Some mansions still abandoned on the Paseo de Montejo
The Paseo de Montejo’s 3.4 miles of grand mansions, high-end hotels and delightful restaurants is one of the city’s top tourist attractions.
However, some of its grand mansions remain in a dilapidated condition, which one business leader has urged the government to address.
The Vice President of Tourism of the Chamber of Commerce of Mérida, Carol Kolozs, said that the officials must pressure the owners of the abandoned houses to fix them up or give them up.
Kolozs is also the owner of the Rosas & Xocolate spa, hotel and restaurant, which was built on the ruins of two rundown Paseo mansions.
The local, state and federal governments must intervene and press for the rescue of the houses on the boulevard, possibly acquiring them under a regime of heritage protection.
In comments published in Punto Medio, Kolozs urged a comprehensive program to realize the Paseo de Montejo’s potential.
“The avenue of the Paseo de Montejo must remain as an emblem of the city, as the best point of reference of a city that loves culture,” said the businessman.
The Paseo de Montejo is named after Francisco de Montejo, the Spanish conquistador who founded the city in 1542. It was inspired by France’s grand boulevard, the Champs-Élysées.
Some 19th-century mansions, like the Palacio Cantón, are used today as museums, while others are shops, restaurants and corporate offices.
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