Mérida Cathedral

On the east side of the Plaza Mayor, occupying the site of an earlier Maya temple, stands the Cathedral, built by Pedro de Aulestia and Miguel de Auguero between 1561 and 1598. The largest church in the Yucatán peninsula, its façade shows few architectural features of particular merit.

Above a doorway in the interior hangs a picture of the Maya ruler of Maní, Titul-Kiú, visiting the conquistador Francisco Montejo in Tihó. To the left of the high altar is the Chapel of the Christ of the Blisters (Capilla del Cristo de las Ampollas), with a 16th c. Indian woodcarving. According to legend this was made from the wood of a tree which the Indians once saw burning all night long without leaving any traces of the fire. The statue originally stood in a church at Ichmul which was burned down, and after the fire it was found black and covered with blisters. It has been in the Cathedral since 1645, and is the subject of special veneration at the beginning of October every year.