Merida, Yucatan, Carnival 2013

Carnival* in Mérida, Yucatan, is a riotous, wild, and noisy, almost out of control street party that lasts a week. Beer vendors and street food carts pack the parade route where revved up mega amplifiers blast out earsplitting thunderous reverberations that rock the entire city.

This is Mérida’s pre Lenten season bash, the second largest in all of Mexico. Brazil holds the honors for the world’s largest. New Orleans is number one in the U. S.

 

Pretty faces, outlandish outfits, huge crowds, and everything done excessively: the rule seems to be that there are no rules in this competition to carry everything to extremes.  

The above photo is a collage of the main boulevard street, Paseo de Montejo, which has bleacher seats lining the entire parade route interspersed with towering stages stacked high with power-house sound systems and dazzling lights. Behind the bleachers are beer, soft drink and food stands. Independent tricycle food and beverage carts, like the one on the right, are typical of Yucatan.  Spectators camp all night on the bleachers to hold seats.

Carnival Schedule

Wednesday, Feb 6 – Burning of bad humor in the Plaza Grande 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb, 7 - Preschoolers Parade - 6 p.m.
Friday, February 8 - Corso Parade - 7 p.m. Saturday, February 9 - Fantasy Parade - 7 p.m. Sunday, February 10 - Dance Parade - Noon Monday, Feb. 11 - Regional Parade - 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb 12 - Battle of the Flowers Parade - Noon
Wednesday, Feb, 13 - Burial of Juan Carnaval* - 7 p.m.

A spelling note: Carnival is the English spelling and carnaval is Spanish.
Photos and video  of Carnival 2013

More carnival photos.

Yucatan is a one of a kind place where every day is a celebration of life. It is unlike the rest of the world where only weekends and holidays can be festive.

Read more about Yucatan in the books: 

Yucatan’s Magic - Mérida Side Trips: Treasures of Mayab 

 and  

Yucatan for Travelers - Side Trips:Valladolid to Tulum.

Xcanchakan - The first Spanish land grant of 1542 in Yucatan, Mexico

This 1840 engraving by Fredrick Catherwood is from John L. Stephens classic book Incidents of Travel in Yucatan depicting the hacienda of Xcanchakan as they saw it.

Excerpted from Incidents of Travel in Yucatan by John L. Stephens, 1843; 

The hacienda, or rather rancho, of San Joaquin, on which the ruins of Mayapan lie scattered... It forms part of the great hacienda of Xcanchakan…Xcanchakan; It was nearly dark when we reached the stately hacienda of Xcanchakan, one of the three finest in Yucatan, and containing nearly seven hundred souls.  The house is perhaps one of the best in the country, and being within one day's ride of the capital, [Mérida] and accessible by calesa, it is a favorite residence of its venerable proprietor. The whole condition of the hacienda showed that it was often subject to the master's eye, and the character of that master may be judged of from the fact that his major domo, the same who was attendant upon us, had been with him twenty-six years. I have given the reader some idea of a hacienda in Yucatan, with its cattle-yard, its great tanks of water and other accessories. All these were upon a large and substantial scale, equal to any we had seen; and there was one little refinement in their arrangement, which, though not, perhaps, intended for that purpose, could not fail to strike the eye of a stranger. The passage to the well was across the corridor, and, sitting quietly in the shade, the proprietor could see every day, passing and re-passing, all the women and girls belonging to the estate…

This photo is from the book Yucatán’s Magic - Mérida Side Trips. It depicts the stately first Spanish land grant or encomienda of 1542 as it can be seen today. Read the rest of this fascinating story in Yucatán’s Magic - Mérida Side Trips and discover how you can visit this truly unique place with no tour buses or trinket shops.

Yucatán’s Magic -Mérida Side Trips is available in paperback and digital editions worldwide.

Other recommended reading:

Incidents of Travel in Yucatan  1840-42 by John L. Stephens (two volumes). A well written must read documentary for anyone interested in colonial Yucatan, Mayan ruins, Mexican history, and adventure travel. These books are in print and also available for free from Project Gutenberg.

A short bio. of John Lloyd Stephens:

John Lloyd Stephens (1805–1852) was an American explorer, writer, and diplomat. 

At age of 13 he enrolled at Columbia College in New York City, graduating at the top of his class. After working as a lawyer for 8 years, in 1834 he traveled through Europe, the Middle East, and Egypt. He wrote several books about his travels and explorations.

In 1838 he was commissioned ambassador to Central America and published the books, Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatán in 1839.

In 1840 he returned to Yucatan with draftsman Fredrick Catherwood where they did extensive research and recorded many Mayan ruins previously undiscovered.

In 1843 Stephens published Incidents of Travel in Yucatan in two volumes. It was illustrated with 120 high detail engravings by Fredrick Catherwood.

In 1849 he headed the Panama Railroad Company that was a key component in the construction of the Panama Canal. He died in New York City at age 46 of complications from a tropical disease.

Links:

Project Gutenberg –Incidents of Travel in Yucatan: Volume One

Project Gutenberg -Incidents of Travel in Yucatan: Volume Two

Yucatán’s Magic –Mérida Side Trips