WAY: Week of Art in Yucatán Debuts Ahead of MACOMérida is betting it can create something Mexico City doesn't have: an art week that feels less like a sprint and more like a leisurely conversation
WAY: Week of Art Yucatán debuts later this month as the Peninsula’s first regional art celebration, bringing together galleries, haciendas, and artist studios across five days. The event arrives at a moment when Yucatán’s contemporary art scene has quietly grown into something worth paying attention to.
International artists have been moving here. Galleries keep opening, particularly in Centro’s Santa Ana neighborhood. Project spaces are taking risks on emerging work. The conditions existed for something like WAY — what remained was whether anyone would actually organize it.
The answer turns out to be yes, with programming that spans everything from artist talks at Salón Gallos to exhibitions inside historic henequén haciendas an hour north of the city.
Latin America’s art market centers on Mexico City each February. Zona MACO, the region’s leading contemporary art fair, runs February 4-8 at the Citibanamex Centre. Yucatán doesn’t go unrepresented there. We’ve witnessed several Mérida artists packing and sending their best work to Mexico City for the occasion. Material Art Fair, Salón ACME, and other exhibitions typically coincide with it, creating what’s known as Mexico City Art Week.
WAY positions itself as a prelude to that frenzy, offering a regional alternative with a different pace. Instead of massive convention halls, exhibitions take place at artist residencies in small towns like Sac Chich. Instead of VIP previews behind velvet ropes, visitors make appointments at galleries like they’re visiting someone’s home.
The week centers at Salón Gallos on Calle 41 between 40 and 42, a venue that has hosted more than 150 cultural events over six years. Programming includes screenings of films like “AVIA, The Garden of Memory” by director Rodrigo Imaz, performances, live music, and tasting events featuring local spirits.
More than 20 galleries will participate in a Saturday tour covering spaces from Casa Colón to Silvestre to 54 Gallery. Participating restaurants will offer discounts to people wearing WAY wristbands, including Bartolomé, Lázaro, and Casa Antana.
Thursday programming takes visitors to Hacienda San Juan in Telchac Pueblo for a design and art exhibition inside a historic henequén hacienda, roughly 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Mérida. Friday features artist residency results at Terreno Baldío in Sac Chich, about 18 miles (29 kilometers) southeast of the city, with work from artists including Aldeni Barguez, Luca Bray, and several members of local families.
Saturday closes with artist talks from Yoshua Okón of La Panadería and María García Sainz of PEQUOD Co., followed by a party at Salón Gallos with live music and tastings.
Whether WAY establishes itself as an annual fixture depends on this first edition. The infrastructure exists — the galleries, the artists, the collectors. What matters now is whether people show up.
Yucatán’s contemporary art scene has grown without much fanfare over recent years. Several new galleries have opened in Centro, and the concentration of spaces in neighborhoods like Santa Ana has created something close to an art district. WAY represents an attempt to make that growth visible.
Event Details
- Dates: January 27-31, 2026
- Location: Mérida and Yucatán Peninsula
- Full week access: 1,400 MXN ($77 USD); Saturday gallery tour only: 800 MXN ($44 USD)
- Tickets and more information at Salón Gallos or way.com.mx
- Main venue: Salón Gallos, Calle 41 between 40 and 42, Centro
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