One of the delights of Merida, Mexico, is that it is -- and has long been -- a city of wealth.
The capital of the Yucatan, Merida is full of universities, government departments, corporate offices, and other sources of the kinds of steady, well-paying jobs that keep any modern city humming. It's also a place where the wealth and the comfortably well-off -- Mexicans and expats alike -- can retire or winter.
But all of that pales in comparison to the wealth that flowed through this city in the 19th century. For half a century, it was the main global source of henequin, a cheap fibre that was in enormous demand. We'll write more about henequin in another post. For now, it's sufficient to know that it was incredibly profitable. So much so that in the late 19th century it was said that Merida had more millionaires per capita than anywhere else in the world.
Those millionaires built massive homes and grand gardens, and funded impressive public spaces. Among the latter is the gorgeous Teatro Jose Peon Contreras.
Like many of Merida's grand 19th century buildings, the theatre was designed and built with an undeniable deference to European fashion. The contractor and the architect were both Italian, and the design style was influenced by what was then in fashion in France. The result was -- and remains -- a stunning performance space.
Walking in here feels very much like a step back in time. You enter through a pillared portico, and ascend a grand marble staircase to reach the orchestra level. The better seats are on one of the four balconies, each of which consists of a series of four-seat boxes accessed through its own private set of double doors. Every seat in the balconies is front or second row, offering superb views as well as marvelous acoustics. Not to mention offering a great view of the folks across the way: if you've ever wanted to be in one of those period films where you use your opera glasses to see whether the duchess is wearing the jewels the king gave her, or offer catty remarks on who is seated beside the marquis, this is the place to do it.
The room is dominated by a massive glass chandelier that is suspended beneath an intricate hand-painted rotunda depicting the Greek muses. (And yes, the painting, too, was by an Italian artist in the French style.)
The history of the Teatro echoes the story of a lot of other grand theatres from around the world. It struggled financially from the beginning (it was mortgaged before construction was even completed, and fell into bankruptcy almost as soon as it opened); it was turned into a movie theatre in the mid-20th century, fell into disrepair and was closed in the 1970s. Fortunately, though, this theatre was rescued by the state government, and in the 1980s it was beautifully restored.
Since 2004, it's been the home of the Yucatecan Symphony Orchestra, an excellent orchestra of 65 professional musicians. They perform here twice a week -- Friday nights and Sunday matinees -- and, impressively, offer a new program each week. The night we attended they performed Verdi's Barber of Seville overture, Faure's Masques et bergamasques, and Beethoven's eighth symphony.
If you go:
Tickets range from $150MX to $350MX and can be purchased online until 24 hours before the performance. The theatre seats 700, but during Covid, seating has been reduced to around 500. It's not unusual for programs to sell out, so buying in advance is advisable.
Be sure to dress appropriately. You ain't at the beach, and this is not the place for t-shirts and shorts.
