Park and Church of San Juan

In front of you is the barrio of San Juan, one of Mérida’s oldest neighborhoods, founded in the sixteenth century when the city extended only this far south. The park and church grew around an early hermitage built in 1552, after a devastating invasion of locusts destroyed crops around Mérida. The small community living outside the city walls vowed to place the area under the protection of Saint John the Baptist to ward off the plague. According to colonial chronicles, the disaster soon subsided, strengthening the belief that a miracle had taken place. The church you see today, built in 1770 in a colonial Baroque style, is a true symbol of the neighborhood, with its twin towers and richly decorated façade. On the other side of the park, the Arco de San Juan marks the former boundary between the Spanish city and the Indigenous quarters and also served as the starting point of the Camino Real leading to Campeche. The park itself, officially known as Parque Velázquez, is a calm and familiar space, deeply appreciated by local residents. At its center stands a surprising fountain imported from Paris, nicknamed La Negrita; this bronze statue of a woman carrying a jar caused quite a stir when it arrived in the nineteenth century, as it was considered too bold for its time. San Juan is also a neighborhood with a strong civic tradition, as it was here that the Sanjuanistas, a liberal group that played a key role in the movement toward Yucatán’s independence, once gathered. Even today, the park comes alive during major celebrations, especially on June 24 for Saint John the Baptist and at the end of October during the spectacular Paseo de las Ánimas, a large procession held for the Day of the Dead.