Merida Events: Happy Birthday Merida!
This Week... starting January 06, 2014
Merida Fest Fiesta: January 5 through 31
For the 472nd Anniversary of the City of Merida, there will be 220 shows (virtually all of them free!), featuring 2,000 artists, and cultural offerings from 13 countries. Here in our regular weekly events column. For more information, the full program for MeridaFest is online.
Tizimin Fiesta: December 15 through January 10
This is a huge fiesta in the heart of Yucatan's horse country. Visit the Tizimin website. We hardly know where to start telling you about this fiesta! It seems that it is not going to end! We are seeing events scheduled through January 18th! This fiesta is in honor of Santos Reyes (the Three Kings). Don’t think of this as just the end of a Cowboy Christmas. Tizimin is a huge municipality (county) whose activities extend from whaleshark watching on the northern coast to the traditional Mayan lifestyle in the south. While this is a cattleman’s wonderland, the shopping here is across the board: fine jewelry, pottery, leather work, pirograbado (wood carving by burning), artistic carpentry, and much much more!
Chikindzonot Fiesta: January 06 and 07
This fiesta is in honor of the Reyes Magos. Chikindzonot is located just about in the center of our southern border with Quintana Roo. If you are into cenotes and/or the architecture of the 16th and 17th centuries, this is the place for you. Chikindzonot also has more than its share of archaeological monuments at: Xalau, Tamba, Bolmay, Petul, Sotpol, Xuyap, Poxil, Xcoom, Palaban, Xmaos and Xcan. Municipalities like this are the, as yet, unspoiled treasures of our state and we are remiss if we do not visit and support them in any way we can. …and one last word to the wise… a designated driver might be a good idea, since three favorite drinks in outlying municipalities, such as Chikindzonot, include Xtabentun, Balché, and Bebida de anis.
Santa Elena Fiesta: January 10th through January 24th
This fiesta is in honor of Santo Cristo del Amor . Many of our readers are familiar with the fact that the town of Santa Elena that contains Uxmal. This lovely little town is to the southeast of the city, and forms part of our border with the State of Campeche. There are loads of archaeological sites here, including Uxmal, Kabah, Nohpat, Xcoh and Muchich.
Ongoing Exhibits in the City This Season
V Exhibition: Mira el Silencio : November 22 – January 18
This art exhibit in the Mejorada section of town has been put on in cooperation with the United Nations’ declaration to stop violence against women worldwide. More than 100 artists in a variety of media contributed their art.
Location: Calle 59 # 452-A x 54 y 52, Centro-Mejorada
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: Free
Exhibition by Vicente Razo: December 7 – Febuary 28
This is an exhibition brought to Merida by the Palacio Nacional in Mexico City. This artist includes rewritten or transported texts from the Palacio Nacional murals and texts by a number of well known writers.
Location: Galeria Manolo Rivero / Muro 51, Calle 51 x 60, Centro (Santa Lucia)
Time: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Admission: Free
In The City
Monday (Lunes) January 06, 2014
Anniversary of the City Mass
Music for this mass will be by Mozart, performed by the Chamber Orchestra of Merida and the Choir of the City of Merida.
Location: San Idelfonso Cathedral, Calle 60 x 61 Centro
Time: 8:00 AM Monday
Admission: Free
Visual Arts: Immortality and Passion
This exhibition is of the sculpture of Humberto Peraza. This is a great day to walk down Paseo de Montejo and enjoy these pieces along the way.
Location: Paseo de Montejo
Time: All Day during the Birthday Celebration
Admission: Free
Movie: Taming of the Shrew
This is the beginning of a new series called Shakespeare on Film.
Location: Videosala del Olimpo, Calle 62 x 61 Centro
Time: 8:00 PM Monday
Admission: Free
Inaugural Concert of Fernando de la Mora
Fernando de la Mora is an operatic tenor who studied at the National Conservatory of Mexico and who has performed in most of the major opera houses of the world. He mainly sings in French and Italian and has made more than 20 recordings. And now he's in Merida, helping us celebrate Merida's Birthday... and the concert if free!
Location: Plaza Grande, Calle 62 x 61 Centro
Time: 8:30 PM Monday
Admission: Free
Tuesday (Martes) January 07, 2014
Anniversary of the Birth of Maestro Fernando Castro Pacheco.
Fernando Castro Pacheco was a painter, muralist sculptor, printmaker, illustrator and a beloved native son of Merida. His most famous murals can be found in the Palacio de Gobierno (Governor's Palace) in downtown Merida. At this exhibit, find out more about his life and see more of his work.
Location: Museum of the City of Merida, Calle 56 x 65
Time: 9:00AM Tuesday
Admission: Free
Movie: Throne Blood
This is the beginning of a new film series called Shakespeare on Film.
Location: Videosala del Olimpo, Calle 62 x 61 Centro
Time: 8:00 PM Monday
Admission: Free
Tuesday of Trova: Concert: Beatriz and Marilu: Two Yucateca Voices
This is a very special concert by two of the best female voices of Yucatan.
Location: Central Patio del Olimpo, Calle 62 x 61
Time: 8:30 PM Tuesday
Admission: Free
Opening of the Exhibition: A Tribute to Fernando Castro Pacheco
This is a collective exposition for the artists Alonso Gutiérrez, Jaime Barrera, Ernesto Novelo and Sandra Nikolai, who have submitted these works in particular as a tribute to the famous Merida artist, Fernando Castro Pacheco.
Location: Museum of the City of Merida, Calle 56 x 65
Time: 9:00PM Tuesday
Admission: Free
Wednesday (Miercoles) January 08, 2014
Movie: Big Boys Gone Bananas
(2011 Switzerland/USA) Documentary filmmaker Fredrik Gertten makes a film about what happened when Dole tried to use their corporate muscle to stop his independent film about the banana industry. English with Spanish subtitles.
Location: LA 68, Calle 68 at Calle 55, Centro
Time: 5:00 PM Wednesday
Admission: $30 pesos, $15 pesos students
Music: Vintage Music
This performance is created and produced by Alejandro Borges. This young man will certainly be with us for many years to come.
Location: Teatro Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Calle 60 x 57 Col. Centro
Time: 8:00 PM Wednesday
Admission: Free
Cacho Medina in Concert: From the Heart
If the rest of the Anniversary of the City has as many performances by long-time, beloved voices in Yucatan as we are hearing this week, then it is already a grand success. This performance will expose to you the now-famous romantic heart of Merida.
Location: Auditorium of the Olimpo, Calle 62 x 61 Col. Centro
Time: 8:30 PM Wednesday
Admission: Free
Movie: Quebranto (Disrupted)
(2013 Mexico) The memory and testimony of two characters: One, who was a child actor in the seventies, and Lilia Ortega, his mother, an actress. Fernando came out as a transvestite some years ago, and now calls himself with a different name. They live together in Garibaldi yearning for their past in the movies, while Coral bravely comes to terms with her gender identity. They both still perform.
Location: LA 68, Calle 68 at Calle 55, Centro
Time: 9:00 PM Wednesday
Admission: $30 pesos, $15 pesos students
Thursday (Jueves) January 09, 2014
Concert: A Tribute to Silvio Rodriguez
This performance is under the direction of Emilio Milan. If you love trova with a light dusting of Cuban romance, then this is the concert for you.
Location: Teatro Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Calle 60 x 57 Col. Centro
Time: 8:00 PM Thursday
Admission: Free
Movie: Los Ultimos Christeros
(2013 Mexico/Netherlands) Set in 1930s Mexico, this spiritually driven film treks through the scrubby sun-streaked countryside with a band of Roman Catholics who took up arms against governmental persecution of people of their faith, practiced by a vast majority of the population. In Spanish
Location: LA 68, Calle 68 at Calle 55, Centro
Time: 5:00 PM Thursday
Admission: $30 pesos, $15 pesos students
Music: Vocal Combo from the Central College of Iowa
This performance is under the direction of Gabriel Espinoza. Iowa and Yucatan have a long and close relationship. Everyone is very proud of the wonderful cultural exchanges between the two states. This performance will be remarkable.
Location: Auditorio del Olimpo, Calle 62 x 61 Centro
Time: 8:30 PM Thursday
Admission: Free
Movie: Pietà
(2012 South Korea) A loan shark is forced to reconsider his violent lifestyle after the arrival of a mysterious woman claiming to be his long-lost mother. Won the Golden Lion award at the 69th Venice Film Festival.
Location: Cairo Cinema, Calle 20 #98A x 15 y 17, Colonia Itzimná
Time: 7:00 PM Thursday
Admission: $30 pesos plus free popcorn
Opening of the Exposition: Engravings of Georges Visat
This exposition is called the Surreal Eye (Paris 1940 – 1990) and it comes to us from the National Print Museum.
Location: Salas Sur in the Museum of the City of Merida, Calle 65 x 56
Time: 9:00 PM Thursday
Admission: Free
Exposition: Time to Time
This is a collective exhibition presenting the work of five young artists from Yucatan as their careers evolve: Omar Said, Deken, Samantha Michell, Sergio Neri y Zanto Varón. Opening tonite.
Location: Galeria de Arte Museum of the City of Merida, Calle 65 x 56
Time: 9:00 PM Thursday
Admission: Free
Movie: Kick Ass 2
(2013 United Kingdom and USA) The costumed high-school hero Kick-Ass joins with a group of normal citizens who have been inspired to fight crime in costume. Meanwhile, the Red Mist plots an act of revenge that will affect everyone Kick-Ass knows.
Location: Cairo Cinema, Calle 20 #98A x 15 y 17, Colonia Itzimná
Time: 9:00 PM Thursday
Admission: $30 pesos plus free popcorn
Movie: The Substance
(2011 Germany) Documentary about the history and culture of LSD.
Location: LA 68, Calle 68 at Calle 55, Centro
Time: 9:00 PM Thursday
Admission: $30 pesos, $15 pesos students
Friday (Viernes) January 10, 2014
Movie: Vuelve La Vida
(2009 Mexico) A man (a diver in Acapulco), a woman (an American model), a shark and the sea. The story goes from there... In English and Spanish with English and Spanish subtitles.
Location: LA 68, Calle 68 at Calle 55, Centro
Time: 5:00 PM Friday
Admission: $30 pesos, $15 pesos students
Opening of the Exhibition: A Taste of India
Come and welcome world-renowned Indian artist Baniprosonno to Merida. Wine and the delights of Indian cuisine will also be yours to enjoy. Everyone is also invited to an additional event tomorrow night (see below).
Location: SoHo Galleries, Calle 60 #400A 43 y 41 Centro, (999) 230-7233
Time: 7:00 PM Friday
Admission: Free
Concert: Colectivo Klan: Travel Itinerary
This group is popular from Veracruz to the resort scent in Quintana Roo. Taking in this concert is a great way to start the new year on an upbeat note.
Location: Sala de Arte in Teatro Armando Manzanero, Calle 62 x 61 Centro
Time: 8:00 PM Friday
Admission: Free
Concert: Ziryab – Calo: From al-Andalus to Andalucia
Don’t miss this one! It is an Andalusian Flamenco fusion concert and it sounds as if it is going to be wonderful!
Location: Teatro Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Calle 60 x 57 Centro
Time: 8:00 PM Friday
Admission: Free
Music: Unforgettable Sons with Eduardo Vazquez
What a wonderful way to start a new year in Yucatan! A free concert in a lovely park under the stars!
Location: Parque de la Colonia Miguel Aleman
Time: 8:00 PM Friday
Admission: Free
Dance: The Night and You with Victor Salas
Park to park, it’s a nostalgic night in Merida.
Location: Parque de La Paz, Av. Itzaes x 59 Centro
Time: 8:00 PM Friday
Admission: Free
Music: Tribute to Panchos with Rocio Guarneros
Another beautiful beginning to a happy new year in Merida... in a park!
Location: Parque de Santiago, Calle 72 x 59
Time: 8:00 PM Friday
Admission: Free
Exposition & Music: Life in Santiago
This is an interesting interdisciplinary event that presents the work (paintings, sculpture, etc.) of Igor Froylan, accompanied by the voice and guitar of Armando Martin.
Location: Galeria La Eskalera, Calle 70 x 59
Time: 8:30 PM Friday
Admission: Free
Movie: Motel Night
(2012) A pair of working-class brothers flee their Reno Motel after getting involved in a fatal hit-and-run accident.
Location: Cairo Cinema, Calle 20 #98A x 15 y 17, Colonia Itzimná
Time: 7:00 PM Friday
Admission: $30 pesos plus free popcorn
Movie: Diario a Tres Voces
(2012 Mexico) The intimate love stories of three women from different generations: a teenager, a middle-aged divorcée, and a ninety-year-old great grandmother. Through a careful exploration of space and color, inspired by technicolor melodramas of the 40s and 50s, the film traces their experiences, exploring the rooms they inhabit and the memories that populate them, extracting their voice and their loves from a rich texture of archival material. In Spanish.
Location: LA 68, Calle 68 at Calle 55, Centro
Time: 9:00 PM Friday
Admission: $30 pesos, $15 pesos students
Movie: Prisoners
(2013 USA) When Keller Dover's daughter and her friend go missing, he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads and the pressure mounts. But just how far will this desperate father go to protect his family?
Location: Cairo Cinema, Calle 20 #98A x 15 y 17, Colonia Itzimná
Time: 9:00 PM Friday
Admission: $30 pesos plus free popcorn
Saturday (Sabado) January 11, 2014
Textile Sale & Paper Sculpting Demonstration
Maestro Baniprosonno will be demonstrating his paper sculpting. Handmade Textiles from India will be for sale. Coffee and sweets will be provided.
Location: SoHo Galleries, Calle 60 #400A 43 y 41 Centro, (999) 230-7233
Time: 10:30 AM - 2:30 PM, Saturday
Admission: Free
Fourth Season of Opera at the Movies
January 11, 2014, ARIADNE AUF NAXOS by Richard Strauss.
Location: Sala Mayamax del Gran Museo del Mundo Maya.
Time: Opera Talk: 11:30 AM, Film: 12:00 PM, Saturday
Admission: Free
Movie: The General
(2009 Mexico/USA) In Spanish with English subtitles. Documentary about Mexican general and President Calles made by his great granddaughter.
Location: LA 68, Calle 68 at Calle 55, Centro
Time: Noon Saturday
Admission: $30 pesos, $15 pesos students
Night of Cultures: Tarima Maya: Pueblo del Maiz
This is billed as an interdisciplinary performance, which usually means music, dance and visual art. All of the parks are filled with these events this week.
Location: Plaza Grande, Calle 62 x 61 Centro
Time: 7:00 PM Saturday
Admission: Free
Movie: Prince Avalanche
(2013 USA) Two highway road workers spend the summer of 1988 away from their city lives. The isolated landscape becomes a place of misadventure as the men find themselves at odds with each other and the women they left behind.
Location: Cairo Cinema, Calle 20 #98A x 15 y 17, Colonia Itzimná
Time: 7:00 PM, Saturday
Admission: $30pesos plus free popcorn and coffee.
Dance: The Night and You with Victor Salas
Park to park, it’s another great nostalgic night in Merida.
Location: Parque de La Paz, Av. Itzaes x 59 Centro
Time: 8:00 PM Saturday
Admission: Free
Music: Bailele and Comrades
This performance includes Mamá Ruda & Los Skatastróficos Hijos del Henequén + La marchante selecta & La Orquesta MulticolorBe sure to take your energy with you if you attend this event! Even if you don’t speak or read Spanish, one look at this page will tell you all you need to know!
Location: Parque de Santiago, Calle 72 x 59
Time: 8:00 PM Saturday
Admission: Free
Concert: Colectivo Klan: Travel Itinerary
This group is popular from Veracruz to the resort scent in Quintana Roo. Taking in this concert is a great way to start the new year on an upbeat note.
Location: Teatro Armando Manzanero, Calle 62 x 61 Centro
Time: 8:00 PM Saturday
Admission: Free
Interdisciplinary Performance: Meeting of Francisco de Montejo
This is another in the Night of Cultures series.
Location: Plaza Grande, Calle 62 x 61 Centro
Time: 8:00 PM Saturday
Admission: Free
Movie: Taming of the Shrew
This is another film in a new series called Shakespeare on Film.
Location: Videosala del Olimpo, Calle 62 x 61 Centro
Time: 8:00 PM Saturday
Admission: Free
Movie: Like Father, Like Son
(2013 Japan) Two families discover that their babies were switched at birth six years ago. In Japanese with English subtitles.
Location: LA 68, Calle 68 at Calle 55, Centro
Time: 9:00 PM Saturday
Admission: $30 pesos, $15 pesos students
Movie: Beyond the Hills
(2012) The friendship between two young women who grew up in the same orphanage; one has found refuge at a convent in Romania and refuses to leave with her friend, who now lives in Germany.
Location: Cairo Cinema, Calle 20 #98A x 15 y 17, Colonia Itzimná
Time: 9:00 PM Saturday
Admission: $30pesos plus free popcorn and coffee.
Night of the Cultures: Cristina de Valle: Africans in Madrid
Cristina de Valle is a Spanish pop and rock singer and human rights activist. This sounds interesting and different!
Location: Plaza Grande, Calle 62 x 61 Centro
Time: 11:00 PM Saturday
Admission: Free
Sunday (Domingo) January 12, 2014
3 Running Events in Merida
Marathon International
6:00 AM - Fee: $100 pesos per person
Complete Information here
10 km Run
7:00 AM – Fee $100 pesos per person
Complete Information here
2 km Family Walk
7:10 AM – Fee: None
Complete Information here
MEL’s Eco-Park Safaris Sundays: January 12 and 26
Join Cherie Pittillo, renowned zoologist, photographer, author and columnist, in a tour of 3 Ecological Parks of Mérida; the Parque Acuático, the Kai Lu Um Park (Maya for “song of the earth”) and the Parque Ecológico del Poniente. It begins with an introduction at the Library and maps and special directions for the drivers will be distributed. The tour takes around 5 hours and is, in total, a 26-mile round trip from MEL. The tour will afford you the opportunity to observe and photograph the flora and fauna of the area, including birds such as: Northern Jacana, Black-necked Stilt, Great Egret and Couch's Kingbird. Don’t forget your binoculars, cameras, hats, comfortable walking shoes, insect repellent, sunscreen lotion and water.
Location: Begins at the Library
Time: 6:30 AM
Admission: $200 pesos per person. Capacity limited to 17 per tour, so sign up early. They need 4 private cars that can take 4 to 5 persons. If you offer to drive your car, you get the tour free of charge.
Documentary about Nature
Always a great documentary about nature.
Location: Museo de Historia Natural, Calle 59 x Av. Itzaes
Time: 12:00 PM Sunday
Admission: Free
Movie: Wadjda
(2012) An enterprising Saudi girl signs on for her school's Koran recitation competition as a way to raise the remaining funds she needs in order to buy the green bicycle that has captured her interest. We have heard really great things about this movie... do try to see it if you can!
Location: Cairo Cinema, Calle 20 #98A x 15 y 17, Colonia Itzimná
Time: 7:00 PM Sunday
Admission: $30pesos plus free popcorn and coffee.
Night of the Cultures: Cristina de Valle: Africans in Madrid
Cristina de Valle is a Spanish pop and rock singer and human rights activist.
Location: Teatro Armando Manzanero, Calle 62 x 61 Centro
Time: 7:00 PM Saturday
Admission: Free
Concert: OV7
This is a massive concert with one of the most iconic Mexican pop groups present for the celebration of the 472nd Anniversary of the City of Merida. If you don't go to the concert but live downtown, you will certainly hear it anyway!
Location: Plaza Grande, Calle 62 x 61 Centro
Time: 8:00 PM Sunday
Admission: Free
Movie: War Witch
(2012) Somewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa, Komona, a 14-year-old girl, tells her unborn child growing inside her the story of her life since she has been at war. Everything started when she was abducted by the rebel army at the age of 12.
Location: Cairo Cinema, Calle 20 #98A x 15 y 17, Colonia Itzimná
Time: 9:00 PM Sunday
Admission: $30pesos plus free popcorn and coffee.
Monday (Lunes) January 13
No events to report at the moment.
Coming Soon
MEL’s Eco-Park Safaris Sundays: January 26
Join Cherie Pittillo, renowned zoologist, photographer, author and columnist, in a tour of 3 Ecological Parks of Mérida; the Parque Acuático, the Kai Lu Um Park (Maya for “song of the earth”) and the Parque Ecológico del Poniente. It begins with an introduction at the Library and maps and special directions for the drivers will be distributed. The tour takes around 5 hours and is, in total, a 26-mile round trip from MEL. The tour will afford you the opportunity to observe and photograph the flora and fauna of the area, including birds such as: Northern Jacana, Black-necked Stilt, Great Egret and Couch's Kingbird. Don’t forget your binoculars, cameras, hats, comfortable walking shoes, insect repellent, sunscreen lotion and water.
Location: Begins at the Library
Time: 6:30 AM
Admission: $200 pesos per person. Capacity limited to 17 per tour, so sign up early. They need 4 private cars that can take 4 to 5 persons. If you offer to drive your car, you get the tour free of charge.
Maná in Concert: February 8, 2014
This great rock and roll band will be opening the new Coliseo in Merida... if you love rock and roll, don't miss this!
Location: Coliseo Yucatan, Merida
Time: TBA
Admission: Tickets at www.boletea.com start at $660 pesos
Feldenkrais Personal Training Workshop: The Journey Inward: January 13-16
For More Information, visit the Feldenkrais Journey website.
Location: Casa Quetzal, Valladolid
Time: All day
Admission: $360 if registed by 12/13/2013, $440 after that
Fourth Season of Opera at the Movies
February 1st, La NOZZE di FIGARO by Mozart,
March 8, ANNA BOLENA by Donizetti,
April 26, DON PASQUALE by Donizetti,
May 3, Wagner’s Bicentennial - TRISTAN und ISOLDE.
“The Ring of the Nibelung” by Wagner will be shown at the end of the 4th season.
Location: Sala Mayamax del Gran Museo del Mundo Maya.
Time: Opera Talk: 11:30 AM, Film: 12:00 PM
Admission: Free
Have an event you want to promote? Email us at info@yucatanliving.com and we'll be happy to list it in our Events listing and our Month-at-a-Glance Calendar!
Events
