Location: Corner of Calles 62 and 61, across from main plaza, Merida
Hours: 10:00-22:00
Olimpo Cultural Center’s central open air courtyard combines with all the arches within to show the true grandeur of this amazing building. On the day we arrived, rope had been strung around the columns, creating a fence prohibiting access to the center due to the slippery wet floor caused by the day’s light rain. The planetarium domes sits in the back of the building and offers a nice view of the neighborhood behind it. Olimpo’s grounds attach to the Palacio Municipal which houses DIF, a police station, and a variety of other government departments and agencies. In some of the archways the salmon color of the Palacio peeks through, competing with the monotone interior color of the Olimpo.
For some reason the bathrooms were all locked. A guard on the second story directed me to the first level but they were locked too, except one men’s room on the bottom level next to the auditorium. Leroy stood guard while I used it, I am not sure if that is what the guard meant but it worked.
The auditorium on the bottom level offers plays, cultural performances and poetry readings that cost a nominal fee. The planetarium offers a variety of shows throughout the day, also for a reasonable price $30MXN or $15MXN for students. Upstairs there are gallery rooms, exhibiting during our visit a single artist in each and were free to peruse. A guard stands at the entrance of each and ushers you in the proper direction to navigate the rooms. During our trip, one of the gallery rooms was empty and the others had exhibits.Evolución by Rubén Calderíuz Sala 1
Simple unimpressed, neat yes but not worthy of its own gallery hall.
Ichtys el Signo del Pescador by Enrique Trava Sala 2
Wonderful, a breathtaking exhibition of artistry. This was Leroy and my favorite.
Mi Destino Ajeno by Ralf Walter Sala 3
Childlike chaos of colorful objects, discernable and not, used various conventional mediums to cover the large canvases. I thought it was somewhat bizarre and left me feeling a little WTFish.
Leave a Reply