Venue

Merida is the capital and largest city in Yucatan state, and the cultural and financial capital of the region. It is a modern, cosmopolitan city with museums, art galleries, restaurants, shops and boutiques. An important commercial center, Merida is considered the crossroads of the region and one of the most attractive places to experience the area’s rich Mayan heritage.

Merida was built as a walled city in the 16th century, and some of the old Spanish city gates still remain. The city boasts the second-largest historic downtown area in Mexico, surpassed only by the historic center of Mexico City. Merida gets its nickname, La Ciudad Blanca (The White City), from the predominance of white limestone used as a building material, though locals today will say that it also has to do with the cleanliness of the city’s streets and public areas, not to mention how safe the city is.

Oral and Poster presentations will be held in the historic center of the city, in the Manuel Cepeda Peraza Auditorium and the facilities of the old colonial building that houses the Autonomous University of Yucatan. The main building where the ISA2018 meeting will be carried out is indicated in the map of the historic center of Mérida.

Tourist Attractions

Merida offers a wonderful mixture: a colonial city and cosmopolitan destination. Churches and an important cathedral, haciendas and cenotes are all within reach. As the state and regional capital, Merida is also a cultural center that shares in this wealth, with many other opportunities for arts and cultural experiences. La Ciudad Blanca retains an abundance of beautiful colonial buildings and offers a vibrant cultural milieu with music and dancing as important features of everyday life. At the same time, it is a modern city boasting a comprehensive range of shopping malls, auto dealerships, top-quality hotels, restaurants, and leisure facilities.

Merida features a tropical climate. The city lies in the wind belt close to the Tropic of Cancer, with prevailing winds from the east. The climate is hot with moderate-to-high humidity, depending on the time of year. The average annual high temperature is 33°C (91°F).

The city is also an excellent base from which to explore the rest of the region, including the archaeological wonders of Chichén Itzá and Uxmal, and many other less well-known, but equally majestic, Mayan archaeological sites nearby.

Link to Merida Historic Center