. . . a small hotel
since
1980 Calle 68 #495 x 59 y 57
an award-winning affordable romantic historic townhouse inn
in downtown Mérida, Yucatán
HOTELS IN MERIDA
Hotels in Merida have evolved through the years. There are still buildings active which served tourists in the decade of the twenties, when the most modern technology included steam rooms. Can you imagine steam rooms in Merida ? And that is exactly what we found in Casa Mexilio when we decided to restore it. It was the home of a notable hacienda owner and the building was his home in the city, in Merida, Yucatan. We found the ancient piping, the engine for making the steam and the small compartments for sitting in the steam. That space is now one of the four spaces which can be used for bar service.
As in most cities, the changes and gentrification flows in waves - and when I arrived in the late sixties, the populace was actively tearing down their built environment in an attempt to modernize. Hotel Casa Mexilio escaped that craze and languished unused and vacant after the deaths and financial reversals of the owners. It was found intact, with original doors, floors, and ornamental ironwork, all of which has been restored, reused, or recycled.
The concept of adaptive reuse of historic properties was not a usable concept for the original inhabitants, who wanted desperately to move to the suburbs and to have a two car garage and a lawn. Today there a nearby suburbs which offer homes from the thirties and forties with a small green space in front of the building. In the city center, the original colonial design still dominates with the front door opening directly onto the sidewalk.
Casa Mexilio was the first bed & breakfast in Merida which used that terminology. We were pioneers and only last December received a special recognition from the City of Merida. Quickly, styles began to change, and the ancient buildings which had fallen into disuse and ruins, changed, and then changed again. Today the center core of the city is populated by historic and ancient buildings, designed for reuse. People now prefer to walk on history and to live cose to eccentric and historic architectural details. Casa Mexilio is a mix of memories and ecos of other times