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There is a whole side of life in Merida (and many other Mexican cities) that most visitors to Merida never see… It’s what goes on above it all, up on the roof.
In the city block where our office is located, almost half the block is connected roof to roof. We’ve built a shaded terrace on our roof but mostly the rooftops are empty, with the occasional tinaco (water tank), air conditioning unit and various pipes and wires. Many of the roofs connected to ours are old (as are the houses below them) and some even have little volunteer gardens growing on them. When the sun isn’t turning this area into a frying pan, this is a perfect place for a quick walk with the dog.
Wealthy, refined rooftops in Merida have pools and patio furniture, built in sofas and barbecue areas, potted plants and recessed lighting. In the low rent district rooftops are filled with hanging laundry, white plastic garden furniture and oftentimes, a rooftop dog.
What we love about the rooftop is the breeze and the view. In a city like Merida, where most gardens and landscaping are behind concrete walls and barricaded doors, a pedestrian or driver starts to get a rather narrow view of the world. But once you are up on the roof, you can see for miles. You can see the Cathedral in the distance, hear fireworks or music at night from distant parks, hear sirens and barking dogs from all over town, and best of all, watch the storms roll in.
When a thunderstorm is coming, standing on the rooftop watching the faraway lightning and the multicolored cloud formations is a special treat. In a flat city like Merida on the flat Yucatan Peninsula, rooftops are the only way for people who don’t climb trees anymore to get a view.
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Would the person who took our antique bronze bell off of our roof kindly return it!! No questions asked.
what a cute puppy!
MOM told me about this site. Your house look’s like a dream in the making. Just the history of the Yucatan could keep someone busy for a long time, but Mom keeps me up to date on how things are going with you as much as she can. Your brother, Joel.
Hola, Joel! Nice to hear from you. Hope you and your family are doing well. Our best to “MOM”. Love, Working Gringo (Your long, lost, oldest brother.)
im moveing merida in feb and would like to get two puppies to enjoy my new life with. any advice? saltwater willy
In the homes where I have stayed in Morelia and in Tejupilco, the rooftops are wonderful , like tranquil little parks amid the hustle and bustle of both street and household activities. Like you say, you can look and listen for miles around. In Morelia, it was a lifesaver for me, a country girl, to look at the mountains in the distance. I even liked doing my laundry, being on the rooftop to do it. The breeze hastened the drying process. The clothes lines “beat all to heck” the barbwire fence where my clothes hung out to dry in Nicaragua. The rooftop shower is “muy sobroso” as the family describes it. It never fails to amaze me that rooftop dogs don’t plunge off to their death. I couldn’t believe my eyes, seeing bunnies hopping all over the roof of one neighbers house – but believe it, they were raising rabbits.
William Nolan, you’ll like the article here: http://www.yucatanliving.com/yucatan-survivor/pets-and-vets-in-yucatan.htm