Ateneo Peninsular to Be Mérida's New Cultural Hub

Mérida’s historic Ateneo Peninsular is set to expand its role as a cultural landmark after Mexico’s federal government formally handed full custody of the building to the National Institute of Anthropology and History, or INAH.

The agreement, published August 18 in Mexico’s federal register, gives INAH oversight of the building’s upper floor, adding to spaces the institute already manages on the ground level. Officials say the move is meant to turn the centuries-old structure, just steps from Mérida’s cathedral, into a stronger cultural reference point for both residents and visitors.

The building spent most of the past decades as the MACAY, a contemporary art museum that somehow lost favor with authorities in recent years.

“The idea is to work together to turn this Ateneo Peninsular into a cultural landmark. One for Yucatecans, of course, but also for visitors,” said Anna Goycoolea, INAH’s national coordinator for its regional centers.

Restoration of the building ran from 2022 to 2024 and cost more than MX$210 million (roughly US$11 million). Since then, the ground floor has gradually reopened to the public, home to the Tren Maya Museum, a site-specific exhibit hall and a Fonart crafts shop. Archaeological laboratories have also been set up there to study artifacts recovered during salvage work tied to the Maya Train project, along with a new conservation and restoration lab that officials hope to grow into one of the country’s leading facilities of its kind.

The building also houses INAH’s Yucatán photo archive, which holds historical images, including records from archaeological digs across the state. Officials say part of that collection could eventually be shown through temporary exhibitions.

With the upper floor now under INAH’s care, the institute plans to expand programming there, including lectures, conferences, concerts and exhibitions, in coordination with Yucatán’s culture and arts secretariat, known as Sedeculta.

“What’s going to be really important is that we bring that space to life, that people start seeing it as a cultural landmark, that they can visit it and recognize it as a place for cultural activities,” Goycoolea said.

The Ateneo Peninsular occupies a colonial-era building next to Mérida’s cathedral. It originally served as the bishop’s palace and remained linked to the Archdiocese of Yucatán until 1915, when then-Gov. Salvador Alvarado pushed to convert it into a public, secular space — the move that gave the building its current name.

The site also carries significance for Yucatán’s feminist history: it once served as the main headquarters of the Rita Cetina Gutiérrez Feminist League, founded in 1919 and later championed by Elvia Carrillo Puerto.

Officials say the goal now is for the Ateneo to serve not just as storage for collections and labs, but as a gathering place for cultural programming and heritage outreach, part of a broader push to strengthen tourism in Mérida’s historic center. The Tren Maya Museum’s opening inside the same building last year offered an early look at what the fuller restoration could bring. More details on the custody agreement are available through INAH’s official announcement.

Fast Facts

INAH received full custody of the Ateneo Peninsular’s upper floor on August 18
Restoration of the building ran from 2022 to 2024, costing more than MX$210 million (about US$11 million)
The ground floor already houses the Tren Maya Museum, archaeological labs and a Fonart shop
The building dates to the colonial era and once served as Yucatán’s bishop’s palace
It later became a hub for Yucatán’s early feminist movement, hosting the Rita Cetina Gutiérrez Feminist League starting in 1919

With reporting from La Jornada Maya.

Facebook Teaser

Behind the cathedral, a quiet colonial building is about to get a lot louder. Mérida’s Ateneo Peninsular is opening up further, with plans for lectures, concerts and exhibitions in a space with centuries of history behind it.