Where To Go In And Around Mérida, Mexico

"Near the beginning of handsome promenade Paseo Montejo sit two stately homes that look so similar they're called Twin Houses—but they're not exactly the same. The 1911 Beaux-Arts mansions were built for brothers Ernesto and Camilo Cámara Zavala whose family wealth came from henequen plantations. One of the houses is for sale, and the other opened to the public for the first time in January 2021 as a museum. Walking through the grand front doors is a step back in time to Yucatán’s golden age. Eye an enormous chandelier, the first in Yucatán’s wired for electricity, as you take a shorted guided tour through the opulent rooms full of Carrara marble from Italy, stained glass windows from France, ornate plasterwork, and rich wood and gilded furniture. Montejo 495, 9am-5pm Thurs-Sun, MXN250" - Sophie Friedman