Mérida

Capital of Yucatán state, Mexico; population (2005) 897,700. It was founded in 1542, and farming of henequen, which at first grew wild in the area, was the basis of a local industry producing high-quality rope. This industry survives in the craft trade in sandals, hammocks, and bags.

The remains of the Mayan settlements Uxmal and Chichén-Itzá are nearby. Mérida is home to both the University of Yucatán (1624) and the Regional Technological Institute of Mérida (1961). The cathedral dates from 1598. Mérida's port on the Gulf of Mexico is Progreso.

Mérida

Town in the province of Badajoz, western Spain, the capital of Extremadura autonomous community; population (1991) 48,000. Situated on the River Guadiana, it was founded by the Romans in 25 BC, and soon became one of the finest cities in the empire, and capital of Lusitania. It is a market centre for the surrounding agricultural area and has food-processing industries.

During the reign of the Roman emperor Trajan (AD 98–117), a granite bridge of 81 arches (785 m/2,575 ft long) was built over the Guadiana; other Roman remains include part of the city wall, a triumphal arch, an aqueduct, and a theatre. There are also Moorish remains, including an alcázar and a 13th-century church.

Mérida

Capital of the state of the same name in western Venezuela, 540 km/336 mi southwest of Caracas; population (2007 est) 221,000. It is the religious and academic centre of the region and the seat of an archbishop. The city stands in the mountain range known as the Sierra Nevada de Mérida, and is the centre of Venezuela's principal coffee-growing area. Cottons, woollens, and candied fruits are manufactured. It is developing into a popular travellers' resort.

The town of Mérida contains a mix of old colonial buildings and innovative new architecture. Mérida is the site of the Universidad de Los Andes, which was founded in 1785. There is a national park, built in 1842 to commemorate Bolívar, which contains soil from the five countries he liberated.