Mérida’s historic center has a few modern homes sprinkled throughout its streets. There aren’t many, but when you spot one, it definitely stands out against the neighborhood’s colonial fabric.
Today, the government has strict rules that prevent façades like this from being built in the historic center. You can make your home totally modern on the inside, but the façade (and to some extent the front room) must be preserved. These rules are, for the most part, followed.
We are by no means strict preservationists (more on preservation). Walking around, we wonder to what extent historic neighborhoods should be kept homogeneous and static. Perhaps oddities like this house inject a level of diversity that allows a city to move forward while keeping a firm eye on its past. Or perhaps modern forms like these should remain, as they are in Mérida, relegated to newer neighborhoods.
