A Worker’s Dream: How a Lottery Built the Dolores Patrón Neighborhood
In the crisp morning air of Feb. 1, 1928, Yucatán Gov. Dr. Álvaro Torre Díaz stood proudly before a crowd gathered to witness a revolutionary moment in Mérida’s urban development. Marking the second anniversary of his administration, the governor inaugurated the José Dolores Patrón Workers’ Colony — a neighborhood that today is nestled among some of the city’s best-loved neighborhoods.
It was a big moment for the city. That same day, two critical infrastructure projects — the Mérida-Progreso highway and the first section of the Mérida-Umán road — opened, connecting the capital to surrounding communities and strengthening the region’s economic arteries.
Financed through the Public Welfare Department and credit obtained from the State Lottery, the development featured 99 masonry homes. Each eight-by-four-meter residence included a small patio with a windmill, with every structure cleverly designed to accommodate two families.
The Dolores Patrón lottery system
To get one of the homes, you needed some luck. The houses were raffled through weekly lottery drawings, with coupons attached to lottery tickets. The first home was awarded during the inauguration ceremony, turning ordinary citizens into homeowners through a game of chance.
The colony occupied six blocks of land “in the healthiest part of the city,” nestled between Colón and Cupules avenues. In May 1928, General Álvaro Obregón visited Mérida and, alongside Governor Torre Díaz, laid the cornerstone for the colony’s school.
Originally named after then-President Plutarco Elías Calles, the school was inaugurated on Feb. 1, 1929, and later renamed in the mid-1930s to honor Professor David Vivas Romero.
The neighborhood’s market, which today serves as a Cultural Center, became the community’s vibrant heart. The colony itself was named after Dr. José Dolores Patrón Peniche, a distinguished physician who dedicated his career to serving Mérida’s poorest residents at the General Hospital and played a crucial role in establishing the city’s Medical School, which he later directed.
A monument to Dr. Patrón Peniche was relocated to the eastern roundabout of the colony — a bronze bust originally donated to the Medical School by doctors Francisco Losa, Fernando Casares, and Domingo Evia. Cast at the Mexican Artistic Foundry, the monument stands upon a pedestal created by sculptor Leopoldo Tomassi and was first unveiled in 1903.
Since its inauguration, the colony’s 99 houses have been updated and modernized. Yet they remain a testament to an era when public housing was distributed through lottery tickets and a governor’s vision helped shape the modern city we know today.
Lee Steele is the founding director of Mérida-based Roof Cat Media S de RL de CV and has published Yucatán Magazine and other titles since 2012. He was Hearst Connecticut’s Sunday Magazine creative director and worked in New York City for various magazine publishers, including Condé Nast and Primedia, for over 20 years.
