Images of Yucatán 1: Islas Mujeres Revisited Post Hurricane Gilberto

Images of Yucatán 2: The Shanty Hole Boxes of Holbox

Images of Yucatán 3: Beachcombing for the Origins

Images of Yucatán 4: Swimming with Whale Sharks

Images of Yucatán 5: Onward to Mérida (a.k.a. Ti'ho)

Images of Yucatán 6: Moldy Architextures of the Off-White City 

Funny thing about Jess and I. Whenever we get to a new city, we shun the typical tourist attractions for that which is dilapidated, weathered, decayed, vandalized, janky-assed or otherwise distressed-- the inevitable consequences of entropy that most people resist or don't find particularly aesthetic (unless the rusted is deemed "rustic"). Maybe it's the scientists in us that puts us on a mission to chronicle the "beauty in the breakdown," as Jess refers to it. That is what we feel compelled to do. 

With a city referred to as "The White City," you'd think we were not in our element. To the contrary, we found very few white walls, but maybe we weren't looking in the right places. 

Méridian lines

holy ghost building

architexture xing zone

close-up of reefing mold. Note similarities to Holbox beach patterns

Mérida is built on top of the Mayan city Ti'ho, as is evident by looking at some of the old (but relatively newer) Spanish colonial walls that recycled Mayan stones. In one wall of the church (not pictured), you can actually see the faint remnants of petroglyphs. A lot of the walls also used coral, which gets baked, weathered and oxidized with mold, rust and general decay. Some of the newer architecture had a south-beach-gone-sour feel to it. 

sleeping on the stoop of the liquidated princess theatre 

masked Mexican wrestler 

half of a half-moon arch

linear attributes

a beauty salon named "Margot Ham"

dangling participle

interior decorating

closed for renovations

gone are the days of glory

wall detail

billboard end

(c) 2006 Derek White and Jessica Fanzo. Photos cannot be reproduced or published elsewhere without permission. Just ask.