‘Arraigo’ Exhibition at Palacio Cantón During FILEY 2026

A photo exhibition two years in the making will make its public debut on Paseo de Montejo next week, when French documentary photographer Bénédicte Desrus opens Arraigo as part of the 14th annual Feria Internacional de la Lectura Yucatán (Yucatán International Reading Fair), known as FILEY.

The inauguration takes place at 8 a.m. Tuesday, March 17, on the sidewalk in front of the Museo Regional de Antropología de Yucatán (Yucatán Regional Anthropology Museum) at Palacio Cantón.

The exhibition brings the project — which debuted as a photobook last October — out of gallery spaces and into the street. Mounted on the sidewalk of one of Mérida’s busiest avenues, the show is intended to engage passersby as much as photography enthusiasts.

Two years of doorstep visits

Arraigo — the word means deep-rootedness or belonging — documents the residents of Mérida’s historic downtown, a neighborhood increasingly reshaped by tourism, real estate development, and demographic change. Over two years, from 2023 to 2025, Desrus walked the centro’s narrow streets, knocked on doors and was let in. She photographed residents using only natural light and conducted interviews that captured their experiences of their connection to the city.

The resulting images and testimonies form what the project describes as a cultural and historical record of daily life, family memory, and Yucatecan identity in the heart of the city.

Desrus is based in Mexico City and Mérida and is represented by Sipa Press USA, whose long-term projects have focused on people living on the margins of society. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, National Geographic, Le Monde, and many others. On the choice to shoot entirely with natural light inside her subjects’ homes, Desrus has said the approach keeps her work firmly grounded in the real — no staging, no setups, just people and the spaces where they live.

Day of events

The March 17 program runs in two parts. The official inauguration with authorities and guests begins at 8 a.m. That evening, at 7 p.m., Desrus will lead a guided walk through the exhibition, followed by a toast sponsored by Esmeralda Brewing.

Copies of the Arraigo book will be available for purchase on-site throughout the day — cash only. Desrus will sign books at the event.

Part of a larger cultural moment

The exhibition is presented as part of FILEY 2026, which runs March 14–22 at the Centro de Convenciones Yucatán Siglo XXI (Yucatán Siglo XXI Convention Center) under the theme “Penínsulas Lectoras” (Reading Peninsulas). Organizers expect some 250,000 visitors over the nine-day fair, with more than 700 activities and some 10,000 titles from over 500 publishers on display.

The Palacio Cantón installation is produced in partnership with the Secretaría de Cultura (Ministry of Culture), INAH, and FILEY, with additional support from Catherine Petitgas, Esmeralda Brewing, the Alianza Francesa de Mérida (French Alliance of Mérida), Hotel Sevilla, Fundación Roberto Abraham A.C., Oxical, Restauración Distribuidora and Yucatán Magazine.

By placing the show outside rather than in a gallery, the Palacio Cantón and Desrus are making a deliberate gesture — that the stories of the people inside those downtown homes belong to the street as much as to any institution.

Arraigo at Palacio Cantón — Fast Facts

• Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2026
• Opening ceremony: 8 a.m.
• Guided tour and toast: 7 p.m.
• Location: Paseo de Montejo and Calle 43, exterior of Museo Regional de Antropología de Yucatán, Palacio Cantón
• Admission: Free
• Book sales: Cash only, author signing on site
• More info: libroarraigo.com | @libro_arraigo

Sources: press release from Bénédicte Desrus / Palacio Cantón; libroarraigo.com; filey.org; Excélsior