Former Tourism Secretary Urges Better Upkeep of Mérida Historic Center
A year after major renovations transformed Mérida’s Historic Center at the Plaza Grande and Calle 60, a former state tourism secretary is calling attention to maintenance problems that threaten to undermine the project’s success.
Jorge E. Torre Loría, who served as Yucatán’s secretary of tourism, published a letter in Diario de Yucatán this week praising the renovation but highlighting three specific concerns about upkeep in the historic center.
The Mexican flag is raised over a renovated Plaza Grande ahead of Mérida’s Independence Day celebrations. The city government recently capped off a through remodeling of the park.Photo: Courtesy
New street benches were a controversial choice at Mérida’s Plaza Grande.File photo
The home of the Macay museum is renovated across from Mérida’s plaza grande. It now houses a museum with artifacts found during the Maya train project.File photo
Construction during the 2024 renovation of the Plaza Grande in Mérida, Mexico.File photo
The Corredor Gastronómico on Calle 47 hours before its inauguration. Planters were installed because permits were obtained to plant trees.Photo: Lee Steele / Yucatán Magazine
Potholes are easy to report in Mérida.Photo: File
New trees and plants are filling in at Mérida’s Plaza Grande.Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine
The $120.5 million renovation project, completed in September 2024, created a pedestrian-friendly environment around the Plaza Grande with new trees, improved lighting and traffic restrictions. Torre Loría noted that the intervention of Calle 60 and Plaza Grande “was an unexpected success,” and that the newly planted trees are already taking root.
“In a few years, when they fill with flowers, they will be an attraction like the cherry trees of Japan and Washington,” he wrote. “We must keep caring for them until that day arrives.”
But Torre Loría said bent and damaged security bollards are creating a poor impression for visitors. El Diario has reported on this issue repeatedly since the renovation’s completion.
The bollards were installed to mark pedestrian zones and control vehicle access around the plaza. Torre Loría said many are already bent, reflecting “a lack of maintenance that leaves much to be desired.”
Another concern involves street repairs throughout the Centro Histórico. Workers are patching potholes and damaged sections with asphalt rather than the stamped concrete used in the original renovation. Torre Loría said this creates an unattractive patchwork effect.
“What good does it do for house facades to receive constant treatment while the streets with these patches leave much to be desired?” he wrote.
The third issue concerns Calle 47, which was transformed into a gastronomic corridor in 2023. Large planters filled with plants currently line the street to create green space. Torre Loría suggested the city should work with Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History to remove the planters and instead plant trees directly in the sidewalks, as was done on Calle 60.
The INAH, Mexico’s federal agency responsible for protecting historic monuments and zones, must approve any modifications to buildings and public spaces in designated historic centers. The agency oversees more than 110,000 historic monuments nationwide built between the 16th and 19th centuries, according to its official documentation.
“The planters make the street look narrower,” Torre Loría wrote. “Surely at the time INAH did not authorize it, but since they did authorize it on Calle 60, it is a good argument for them to authorize it as well.”
The renovation of Mérida’s historic center began in 2023 with the Calle 47 gastronomic corridor project, which aimed to highlight the area’s concentration of restaurants. Work then moved to Calle 60, connecting Plaza Grande with Santa Ana Park and the hotel zone. The final phase focused on Plaza Grande itself and the surrounding streets.
The project prioritized pedestrians by reducing vehicle traffic, installing speed bumps and traffic lights, and creating a single level for pedestrian and vehicle areas. It also added vegetation, improved accessibility with ramps, and installed new lighting and street furniture.
Torre Loría’s letter reflects broader concerns about maintaining the improvements that have made Mérida’s historic center increasingly popular with tourists and residents. The state saw an 11 percent increase in overnight visitors in 2025, driven partly by cultural offerings in the capital.
The former secretary’s recommendations come as city officials balance preservation with modern use. Historic centers throughout Mexico face similar challenges maintaining infrastructure improvements while respecting regulations designed to protect colonial-era architecture and urban planning.
If You Go
Mérida Historic Center
- Location: Downtown Mérida, covering 3.88 square kilometers (1.5 square miles) with 659 city blocks centered on Plaza Grande and extending outward through colonial neighborhoods
- Getting There: Walk or use the city’s bike-share program; vehicular traffic is restricted around Plaza Grande
- Best Time to Visit: Morning hours for cooler weather, or evenings when the plaza and surrounding parks host cultural events
- Key Sites: Plaza Grande, Cathedral de San Ildefonso, Government Palace, Calle 47 gastronomic corridor, Calle 60, Santa Lucía Park
- Parking: Limited street parking available; public lots located on the perimeter of the historic center
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