Merida ........ This is the capital city in the state of Yucatan and the largest city in the peninsula. It just doesn't feel like a city of nearly a million people. Well, to be honest, I spent all of my time in the very heart of the old city. Merida is sprawling. Most of the buildings I saw were one story. There were, of course, some two story buildings. But, anything taller than that was few and far between. So, to get about a million people together, the city must sprawl. And, I admit, it does take a while to get into and out of the center. There are no major highways running through this colonial city. And, that's part of the charm.

It's my observation that colonial architecture has high ceilings, interior courtyards and tall lovely windows. And, although Merida is called the white city, most of the buildings I saw were in soothing, pastel Caribben colors. Lemon yellow, lime green, hot pink, Marrakech red, sky blue, lilac purple and, yes, some white.

Other styles of architecture included a smattering of Art Deco, Art Nouveau and Classical. That was usually reserved for massive government buildings, theaters and museums. But, there were some Art Deco houses, and if I ever moved to Merida, I would want one of those.