Mérida Feminist Walk Honors Women’s Legacy

Mérida, Yucatán — As part of the “16 Days of Activism,” the Regional Museum of Anthropology and History Palacio Cantón and the collective Ya No Somos Invisibles will conduct a special tour through various points in Mérida’s Historic Center that recognize important female figures in the state’s history.

This activity also commemorates November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Liliana Hernández Santibáñez, event organizer and member of the collective, told POR ESTO! that this walk will take attendees to see six commemorative plaques placed by Ya No Somos Invisibles in spaces closely linked to the figures they aim to remember and honor for their actions for women’s rights in the state.

The activity will take place on Friday, November 28 at 18:00 hours and will be guided by Hernández Santibáñez and Ximena de los Santos, who since 2023 have promoted the placement of commemorative plaques at key points in the Center.

The initiative arose from a request to the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) to recognize—through signage in the urban space—milestones related to the political, educational, community, and cultural participation of women and collectives in Yucatán.

Archive in the Public Space

“We want that when we walk through the Historic Center, we realize how much legacy we have in our streets,” said Liliana.

The walk will depart from the Liceo de Niñas de Mejorada, founded in 1868, where one of the six plaques installed so far was placed. At this point, the relevance of the liceos for the education of girls and young women will be explained, as well as the historical link of the neighborhood with the women who attended the First Feminist Congress.

Subsequently, the group will proceed to Calle 59 with 52, one of the buildings where La Siempreviva operated, founded in 1870 by Rita Cetina Gutiérrez, Gertrudis Tenorio Zavala, and Cristina Farfán Manzanilla.

Later, they will visit the Pasaje de las Sufragistas—currently the Palacio de la Música—to discuss the trajectory of the first women in Mexico who held popular representation positions, all from Yucatán: Rosa Torre, Elvia Carrillo, Raquel Dzib, and Beatriz Peniche.

The tour will continue at the Teatro José Peón Contreras, where the First Feminist Congress of 1916 will be remembered, and will conclude at the lower level of the Ateneo Peninsular, the historic headquarters of the Liga Feminista Rita Cetina Gutiérrez and the Instituto Literario de Niñas.

The walk is free and open to all people. Hernández Santibáñez specified that, although the tour will take place in public space and some sidewalks in the Historic Center are narrow, collective care will be encouraged, especially for those attending with children.

Interested persons can register through the forms available on the Museo Palacio Cantón’s website and on the initiative Ya No Somos Invisibles’ social media.