All about Parque Recreativo del Oriente in Mérida

Parque Recreativo del Oriente is located in the east of Mérida. At almost 11 hectares, it is quite a large park and no longer comparable to the small city parks in the center (which usually cover only one street block).

Unfortunately, there is far too little green space in the city center, as is often criticized by the city's residents. In 2023, the park underwent extensive renovations.

There are new covered children's playgrounds, pathways and lighting, picnic tables, plantings with irrigation, a new jogging track, etc.

There are also two dog clubs in the park and you will see many dogs being walked or exercised. On the western side of the park there is a high school and a sports field.

Chen Ho archaeological site

Since Mérida was built on the former Mayan city of T'hó, there are still some remains from that time scattered around the city (usually just a few foundation walls).

The Parque Recreativo del Oriente houses the Chen Ho archaeological site, making it one of the 15 archaeological parks in Merida.

The foundation walls and pyramid bases are open to the public and you can climb them. If you don't have time or don't feel like visiting one of the larger Mayan sites on the Yucatan Peninsula, this park is at least one of the best ways in Merida to take in a little bit of archaeology.

The world of archaeology

Some interesting figures about Mayan archaeological sites on the Yucatan Peninsula:

Tianguis

On Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons, the parking lot at the eastern edge of the park on Calle 10 hosts a tianguis called "Tianguis de fraccionamiento del Parque" - a flea market where you can buy virtually everything and nothing.

Image Source: ©Inri, wikimedia commons, CC0 1.0 Link

The picture was modified (resized, image improvements)