Remate de Paseo de Montejo: Mérida's Gateway Plaza

The Gateway to Paseo de Montejo

El Remate de Paseo de Montejo is a landscaped public plaza situated at the intersection of Paseo de Montejo (Calle 56-A) and Calle 47 in Mérida's historic center. Functioning as an urban hinge, the plaza marks the boundary between two distinct architectural eras. Directly south lies the dense, 16th-century Spanish colonial grid centered on the Plaza Grande, while to the north extends the wide, tree-lined avenue financed by Yucatán's late-19th-century henequen boom.

Although the Spanish word remate translates to an "end," "culmination," or "capstone," local custom treats this southern terminus in reverse. For pedestrians and motorists in Mérida, the plaza serves as the primary departure point and entrance when traveling northward along the boulevard.

From Vacant Lot to Public Plaza

When construction of Paseo de Montejo began in 1888, the avenue initially stopped at Calle 47. In 1916, revolutionary Governor Salvador Alvarado expropriated and demolished a residential block with the intention of extending the boulevard southward into the commercial core of the city. However, budgetary constraints and technical limitations halted the initiative. For nearly eight decades, the cleared site remained an unpaved dirt lot.

The empty block was finally transformed on January 5, 1995, when municipal mayor Luis Correa Mena inaugurated El Remate as a landscaped public plaza, establishing a defined southern entrance for the avenue.

Monumento a los Montejo and Historical Memory

At the center of the plaza stands the Monumento a los Montejo, a bronze sculpture group crafted by local sculptor Reynaldo Bolio Suárez ("Paccelli"). The statue portrays Spanish conquistadors Francisco de Montejo "El Adelantado" and his son Francisco de Montejo "El Mozo."

Unveiled on June 30, 2010—the final day in office of Mayor César Bojórquez—the monument immediately sparked controversy. Civic organizations, academics, and indigenous Maya groups staged demonstrations opposing the public tribute to the conquistadors, citing the violence of the Spanish conquest and the subsequent demographic decline of the Maya population.

Debates over the street's naming also occurred decades earlier. In 1938, Governor Humberto Canto Echeverría issued an official decree renaming Paseo de Montejo to Paseo de Nachi Cocom, honoring the Maya ruler who resisted Spanish colonization. Despite the decree, the public systematically disregarded the change, and the Montejo name persisted in everyday and official usage.

Cultural Life and Modern Community Use

Today, El Remate is a core venue for civic events and local cultural programming. Every Saturday evening, the plaza hosts the municipal Noche Mexicana, featuring traditional folkloric ballet dancers, regional music, and artisan craft stalls. During weekend evenings, the plaza perimeter fills with the scent of melting Edam cheese from hot marquesita wafer irons, accompanied by live jarana and mariachi brass music echoing against surrounding stone facades.

The plaza also serves as a central staging hub and bicycle rental location for the weekly Bici-Ruta, during which Paseo de Montejo closes to vehicular traffic on Sunday mornings and select Saturday evenings. Additionally, since late 2023, El Remate anchors the western entrance of the renovated Corredor Gastronómico along Calle 47, linking the boulevard to the nearby neighborhoods of Santa Ana and Parque La Plancha.