All about Parque de Las Américas in Mérida, Mexico

Parque de Las Américas is a large square outside the center, covering four blocks on Avenida Colon, between Calle 16 and 18 in the colonia Garcia Gineres.

García Ginerés is one of the oldest neighborhoods of Mérida outside the city center. There are many people from the U.S., Canada and Europe, as well as other Latin American countries.

It is one of the largest and most beautiful city parks in Mérida (built between 1943 and 1945). The architecture of the park was inspired by the Mayan ruins and all of the construction features Mayan inspired carvings. The columns in the park are dedicated to the nations of the Americas.

Open air performances

One part of the park offers a covered stage for open air performances. Its design and decoration refer to the thousand columns at the Mayan archaeological site Chichén Itzá.

This part of the park is especially a happening place on Sundays with many recreational and cultural activities.

You will find live music on the stage, dances or even clowns shows. One reason for this is also the fact that the park is also one of the official venues of "Mérida en Domingo" (Mérida on Sunday). As with the Plaza Grande, the surrounding streets are closed to traffic on Sundays.

Centro Cultural José Martí

Another block of the park - the Centro Cultural José Martí - represents a Mayan dwelling in the Puuc style. The central part of this section of the park is the José Martí Library.

The space is open daily from 9 am to 4 pm and every month there are exhibitions of works by local, Mexican and foreign artists. For children there is the children's reading room and on two Tuesdays a month there is a film screening at 8:00 pm.

Platform gallery

The third block of the park offers some green areas and a platform gallery decorated with images of Mayan dieties. There is also a pool with a big semi-circular water fountain. The seven serpentine columns behind the water fountain representing Kukulkán.

Playground for children

The last block offers a playground for children and a track for rollerbladers and skateboarders. This area is fenced off for safety reasons and your kids will love it.

There is always something going on in the park and you will also find excellent street food and craft vendors every night in a friendly family atmosphere.

Image Source: ©Cecilia Ortiz, flickr, CC BY 2.0, Link

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