Spend a Saturday night at Noche Mexicana

Hotel Sevilla fills a colonial courtyard house on the corner of Calles 62 and 65, a few steps from the Plaza Grande, and the building is listed as a historical monument. Architects Zeller & Moye kept the old beams, stone floors, tiles and frescoes and added raw concrete beside them. It has only 21 rooms, so book well…

Each January the city celebrates its founding anniversary around the sixth with Mérida Fest, two weeks of concerts, theater, dance and exhibitions spread over dozens of venues, including neighborhoods and villages around the Centro. It opens the night before with the Alborada, a trovador procession and serenade ending…

On Thursday nights Parque de Santa Lucía hosts the Serenata Yucateca, a free open-air program with a live orchestra, folk ballet, poetry and trova singers. The park sits at Calle 60 and Calle 55 and the show starts around nine, so have dinner first and arrive early for a bench. It is one of the most traditional nights…

Every Monday evening the arcade under the Palacio Municipal fills for the Vaquería Yucateca, a free show of jarana music and couples dancing in traditional dress. It starts around nine at night and the weather can cancel it, so check the sky. Arrive a little early for a good spot and stand back from the dance floor…

Hammocks are the classic Yucatecan buy, and shops in the Centro sell them in many sizes, but quality varies. Ask whether it is cotton or nylon: cotton is cooler for sleeping, nylon copes better with damp and sun. Look for an even, dense weave and hand-braided ends, and be wary of very low prices. For the best choice…

The guayabera is Yucatán's classic shirt, and several shops in the first blocks of the Centro on Calle 62 sell them in different cuts and colors. Quality and price vary, so visit two or three shops before choosing, and check the fabric and stitching. The García Rejón craft bazaar is another place to compare prints…

Dzibilchaltún sits at kilometer 14 of the Mérida to Progreso highway, a short drive north of the city. Its Temple of the Seven Dolls lines up with the sunrise around the spring and autumn equinoxes, so the light passes through its doorways and lights the interior. Photographers come at first light near those dates, so…

Palacio Cantón is the mansion General Francisco Cantón had built as a family home between 1904 and 1911, and it now houses the INAH regional anthropology museum. Enter from Calle 43 and plan for Tuesday to Sunday, since it is closed on Mondays, with the last entry shortly before closing. No flash is allowed, and…