Mérida, Yucatán — City work crews are busy restoring the Passage of the Revolution in time for celebrations in September, which is called the month of national holidays.
The Pasaje de la Revolución is a historic pedestrian-only stretch between the Cathedral and the Macay museum. Five years ago, its glass atrium was restored. Below, sculptures from the museum bring an ever-changing art show to the street.
The biggest of the holidays, Independence Day, is Saturday, Sept. 16 — less than a month away.
Work began this week and could be completed by the end of August, said one of the municipal employees. “Since this site was restored in 2012 nothing had been done,” he told Reporteros Hoy.
The worker said the wall will be scraped to remove the old paint, and then resurfaced. They are focusing mainly on the south Cathedral wall, which has water damage, and repairing cornices and entranceways.
The Pasaje de la Revolución was built in 1905. The glass roof was built in 1919, but fell into disrepair and was removed in the 1930s.
During the 1940s, the passage was the scene of both cultural activities and more earthy events, such as livestock exhibitions.
For more than three decades it was then a commercial street, with shops rented at the Ateneo Peninsular building, which today houses the Macay. Buses picked up passengers on the passageway from 1977 until 1996, when it deemed a pedestrian road.
The last big change was in 2012, when the Victorian-style glass roof was built to match its original architecture.
Today, it’s a popular draw for tourists.
“If you are going to visit the cathedral, why not stop next door and walk through this one-block street,” recommended one visitor on TripAdvisor. “It is definitely a quiet retreat from the crowds near the cathedral. The lights are interesting at night, and various artists get to display their works along the pasaje. Some works of arts are quite compelling and imaginative, and others make you wonder what was in the artist’s head.”
With information from Reporteros Hoy
