Anthropology and History Museum!

On Sunday, Johnny and I went to the Anthropology and History Musuem located in Paseo de Montejo - a beautiful area of Merida where the wealthy people in the early 1900s built a bunch of mansions and then made the main road super lush and pretty and paved.

Also on Sundays in Merida, the city closes many of the big streets near el centro so that people can bike on them! One of the things I really like about this city as that these events are 98% attended by locals who just want to enjoy their city. I didn't really see any tourists in the crowds on Sunday and it was really nice to watch the families biking along these gorgeous streets. Evidently it's the time to take your dog out as well, as I saw more dogs being walked on Sunday than I ever have here!

Merida en Domingo!

We walked ourselves (Faye stayed at home) to the museum and went in. It was $55 MX for an entrance fee and there was no drinks allowed. We did get to sign the little book at the front desk which was cute and I think every place should have a little book where they make you sign in. I have always really loved reading back through the pages and seeing where everyone is from, and their different handwriting.

The museum was absolutely beautiful. It is a restored mansion (about half the mansions on the street are abandoned and crumbling, the other half are renovated into businesses) and it was really cool to go inside one since I have spent so long pining at them from the outside.

Everything inside is pretty much only in Spanish, but I guess Johnny and I will learn more Spanish this way (although we may just get good at archaeological terms which won't really help us in daily conversation).

Told you it was a mansion

Such a mansion

The ground floor was full of very interesting ancient Maya artifacts.

Jaguar!

Creepy skeleton guy ready to pounce!

Lady with a rabbit!

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Then we went upstairs where they had an exhibit about the women of the Yucatan, which was extremely interesting and well done. 

Very cool old album that I wish I owned

Also cool - these were cut out and then decoupaged back on the page! Would love to try something like this

The museum was great and being inside such a grand mansion was really cool. I kept trying to visualize what the rooms looked like with furniture. I also tried to find the kitchen but realized it was probably hidden in the servant's quarters and guess what I was right. I peeked behind a door that said "employees only" (but in Spanish, and also the door was left ajar so it's not like I was really snooping) and I saw an old staircase and I was like boom, servants' quarters. 

Beautiful mansion with a replica of a jaguar statue that the Maya used to put the heart and blood of sacrificial victims. My kind of juxtaposition.

Johnny admiring some Maya artifacts inside a mansion nbd

There was also this really great elevator from like 1920s because of the art nouveau style. It was locked but I looked in the window and it had wood floors! I wish someone would give me a tour of the mansion but, like, the servant's quarters and then let me go in the elevator. 

Elevator buttons!

Elevator!

Skylight on the second floor!

Chelsea walking down a grand staircase and having a halo!

Detail on the staircase!

It was very fun and informative and I love old mansion both crumbling and restored.

And then I took a bathroom break and took a selfie because I actually looked cute and not a sweaty mess like 98% of my life here. 

Oh hey

El fin!