sun until the government transformed the area from tropical paradise to tourist factory. Cancun rapidly became the beachhead for what some wryly call “the second conquista” and the nearby beaches and ruins following in suit. Although its countryside is dotted with Maya ruins, its coastline is over 200 km long, and its colonial history predates Veracruz’s, Campeche pulls in fewer visitors than Yucatán to the north or Quintana Roo to the east, perhaps because it lacks a kind of swaggering grandeur-ruins and modest and relatively inaccessible, while the beaches are kept humble by wind and rock.”[1]

In my next articles, I will talk about Campeche and its place in the Yucatán peninsula; followed by my personal conquest of the tourist roads leading from Merida through Chichen Itza, through Coba, through Cancun, through Tulum, through the Mayan Riviera, to the famous strip of Cancun. I will describe the trips and events which might be pursued on your own or through organized trips. Don’t forget to check my website at ocean view mexico for further details on this topic. There are many investment opportunities to own a piece of this paradise along the Caribbean Coast in Riviera Maya, Mexico as well as other destinations.
[1] Excerpt from Lets Go Mexico (2000).

Investment Condominium Property in Riviera Maya, Mexico

Hello my name is Tom Witek with Prudential Town Centre Realty. Let me introduce you to a great investment opportunity in Riviera Maya, Mexico. You can own a modernly-designed condominium in Mexico by choosing from 300 luxury condominiums which are located near Playa del Carmen. These condominiums offer ocean view from private balconies.

This investment property is located right on the beach and has 654 feet of private ocean frontage. The area of “the diamond” is one of the most sought locations in Mayan Riviera. The investment property lies on the white sand beach which stretches out over two kilometers. The condominiums are masterfully designed with eight acres of landscaped common areas which consists of botanical Zen garden, Mayan sculptures, the “infinity pool”, beach club located by the beach, world-class SPA, fitness centre and children’ area. The private interiors offer fully-equipped kitchens with high-end appliances and options such as roof-top decks, private splash pools. Financing available with 30% down payment. Contact Tom Witek at twitek@prutcr.com for further details. More information about this investment opportunity in Mayan Riviera Mexico can be accessed at Investment Opportunity Riviera Maya, Mexico

Investment opportunity in Riviera Maya, Mexico

Hello my name is Tom Witek with Prudential Town Centre Realty. Let me introduce you to a great investment opportunity in Riviera Maya, Mexico. You can own a modernly-designed condominium in Mexico by choosing from 300 luxury condominiums which are located near Playa del Carmen.



These condominiums offer ocean view from private balconies. This investment property is located right on the beach and has 654 feet of private ocean frontage. The area of “the diamond” is one of the most sought locations in Mayan Riviera. The investment property lies on the white sand beach which stretches out over two kilometers.



The condominiums are masterfully designed with eight acres of landscaped common areas which consists of botanical Zen garden, Mayan sculptures, the “infinity pool”, beach club located by the beach, world-class SPA, fitness centre and children’ area. The private interiors offer fully-equipped kitchens with high-end appliances and options such as roof-top decks, private splash pools.



This investment opportunity in Mexico might be accessed by going to www.ottawa-sellers-buyers-residential-homes.com/