The Santa Lucia Church, the temple that gave name to this neighborhood and built in 1575 by the grocer D. Pedro Garcia, was originally intended to house African slaves in service to the Spanish, with the land adjacent appropriated for the cemetery of the Spanish. In 1804, Governor Valdelomar Benito Perez declared the area as the Santa Lucia Plaza, although the arches that line the square weren’t placed until 1873.

Decreed as a public space since 1871 by Governor Manuel Cirerol, it can be regarded as the third oldest plaza in Merida. In 1887, the obelisk dedicated to Gen. Sebastian Molas was installed, and since 1965, this square has been the setting for the traditional nights of Yucatecan Serenades.

r09