Merida is Yucatan's lively capital. From: The Seattle Times (via Knight-Ridder/Tribune NewsService) | Date: September 26, 2005| Author: Cantwell, Brian J. | COPYRIGHT 2005 The Seattle Times. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

Byline: Brian J. Cantwell

MERIDA, Mexico _ Here in the lively capital city of Yucatan state, the shock value of human sacrifices documented at Chichen Itza is rivaled by a bas-relief sculpture fronting a 16th-century palace, Casa de Montejo, on the downtown plaza.

Named for Francisco de Montejo, a name shared by one of the first leaders of the Spanish conquest of the Yucatan and several of his descendants, the exterior bears scenes of armor-clad Spanish conqu...