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A quiet anniversary for Teatro Peón Contreras 2 years after fire

ByYucatán Magazine

Shuttered since a ruinous fire two years ago, the Teatro José Peón Contreras is clad in scaffolding, and its stage is silent. And it likely will remain that way until late 2025, according to INAH.

The restoration of the Jose Peon Contreras will continue for at least 10 more months, said Anna Goycoolea Artís, the head of the National Institute of Anthropology and History.

An investment of 120 million pesos, or US$6 million, is budgeted to restore the theater.

The Peón Contreras lobby in 1910. Photo: Archives
The Peón Contreras theater rising in the early 20th century. Photo: Archives
The 2022 Peón Contreras fire was a blow for Mérida, especially given the severity of the damage. Photo: Courtesy
Newly released photos show more clearly the extent of damage inside the Teatro Peón Contreras in Mérida. Photo: Courtesy
The Teatro José Peón Contreras shows little sign of exterior damage the morning after a fire that threatens the remainder of the symphony season. Photo: Lee Steele / Yucatán Magazine
The state of the fesco-adorned dome at the Peón Contreras, known as “Las Musas,” was painted in 1907, but no images of its current state have been allowed to be published. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine
When the Peón Contreras eventually reopens, the music of Vivaldi and Brahms will likely be accompanied by arrangements of traditional Mexican composers like Manuel M. Ponce and Armando Manzanero. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine
Mérida’s Teatro José Peón Contreras. Photo: Getty
Mérida’s Teatro José Peón Contreras. Photo: Courtesy
A ladder truck helps firefighters reach the blaze at the Peón Contreras theater Tuesday afternoon. Photo: Facebook
Sideview of Teatro Peón Contreras, right next to the Mother’s Park. Photo: Verónica Garibay
Teatro Peón Contreras, viewed from Calle 60, before Mother’s park. Photo: Verónica Garibay
Since March 14, all activities and events scheduled at the Teatro José Peón Contreras have been suspended. Photo: File

The grand Péon Contreras was inaugurated on Dec. 21, 1908 in the city of Mérida. It was designed by architects Pío Piacentini, Enrico Deserti, and Fernando Ceicola.

It replaced the San Carlos Theater, built in 1807 and renamed in 1878 with the name of the Yucatecan playwright José Peón Contreras.

In 1899, the Mérida Theatre Company was established to provide the city with what was considered modern theater. Work on the building we see today began in November 1900.

Construction was suspended in 1902 and resumed in 1906, with new owners, la Sociedad Regil, Portuondo and Co. 

The first performance under its roof was “A Musical Literary Evening” by the Spanish actor Enrique Borrás.

But live performances disappeared In 1940, when the theatre became the Peón Contreras Cinema. Its time as a movie theater lasted until 1974, when the building was closed.

In 1977, state lawmakers wrangled federal funds to declare the Peón Contreras Theater a National Artistic Monument. With this measure, it was expropriated by the Yucatán state government in 1979. It has been a public building ever since.

Rehabilitation work began in 1980, and by December 1981, it was reopened and regained its place as the region’s most elegant cultural space for live dance, opera, orchestras and singers. 

From 2004 until the Nov. 1, 2022 fire, the theater was home to the Yucatán Symphony Orchestra. Today, the OSY performs at the modern Music Palace auditorium.

The fire has been attributed to a short circuit in the third-floor sound booth. The most difficult thing to restore has been the fresco of the nine muses of Apollo by Nicolás Allegretti in the upper dome. It will have to be repainted, and debate remains over whether the new imagery should replicate the muses or portray a more inclusive and socially relevant theme. 

Officials have been quiet about the renovation. Members of the press or public have taken the only photos of the work being done. No date has been set for the theater’s reopening.

With information from Novedades Yucatán

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