In 1951, a Yucatecan architect named Leopoldo Tommasi published a book in Mexico City called La ciudad de ayer, hoy y mañana — The City of Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. It was part history, part complaint, and part urban vision. Seventy-five years later, researchers say it quietly shaped the way Mérida looks today. Tommasi was…
(Updated to reflect new schedule) Dave O. Dodge has spent more than a decade living in Mérida’s Centro Histórico, running a boutique bed-and-breakfast and writing fiction rooted in the New England he left behind. His latest novel returns to that territory — and to some of its darkest history. Released March 24, Hannah: One Woman’s…
One of the oldest and most sacred texts in Mayan literature just got an unexpected update. The announcement came on Wednesday during a presentation titled “Presentando el nuevo capítulo de los ebooks,” held as part of FILEY 2026. Lalo Macías, founder of Fíctica, led the event and framed the project as a way to restore…
French documentary photographer Bénédicte Desrus officially launched her Arraigo exhibition Tuesday morning at the Museo Regional de Antropología de Yucatán at Palacio Cantón, bringing two years of quiet, door-to-door work in Mérida’s historic center onto one of the city’s most prominent boulevards. The ceremony, held on the sidewalk along Paseo de Montejo, drew officials from…
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…
Photojournalist Bénédicte Desrus presented her book Arraigo at Centro Cultural Hartii, unveiling an intimate portrait of downtown Mérida that few have witnessed: longtime residents photographed inside their family homes, surrounded by generations of memory. “I dare even to say, and I say it with responsibility, that this is the only book that portrays inhabitants of…
“Arraigo” is a very special book that captures the spaces and lives of Yucatecans whose lives are rooted in the heart of a rapidly changing city. This week, two presentations of Bénédicte Desrus’s new book will occur just blocks from the very homes and residents it depicts. The first presentation will take place 6 p.m….
Children from two small Maya communities in rural Yucatán have published their first literary anthology after nearly two years of creative writing workshops. The book, “En mi comunidad” (In My Community), showcases original stories and narratives from young authors in Cantamayec and Mayapán. The civil association Educación, Cultura y Ecología (EDUCE) organized the literary workshops…
A groundbreaking discovery by a Mexican researcher has revealed how colonial-era Maya scribes wove Catholic imagery into their astronomical observations. Dr. Florencia Scandar from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) found that the Virgin of Izamal appears in ancient Maya manuscripts documenting eclipses. The discovery centers on the Chilam Balam books, a collection of…
Pia Rosado and Eva Lucía Reyes previewed over 30 restored homes in Mérida’s historic center before choosing 18 to present in their new hard-bound volume. Now their book is hot off the press.
Kids’ books with Mexican themes are a great way to share your love for the culture. Here are some of the best titles for children to cherish. La Frontera: El Viaje con Papá / The Border: My Journey with Papawritten by Alfredo Alva and Deborah Mills, illustrated by Claudia Navarro This bilingual picture book tells…
That’s all for now
That’s all for now