ArchitectureLa Mejorada NeighborhoodMérida

The Barrio de La Mejorada was named after the former Franciscan convent of Our Lady of Transit, also called La Mejorada, from the 17th century. This building has had many different uses, like a hospital, a School of Arts and Crafts, a police prefecture, and lodging for the families of soldiers from military headquarters, before becoming home to the Faculty of Architecture UADY.

This building adjoins to another important Franciscan colonial building, the headquarters of the Dragon Cavalry, former headquarters of the military garrison of Merida.

In the early 20th century, the square located in front of the convent housed a train station that was dismantled in 1920 to make way for a public space. Since 1970, the site has been known as Parque de los Niños Héroes. Among the 19th and 20th centuries, during the henequen boom of the Yucatan, this neighborhood was the location for the main refineries or shredders, as well as workshops and support equipment to the henequen haciendas.

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