Yucatán’s economy ran on henequen fiber during the late 19th century, and under the long dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz, the plant’s export boom turned Merida into one of the wealthiest cities in the Americas. Local families celebrated their new fortunes by building grand residences along the Paseo de Montejo and the streets around it, filling the city with the ornate architecture now called Yucatán’s Porfirian Age.
This mansion, a few steps from the Paseo, dates to that period and was declared a National Historical Monument for the quality of its original design. It now operates as an eight-suite hotel, with each room designed around a different Merida landmark, from a Franciscan convent to the city’s 16th-century cathedral. Guests reach the pool through a courtyard garden framed by the building’s original colonial columns.