Park and Church of Santa Ana

Santa Ana Park is a perfect place to experience everyday life in Mérida, away from the constant bustle of the Plaza Grande. This neighborhood developed in the eighteenth century on a former Maya site, and the Church of Santa Ana, built between 1729 and 1733, still overlooks the square from a raised platform, likely inherited from an ancient pre-Hispanic temple. Take a moment to notice its two pyramidal bell towers, a distinctive feature of local colonial architecture. Around the church, the park invites you to slow down and take a break in the shade, whether on a bench or on the famous sillas confidentes, the paired chairs designed so two people can sit face to face and enjoy a quiet conversation. At the center of the park stands a circular fountain topped by a monument to Andrés Quintana Roo, installed in 1972. A nineteenth-century lawyer, poet and statesman, he was one of the signatories of Mexico’s Act of Independence and a key figure of Mexican liberalism, and the state of Quintana Roo takes its name from him today. Just next door, the Santa Ana market fills the air with the aromas of Yucatecan cuisine. On Sundays, the area becomes even more lively, with a handicrafts market, family activities and the Bici-Ruta along Calle 60, which turns the street into a festive, car-free promenade.