Brenda lived a vibrant life dedicated to faith Brenda was the loving wife of her devoted husband Walter “Bud” Martin Their 57-year partnership was a testament to love they traveled the world with their cherished friends Brenda leaves behind four beloved children: son Walter “Chuck” Martin and his wife Jennifer; son James “JR” Martin and his wife Jolanta; daughter Stacy Chaney and her husband Jerry; and daughter Dena Martin and her husband Her legacy continues through her 11 grandchildren—Megan and Amity—and four great-grandchildren She worked as a beautician and spent many years with the State Convention of Baptists where her passion for ministry and mission work shone brightly Brenda served on mission trips and continued her mother’s legacy by giving Bibles to those in need Her infectious spirit brought life (and antics) to every event leaving a lasting impact on all who knew her Brenda was an active member of the Red Hat Society where she cherished time with dear friends and was always ready to host gatherings or grab coffee and unwavering faith will be deeply missed but forever treasured by her family A celebration of her life will be held at a Hall-Baker Funeral Home with burial to follow in Maple Hill Cemetery Plainfield.  Visitation will be held on Saturday May 10 the family requests donations to a local women’s ministry or mission organization in Brenda’s honor Image: dan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net In the Ateneo Peninsular the new Tren Maya Museum showcases archaeological artifacts recovered during the construction of the Maya train The new exhibition is divided into seven sections traversing Mexico’s southeastern states of Chiapas The exhibit’s museography is excellent and it offers vision-impaired visitors (and everyone else) the opportunity to touch and feel replicas of a handful of artifacts as well as information kiosks in braille.   One thing to keep in mind about the Tren Maya Museum is that a handful of the artifacts on display are replicas as is the case with a reproduction of a funerary urn depicting a young form of the deity of agriculture emerging from a corn husk and a stelae of Ixik K’aawil Ajaw The originals will likely be shown in similar museums throughout the region or perhaps even Mexico City’s Museum of Anthropology with some standouts including highly ornate ceremonial vessels One thing that was a little disappointing was that no original architectural elements were moved to make way for the tracks other than a reproduction of a pillar from ancient Hampolol which once stood on the outskirts of what today is Campeche’s capital city.  Another interesting aspect of the exhibit is the opportunity to enter the Ateneo Peninsular, which, other than the section formerly dedicated to the MACAY Though it’s not yet possible to explore the newly restored structure you can catch a few glimpses of the colonial courtyard and amazing to see for the first time — especially given its location and the fact that it has been off limits for as long as I can remember.  The term “ateneo” refers to a type of structure dedicated to learned societies or literary and scientific academies where intellectuals These institutions were inspired by European models particularly the Ateneo societies of Spain which drew from classical Athenian traditions of intellectual discourse Another thing this new museum has going for it is that it offers visitors to Mérida who are only in the city for a quick day trip the opportunity to check out some fascinating Mayan artifacts without having to venture outside of the city’s main plaza Visitors can make a day out of the Plaza Grande Other free attractions include the Murals of Castro Pachecho in the Governor’s Palace which allows visitors to enter at any time unlike its past system of guided tours at specific times.  Overall, the museum is excellent and adds to the already wonderful experience of Mérida’s Plaza Grande even though locals are still upset about its new The Tren Maya Museum is across from Mérida’s Plaza Grande on calles 60 and 63 but an INAH employee at the museum said there is no official word on how long that will be the case Senior Editor Carlos Rosado van der Gracht is a Mexican expedition/Canadian photographer and translation degrees from universities in Mexico it is impossible not to notice the towering hotels of Cancun’s hotel zone visible just above the tree line Some easy tips: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht Senior Editor Carlos Rosado van der Gracht is a Mexican expedition/Canadian photographer Santa Rosa Xtampak was first settled by Mayan peoples sometime in the early 4th century BCE These early settlers likely came from city-states already established at the far southern end of what today is Campeche and Northern Guatemala A dynamic duo of art has come together to share the collective memories of Yucatán A book published by La Cúpula Cultural Center “ORLAN y Demián Flores en Mérida,” documents the relationship between the provocative French artist and the contemporary painter and sculptor from Oaxaca.  “There is an element that is memory A Canadian couple living here has released 179 archaeological pieces — from ancient vessels to stone pedestals — to the National Institute of Anthropology and History Advertise With Us Mexico is a really popular spot for tourists I wished I could have afforded to go there in college with my friends I'm not looking to party hard when I visit Mexico — I want history which is about 200 miles inland from Cancún Mérida also feels less crowded and more relaxed than Cancún and I think it's perfect for anyone looking for laid-back adventure in lieu of nonstop beach parties On the tip of the Yucatán Peninsula and founded on the site of an ancient Mayan city With its distinct blend of Mayan design and 16th-century Spanish colonial architecture the city's history can even be felt as you walk around it It has an array of beautiful churches and arches that made me want to stop in my tracks — and its brightly-colored homes in shades of blue the city has a range of impressive museums dedicated to topics such as Mayan culture and Mexican music Mérida's casual restaurants are just as fantastic as its higher-end contemporaries It feels like the special kind of place where you'll know everyone's name by the end of the night and wide selection of tequila and mezcal always impresses me — and it frequently has live music that keeps visitors dancing through the morning La Chaya Maya is my go-to stop for breakfast It serves some of the best chilaquiles and margaritas — and many meals cost under $10 Museo de la Gastronomía Yucateca (also known as the Museum of Yucatecan Gastronomy or MUGY) is a solid choice The restaurant offers a great selection of craft cocktails and local cuisine as well as many options for people with a range of dietary restrictions Mérida and the area around it are famous for its cenotes which are sinkholes or pits filled with fresh water that's often swimmable Seeing one of these unique chambers has long been on my bucket list I especially enjoyed going on a cenote-seeing journey with the Magic Cenotes + Hacienda tour through Airbnb Experiences My day trip included a visit to two separate cenotes and a homemade lunch in the home of a local resident I had a fantastic time and made many international friends with whom I still keep in touch The tour was definitely a highlight of my time in Mérida — and I can't wait to go back to see even more of the wonderful city iStock, cienpies A new biotech, Merida Biosciences, has launched with $121 million in the bank to advance a new class of precision treatments for autoimmune and allergic diseases Merida’s therapies are “antibody-like,” according to its Tuesday announcement aiming for a “deep and durable depletion” of autoimmune disease-causing autoantibodies without causing broad immunosuppression or triggering systemic toxicities The startup’s proprietary platform produces what it calls Fc biotherapeutics, which are molecules based on the Fc fragment of antibodies. According to Merida’s website these agents can selectively target pathogenic autoantibodies which would otherwise attack the body’s own tissues and redirect them to specialized cells in the liver for degradation preventing the further production of new autoantibodies With its lead program, Merida is targeting Graves’ disease an autoimmune disorder that attacks the thyroid The condition is characterized by autoantibodies binding to thyroid-stimulating hormone receptors which results in the excessive production of thyroid hormone Currently, patients can undergo thyroid surgery or radioactive iodine therapy, both of which can remove or at least shrink the thyroid, but are also “highly intrusive and burdensome,” Merida noted on its website the biotech hopes its therapy can “precisely target neutralize and eliminate” disease-causing autoantibodies “to restore healthy thyroid hormone activity,” according to its Monday release Merida’s Graves’ disease program is currently in the IND-enabling stage The biotech is also working on IgE-mediated allergic diseases and primary membranous nephropathy both of which are still undergoing pre-clinical proof-of-concept studies which was originally seeded in 2022 by Third Rock Ventures is additionally backed by Bain Capital Life Sciences With its launch on Tuesday, Merida joins the highly competitive immunology and inflammation (I&I) field. It follows in the footsteps of Boston-based startup Hillstar Bio, which debuted in late March with $67 million in series A funding Hillstar is working on therapies that selectively deplete disease-causing cells while leaving healthy ones untouched In February, startup Bambusa Therapeutics also entered the field with $90 million in backing to develop bispecific antibodies likewise targeting immunological and inflammatory conditions Big pharmas are also putting money into the space Sanofi made a hefty investment in its immuno pipeline buying Dren Bio’s bispecific antibody DR-0201 for $600 million upfront and up to $1.3 billion in milestones The asset is currently in a Phase I basket trial for autoimmune rheumatic diseases 1 seed Emma Navarro of the United States put a comprehensive capper on her dominant week at the WTA 500 Merida Open Akron with a 6-0 6-0 victory over Colombian qualifier Emiliana Arango in Sunday's final Merida: Draws | Scores | Order of Play Top-seeded at a WTA tournament for the first time in her career, World No. 10 Navarro was nearly flawless all week as she captured her second and biggest title without dropping a set. Navarro hoisted her maiden trophy at WTA 250 Hobart last year. Five 6-0, 6-0 finals this century: Navarro becomes the first player to win a WTA final 6-0, 6-0 since Iga Swiatek defeated Karolina Pliskova by that scoreline in the 2021 Rome final. The other finals to feature that scoreline since the year 2000 are: 2006 Quebec City (Marion Bartoli d. Olga Puchkova), 2013 Sydney (Agnieszka Radwanska d. Dominika Cibulkova) and 2016 Bucharest (Simona Halep d. Anastasija Sevastova). View this post on Instagram A post shared by WTA (@wta) Back in the winner's circle: Until this week, Navarro had not reached a final since her 2024 Hobart triumph over a year ago. But the American has steadily cemented her spot at the top of the game, reaching the quarterfinals or better at the last three majors. Navarro exhibited that exceptional form in her 55-minute win over 133rd-ranked Arango, who had advanced past the quarterfinals of a WTA event for the first time in her career and will still be rewarded with a Top 100 debut on Monday. Arango was riding an 11-match winning streak at all levels coming into Sunday's final, but she was pushed to three sets in her last three matches. That sterling form was finally exhausted by Navarro, who was stingy on serve and never allowed the qualifier to reach break point. Navarro's combination of piercing groundstrokes and sturdy defense was peaking on Sunday, especially when returning serve. The top seed won 71 percent of points on return, leading to a 6-for-10 break point conversion rate in the final. Navarro won the first set by clipping the sideline with a backhand -- a shot Arango brought to the challenge system to settle. That attempt was to no avail for the Colombian. In the second set, Arango erased two championship points in the final game of the day, but Navarro forced an error long on her third opportunity to take home the trophy. View this post on Instagram A post shared by WTA (@wta) Unseeded pair takes doubles title: Earlier on Sunday there was an upset in the Merida Open Akron doubles final where unseeded Katarzyna Piter and Mayar Sherif beat No 1 seeds Anna Danilina and Irina Khromacheva 7-6(2) Piter and Sherif came back from a late break down to squeak out the first set then they won the final three games of the match to grab the title after 1 hour and 51 minutes of play This is the second WTA doubles title for Egypt's Sherif A scrap­py team of drug de­vel­op­ers has come to­geth­er to cre­ate new med­i­cines for pa­tients with au­toim­mune dis­eases and al­ler­gies They’re go­ing af­ter the bustling … Get free access to a limited number of articles plus choose newsletters to get straight to your inbox Enter the email associated to with your Endpoints account and we'll send you a one-time login link (no password needed) and we'll send you a link to reset your password The link expires after 24 hours and can only be used once Sign up for free to read a limited number of articles each month Pick what newsletters get delivered to your inbox each week Want unlimited access? Sign up for a premium subscription plan The funding will be used to advance Merida’s lead programme in the autoimmune condition US biotech Merida Biosciences has launched with $121m in Series A financing to develop therapeutics targeting disease-causing antibodies in autoimmune diseases and allergies The financing round was co-led by Bain Capital Life Sciences with participation from GV and Perceptive Xontogeny Venture (PXV) Funds The biotech is advancing a proprietary protein engineering platform to develop fragment crystallisable (Fc)-based biologics that selectively bind and eliminate pathogenic antibodies while sparing healthy components of the immune system Merida’s therapeutics also aim to deplete the B cells responsible for producing the harmful antibodies Merida’s lead programme will focus on Graves’ disease, an autoimmune condition that causes the thyroid to overproduce hormones The company is positioning its candidate as a more targeted alternative to antithyroid drugs (ATDs) often fail to provide adequate disease control The company claims its approach could offer a more convenient dosing schedule and an easier route of administration compared to current and emerging treatments Merida is not the only biotech setting its sights on the Graves’ disease market. Immunovant is developing batoclimab, a monoclonal antibody currently in a Phase IIa trial (NCT05907668) for Graves’ disease patients who remain uncontrolled on ATDs Interim data released in September 2024 showed a 76% response rate at 12 weeks GlobalData projects that it will generate $872m in global sales by 2030 Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis GlobalData is the parent company of Pharmaceutical Technology a small molecule therapy that targets and degrades immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) autoantibodies that cause Graves’ disease. BioHaven previously announced plans to launch a Phase II study of the drug in mid-2025.  Following its lead Graves’ disease programme Merida plans to pursue candidates for food allergies and primary membranous nephropathy former COO of Apellis Pharmaceuticals and ex-Biogen executive He will work alongside chief scientific officer Dario Gutierrez a former executive director at MSD and current consultant at Third Rock Ventures we have the potential to precisely target the clear pathogenic drivers of an intractable set of diseases with absolute selectivity and a degree of completeness and durability that has not been achievable through any approach to date,” said Townsend in the 8 April announcement Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network Brentford owner Matthew Benham is close to agreeing a deal to buy Spanish third-tier side Merida AD Merida AD are currently fifth in the Primera Federacion’s group 2 with six games to play which would qualify them for the playoffs for a spot in LaLiga’s Segunda Division Founded in 2013 after two previous Merida-based teams went bankrupt the club have been owned by British/American businessman Mark Heffernan since 2021 and they play at the Estadio Romano a 14,600-capacity ground owned by the local council Benham is the founder of statistical research firm Smartodds and the owner of betting exchange Matchbook Benham is known for his data-based approach to decision-making and has been funding Brentford The deal for Merida AD is expected to be announced on Tuesday and it will be Brentford’s new holding company that will own the club the west London club have climbed from English football’s third tier to the Premier League which they reached for the first time in their history in 2021 Benham’s millions have also helped to build Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium Merida AD will not be Benham’s first foray into multi-club ownership as he was also the majority shareholder of Danish side Midtjylland between 2014 and 2023 during which time they won three domestic titles and became known as one of the best academies in Scandinavia Based in North West England, Matt Slater is a senior football news reporter for The Athletic UK. Before that, he spent 16 years with the BBC and then three years as chief sports reporter for the UK/Ireland's main news agency, PA. Follow Matt on Twitter @mjshrimper The startup is developing Fc biotherapeutics engineered to eliminate pathogenic autoantibodies for treating autoimmune diseases and allergies was shocked by the lack of medical treatment for a family member suffering from immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) an autoimmune disease in which autoantibodies bind to a platelet receptor and target them for destruction and it was high-dose steroids for a while—pretty much which is where they think a lot of the degradation of the platelets is happening,” Gutierrez told Inside Precision Medicine I thought that this has got to be a joke—is this really the standard care?” Building off the atomic-level understanding of how autoantibodies bind to target receptors (revealed by cryoEM and other structural tools) to drive the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases Gutierrez began to explore the idea of a precision immunology company to develop a new generation of immunotherapies as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Third Rock Ventures where Gutierrez and a team had been working in stealth since 2022 on biotherapeutics using the fragment crystallizable (Fc) region of antibodies located at the base of the Y-shaped structure to neutralize pathogenic autoantibodies Merida Biosciences has now decloaked and has revealed a lead program based on pioneering a novel approach to treating Graves’ disease a rare disease that affects about 3% of women and 0.5% of men Their approach began with an in-depth exploration of how diverse autoantibodies interact with the thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR) at the atomic level Leveraging advanced techniques like structural characterization the team is developing a biotherapeutic capable of selectively neutralizing these harmful autoantibodies their approach seeks to leave normal thyroid hormone signaling and protective immunoglobulin levels untouched offering a highly targeted solution to this autoimmune disorder the company recently brought on CEO Adam Townsend and CMO Matthew Leoni and we became a public company a couple of days ago,” Townsaid told Inside Precision Medicine “​​Chasing after the root cause of some of these debilitating autoimmune disorders is precisely the type of thing I think we all want to do We’re going to go and chase big diseases with a small and the word that seems to resonate now is a scrappy team It’s Dario’s brainchild that we are all responsible for driving forward.” treated a patient with severe lupus with CAR-T cells which sent shockwaves through the autoimmune disease community as a bedridden treatment-resistant patient made a hasty full recovery in a matter of weeks pharma giants and startups have been racing to be the first to get FDA approvals for CAR-T cell therapies in several major autoimmune diseases While CAR-T cell therapy results in autoimmune diseases (and oncology) have been remarkable—indeed I remember being shocked a year and a half ago seeing a presentation from Kyverna Therapeutics with a video of a myasthenia gravis patient going from incapacitated in a hospital bed to riding a bicycle in a few months—there are some significant drawbacks “You always want to find the simplest solution to any problem—you don’t need to build a rocket ship to go from Boston to New York.” Sogah added “It’s hard for me to see how CAR-T cell therapy would have a path toward having a reasonable product profile indication like Graves’ disease versus a subcutaneous therapeutic that could be used once every couple of years.” the significant risk imbued by using CAR-T therapy that targets B cells remains: taking down the entire B-cell population and not just a specific subset “With CAR-T cell therapy for autoimmune diseases you’re basically burning an entire field just to kill a couple of weeds,” Leoni told Inside Precision Medicine “You’re wiping out the entire B cell population when all you want to get at is the autoantibodies that are there and the cells producing them.” Wiping out B-cell populations leaves a patient utterly vulnerable to infection the first adult patient treated with CAR-T cell therapy was William Ludwig He was treated at the University of Pennsylvania’s Abramson Cancer Center and remained cancer-free for 11 years before dying from COVID-19 complications in early 2021 “If you get infected with COVID-19 tomorrow or if you’re going to get vaccinated for tetanus again you’d wish you had those cells because they are protective,” said Gutierrez “Most of your B cells are there for a reason—they’re very protective.” CAR-T cell therapy is in some ways not very different mechanistically from the preceding generation of treatments like rituximab or another anti-CD20 “You’re still wiping stuff out,” said Leoni broad-spectrum steroids are used to wipe out all the B cell components and steroids can have an effect on every cell in your body which is why they can cause so much damage.” Merida’s Fc biotherapeutics were designed (with the help of AI) to enable two key mechanisms of action the engineered proteins completely remove the autoantibodies that cause symptomatic clinical outcomes the Fc biotherapeutics also target a specific B-cell population The dual action of Merida’s biotherapeutic lies in targeting an Fc receptor subtype the biotherapeutic is trapped by liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) which express FcγRIIB and degrade the complex FcγRIIB is also found on memory B cells that produce the autoantibody “You’re pulling the weeds out and not actually burning the field,” said Leoni “The elegance is not only the specificity in targeting but also being able to remove it silently without lighting up any other parts of the immune system or causing any effect—cell activity or formation of immune complexes—that your body would recognize It’s basically only being recognized by the exact cells we want to recognize; it is the LSECs that are going to suck it up We also target the bad B cell that identifies and shuts down the target You can’t get a level of precision beyond that.” Merida’s Fc fusions are also being designed with specific pharmacokinetic properties in mind the biotherapeutics have a half-life typical of IgG1 so patients can easily follow a therapeutic dosing regimen for a lifelong illness While there isn’t much safety data on Fc biotherapeutics they should be safe given their mechanism of action and design “If it’s not binding to the autoantibody so we’re not expecting off-target toxic effects because it’s not targeting broad-spectrum B cells or other parts of the immune system,” said Leoni “That’s the beauty of these things—it’s very hard to get off-target toxicity and that’s why it has a unique safety profile.” In addition to having specificity and safety advantages the Fc biotherapeutics approach is a pretty straightforward strategy that can be adapted to other autoantibodies and autoimmune indications “You can essentially switch the Fc to a new binding domain and capture a different set of pathogenic antibodies,” said Gutierrez “As long as you’re very good at doing that first thing We thought about that promise when we started working on it over three years ago and what it could do such as eliminating the eye disease associated with Graves’ disease which can be addressed using our first molecule and then we will have programs like really close behind to go and do it again.” “We have this optionality for us as we grow where we can look at new molecules in new indications—there are over two dozen autoimmune disorders that we can target and we want to make sure that we’re having a really good shot on goal with all of them Graves’ disease is our first lead indication The plan is to open the IND and get into the big clinic as quickly as we can We’ll definitely open the IND this year.” the company is also working on an IgE platform for allergies “As long as it works in food allergy and all of the sites are pointing in the right direction we can move into a broader allergic disorders space,” said Townsend whereas our lead asset in Graves’ disease is a one-drug opportunity that can shut down Graves at the root of the disease Then we have another drug for primary membranous nephropathy not only internally but also for many external strategic partners that like our programs.” Merida’s aspirations are mirrored by a Board of Directors comprised of industry leaders with extensive expertise in drug discovery and development Third Rock Ventures and Board Chair; Abbie Celniker former chief drug development and medical officer at Incyte; John Maraganore former founding CEO of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals; Amol Punjabi Taiwan (BRAIN) — Taiwanese manufacturer Merida Industry Co. which owns 35% of Specialized Bicycle Company recorded a non-operating loss of over $100 million related to that investment in 2024 bike brand took a deferred tax loss and write-downs on its retail operations Merida’s board approved a dividend despite the annual loss explaining that its core business was growing and profitable and the Specialized loss was a one-time occurrence It also said Specialized’s inventory position and cash balance have returned to pre-pandemic levels Merida explained that the losses due to its investment in Specialized came from three sources: 8% of the loss was from operations while the other 92% came from a deferred tax loss and write-down on the valuation of Specialized’s retail stores in goodwill and a ROU (Right of Use) Asset Impairment Merida did not specify what share of the total loss came from the deferred loss and what share was from the retail write downs “During the pandemic, numerous brands strategically acquired bike shops to gain market share. However, the market demands have shifted rapidly, leading to a decline in the valuation of these bike shops and resulted in the impairment,” Merida explained in a presentation made at the news conference Merida noted the deferred tax loss can be used to offset taxes on future profits Merida's non-operating loss was about NT$3.4 billion ($105 million) exceeding Merida’s operating profit of NT$9.17 per share and causing the company to record its first consolidated loss since 2002 of NT$766.2 million or a loss of NT$2.34 per share Merida’s revenue for the year was NT$29.63 billion up 8.7% from the year before; operating profit was NT$3.03 billion In preliminary 2025 sales figures filed with the Taipei stock exchange Merida said year-to-date revenues after the first two months were up 48% Download the 2019 Industry Directory Read the 2021 Sales Training Guide 1600 Pearl St., Ste 300Boulder, CO 80302This website copyright © 2025. All rights reserved “The Tell,” and Méridaself.__wrap_b=(t,n,e)=>{e=e||document.querySelector(`[data-br="${t}"]`);let s=e.parentElement,r=R=>e.style.maxWidth=R+"px";e.style.maxWidth="";let o=s.clientWidth,i=s.clientHeight,c=o/2-.25,l=o+.5,u;if(o){for(;c+1{self.__wrap_b(0,+e.dataset.brr,e)})).observe(s)};self.__wrap_b(":R4pa6:",1)EDITOR’S NOTE A few other things I’m newly obsessed with: The freshest, most glamorous way to wear a necklace (extra points if it’s blingy) Benny Blanco’s hilarious attempt at doing Selena Gomez’s makeup (my 2-year-old niece could have done a better job) The fact that cow print is the new leopard print (it’s udder chaos) Photos of Lil’ Timmy Tim wearing tall Ugg boots (I will be here until further notice) — Melissa Goldberg / Senior Editor / Washington this dreamy dessert layers irresistibly moist chocolate cake and supremely fudgy frosting — topped with those iconic white squiggles No awkward school photos or gym classes required The Time Commitment: A little over two hours But there’s just 15 minutes of prep — the rest of the time is for baking and cooling Mark our words: Making your home feel like a five-star hotel is cheaper and easier than you think Before you heat your lunch in that trusty office microwave, you should probably read this We have never, we repeat never, seen a more chaotic bacon-cooking technique about the life of [Winston Churchill’s daughter-in-law] Pamela Harriman Griffin: Anything and everything that Caitlin Murray says — and her dance moves Griffin: My mom’s banana pudding … with condensed milk The internet is fighting over who’s supposed to foot the bill for an engagement ring and stunning Spanish colonial architecture 🛏 Housed in a 19th-century mansion, Hotel Cigno sets the tone for an idyllic stay in one of Mexico’s most majestic towns The thoughtfully renovated boutique property — located in the central La Ermita neighborhood — feels both traditional and contemporary from yoga classes to cooking lessons to kayaking excursions which spotlights the area’s indigenous groups and cultures via rotating exhibitions and the towering Pyramid of the Soothsayer where creative flavors like blue cheese with apple compote await We asked you to vote on an etiquette question you’d like answered “Navigating this dilemma requires compromise It’s important to understand why [your partner doesn’t] care for your friend: Do they make them feel uncomfortable Listen without trying to immediately make an excuse Schedule [fewer double dates and] arrange to see them when your partner doesn’t have to attend … [You could also speak to a counselor] who can help navigate this issue in a way that doesn’t damage your relationship.” Sign up for the Daily Skimm email newsletter. Delivered to your inbox every morning and prepares you for your day in minutes. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Known as the “Beatnik Photographer,” famed American lensman Earl Leaf is known for his iconic candid photos of Hollywood stars serene street scenes of Mérida at a fascinating but often overlooked time in its history the goateed photographer aimed his camera more typically at nightclub denizens and glamorous locations focusing often on everyday street life in New York He was among the 20th century’s leading documentary photographers capturing small moments from everyday life his portfolio started to fill with Hollywood stars: Gregory Peck most notably an ascendant Marilyn Monroe. In January 1952 Marilyn won a “Star of Tomorrow” award and Earl Leaf was there to record the event Also that year, he toured Mexico, starting with the capital, Mexico City where he took candid photos of young people shopping after stops that included Cuernavaca and Tequesquitengo (the Getty archives include hundreds of photos of this tour) naturalistic shots at a then-sleepy Chichén Itzá and Uxmal April 1 to be exact — capturing languid mid-century Mérida The sisal boom over for at least 25 years by then in contrast with his pictures of Mexico City does come through as this modernist photographer has captured Mérida as it entered the Atomic age Leaf didn’t find glamour and nightlife but plenty of horses and buggies trailing slowly down the streets He depicted a serene Plaza Grande and conservatively attired citizens going about their day He encountered quiet streets lacking flashing lights and chic storefronts Even the marketplace appears sleepy in Leaf’s small sampling of Mérida in 1952 It’s hard to know what Leaf’s impressions of Mérida really were but the few images he left us capture a sober We are left with a paparazzo’s impression of Mérida in a period that follows the reign of the hennequin barons but well before the arrival of chain stores, high-rises and new arrivals from other states and other countries but most of his work mirrors his generation’s approach to unfiltered photojournalism and foreshadows today’s voyeuristic Hollywood culture Read more about Leaf’s career from the Getty archivist, and more here, excerpted from ‘Marilyn Monroe: From Beginning to End’ by Michael Ventura Lee Steele is the founding director of Mérida-based Roof Cat Media S de RL de CV and has published Yucatán Magazine and other titles since 2012 He was Hearst Connecticut’s Sunday Magazine creative director and worked in New York City for various magazine publishers a floral exhibition that transforms a city street into a colorful flower path At least 10 so-called “magical towns” could lose that prestigious designation warns the official in charge of the program When an approximation of the Tenango de Doria artisans’ iconography appeared on a line of mass-market tennis shoes Mexico’s federal government has confirmed that foreigners residing in the country are entitled to free COVID-19 vaccines This policy was confirmed via email to Yucatán Magazine by Olivia Baker Gómez from the office of Yucatán’s governor Uncertainty surrounded the issue after users on social media reported that some vaccination sites had denied inoculations to individuals… the Feria Internacional de la Lectura Yucatán (FILEY) transforms Mérida´s Siglo XXI convention center into a playground for bibliophiles with the theme “Tiempo de Leer” or “Time to Read.” Though not necessarily as huge… Yucatán is quickly exceeding 30,000 cases since the pandemic reached the state in March 2020 state officials announced 143 new infections and the week ended with a daily average of 125 That is a 69% increase over the week that ended Jan Total cases have totaled 29,993 in Yucatán 1 seed Emma Navarro of the United States charged into her second career WTA singles final with a 6-3 6-3 semifinal victory over Armenia's Elina Avanesyan at the Merida Open Akron on Saturday night On the hard courts of Mexico at the WTA 500 event 10 Navarro collected her second straight-sets win over 45th-ranked Avanesyan in their two meetings Navarro will now try to go 2-0 in WTA finals having previously taken the title at 2024 Hobart Her final opponent will be Colombian qualifier Emiliana Arango, who won the late-night semifinal over fellow qualifier Daria Saville 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 in a grueling 2 hours and 52 minutes. Arango is into her first WTA Tour singles final and will make her Top 100 debut on Monday. Navarro and Arango have met once before, at an ITF Challenger event in Naples, Florida, U.S.A. in January 2023. Navarro won that clay-court semifinal 6-3, 6-1. View this post on Instagram A post shared by WTA (@wta) Top seed triumphs: This week, Navarro is the No. 1 seed at a WTA tournament for the first time in her career, and she has been nerveless in that position, romping into the final without the loss of a set. Still, she was pushed early on Saturday by Avanesyan, who held a total of five break points spanning Navarro's first three service games. Avanesyan came into the match knowing she could hang with the tour's best -- she had actually won all three of her previous meetings against Top 10 players. However, Navarro was able to get out of that early peril without losing serve, and she quickly swung the momentum her way by firing a backhand winner to break for a 4-2 lead. That would be all the American needed to hold on for the one-set advantage. Six of nine games went against serve in the second set, and Navarro needed four match points in the final game before she closed out the unseeded Armenian after 1 hour and 23 minutes. Navarro finished the match with 19 winners to Avanesyan's eight. "I played the tennis that I love to play, where there’s a lot of variation, scrapping points out and running a bit, definitely being aggressive when there’s opportunities to," Navarro said afterwards. "That’s what I love about playing." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mérida Open AKRON (@wtameridaopen) Arango wins all-qualifier showdown: Later on Saturday Arango prevailed over Australia's Saville in an epic encounter that finished just before 11:00 p.m local time -- a breakthrough result the 24-year-old called "very surreal" afterwards "I think we both tried to keep adjusting our games to see which way we could get a bit of an edge," Arango said there’s been a lot of things that have happened -- it feels like it’s been longer than a week The Colombian was playing in her first career WTA semifinal this week and she was facing a player in Saville who has been ranked inside the Top 20 and won a WTA 500 title at 2017 New Haven However, Arango has been on a hot streak in Mexico and she continued that run with her best tour-level result. Arango has won 11 straight matches -- she won her first WTA 125 title at Cancun last month and has now picked up six wins here in Merida (two in qualifying) Arango took charge in the third set and was a point away from a 5-1 lead but Saville eventually had two chances of her own to get back on serve an eye-catching Arango tweener drew a volley error from Saville and the Colombian moved ahead 5-2 133 Arango broke Saville for a sixth time to wrap up the win and set up a Sunday showdown against Navarro This will be Arango's second meeting versus a Top 10 opponent -- she fell to then-No 9 Maria Sakkari in the 2023 Guadalajara quarterfinals This is the second time this year that a qualifier has made a WTA 500 final Qualifier Polina Kudermetova pushed World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka to three sets in January's Brisbane final After years of planning and construction, the United States will officially open its impressive new U.S. Consulate in Mérida located behind Harbor Mall in the Via Montejo development north of the city replaces the previous consulate on Calle 60 closer to Centro This architectural marvel represents a significant upgrade in both space and capabilities while showcasing a design deeply connected to Yucatecan culture Although staffing numbers will remain the same — 87 workers report for duty there — increased service windows will speed turnaround times On Dec. 5, 2024, the United States and Mexico formally dedicated the new facility during a ceremony led by Thomas, joined by U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar. This marked the construction completion four years and one day after the groundbreaking The consulate will officially begin operations this spring The new consulate represents a major investment in U.S.-Mexico relations The facility serves as an important physical representation of the long-term commitment to the U.S.-Mexico relationship and a permanent presence in the Yucatán Peninsula according to official State Department materials The United States has maintained a diplomatic presence in the region since 1843 when the first consul was dispatched to Merida the consulate has moved several times—including a 37-year period in Progreso from 1897 to 1934 The $211 million project is part of a broader $2 billion investment by the U.S State Department in five major diplomatic facilities across Mexico The architectural design of the consulate complex thoughtfully integrates the natural landscape and cultural heritage of the Yucatán Peninsula The building features glass-clad upper floors comprising a floating volume over a limestone base a sly reference to Maya archaeological sites Seattle-based Miller Hull Partnership served as the design architect for the project with Muñoz Arquitectos as the local architect and BL Harbert of Birmingham The 7.4-acre site provides ample space for the consulate’s expanded operations and security needs Perhaps the most distinctive architectural element is the ceremonial staircase This feature connects the communal spaces within the building and represents the cenotes found throughout the region—natural sinkholes considered sacred portals to the underworld by the Maya serving as vital sources of freshwater and sites for religious rituals The consulate’s design goes beyond functional needs to embrace artistic expression that celebrates both American and Mexican creative traditions The facility features a permanent art collection curated by the Office of Art in Embassies A highlight of the collection is a site-specific installation by renowned Cuban-American artist Jorge Pardo featuring 17 glowing sculptures that reference the sacred cenotes of the Yucatán The installation creates a stunning visual focal point in the gallery space who has maintained a studio in Merida for many years brings intimate knowledge of the region’s aesthetic traditions to his work The collection also includes acrylic paintings by Mexican abstract expressionist artist Gabriel Ramirez considered one of the most important artists in the Yucatán for his transformation of contemporary art concepts in Mexico The new consulate is not just visually impressive—it incorporates cutting-edge sustainability features and security measures Government officials have described the facility as providing a “secure and sustainable platform for diplomacy.” The complex features regional landscaping and advanced energy and water efficiency measures to minimize environmental impact while ensuring operational resilience These sustainability elements align with the Miller Hull Partnership’s design philosophy as the firm has been recognized for its environmental leadership in architecture the interior includes a water feature that reflects the region’s association with cenotes the underground water system considered sacred by locals This element reinforces the connection between the building’s modern function and the unique natural landscape of the Yucatan the consulate project has provided substantial economic benefits to the region the project created jobs and contributed to local economic activity The $211 million project employed over 2,300 workers during construction representing a significant investment in the local economy the consulate will continue to serve as an economic engine through its expanded services and staff The facility’s impact extends beyond economics—it serves millions of U.S citizens who visit the Yucatán Peninsula annually history enthusiasts and art collectors in Mérida and Valladolid and explorers visiting iconic Mayan ruins like Chichén Itzá and Uxmal officials emphasize how the new consulate will enhance bilateral relations and improve services for both countries’ citizens The facility will play a vital role in fostering cultural exchange and regional cooperation in the years to come Yucatan Governor Joaquín Díaz Mena has noted that the consulate represents “another step towards strengthening these ties opening new opportunities for the growth and development of our region.” With its enhanced capacity and striking design that honors both the past and future of U.S.-Mexico relations Consulate in Mérida stands ready to serve as a gateway to the Yucatán Peninsula for generations to come Furniture packages are a turn-key approach It is a complete solution ready for almost immediate use It’s not easy for the city to keep up with potholes which appear even more frequently in rainy weather Walking through Chichén Viejo’s arch the splendor and scope of the site begins to come into focus Unlike virtually every other Maya city or settlement Comalcalco was built using bricks rather than limestone masonry Mulchic is widely believed to have served as a strategic military settlement on the sacbé connecting Uxmal to Kabah and Santa Elena By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City; Editing by Neil Fullick Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. , opens new tabScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved Brentford’s Mikkel Damsgaard shoots from a free kick during the English Premier League soccer match between Brentford and Chelsea LONDON (AP) — The owner of Premier League club Brentford has completed the acquisition of Spanish third-tier team Mérida Brentford said Tuesday its holding company The team in the western Spain region of Extremadura is in contention for promotion to the second division a former hedge fund manager who developed statistical models for betting on soccer and has built a reputation as a smartly run data-driven club that rose into the Premier League in 2021 Merida Biosciences is developing antibody-like drugs designed to selectively eliminate disease-driving autoantibodies while sparing healthy components of the immune system which stems from the immune system's attack on the thyroid gland The lead disease target of Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Merida is Graves’ disease which develops as antibodies produced by the immune system attack the thyroid gland a butterfly-shaped gland located at the front of the neck Thyroid hormone regulates functions such as metabolism and growth the attack on the gland results in excess thyroid hormone production that speeds up the heart rate and weakens bones among other problems Standard Graves’ treatment includes radioactive iodine therapy to shrink the gland or beta blockers that block the effect of thyroid hormone on the body Each of these treatments introduces complication risks elsewhere in the body Surgical removal of the thyroid gland is another treatment option but patients need lifelong hormone replacement therapy afterward Merida is developing drugs designed to selectively bind to Fc receptors receptors on immune cells that regulate immune responses The company says its protein engineering platform generates unique Fc therapeutics that selectively bind to pathogenic antibodies The drugs then lead to the elimination of these antibodies by leveraging built-in cellular mechanisms for clearing antibody complexes which are molecular structures formed when an antibody binds to its specific target antigen The company says its drugs are designed to eliminate only pathogenic antibodies sparing healthy components of the immune system this approach is intended to spare healthy thyroid signaling The Merida drugs are biotherapeutics that the startup describes as “antibody-like” in the way they move through the body these drugs could provide longer-lasting effects that enable less frequent dosing compared to some other therapies The Graves program is currently undergoing the preclinical research that could support an investigational new drug application Other disclosed Merida programs are in preclinical development for primary membranous nephropathy which is a chronic inflammatory kidney disease and food allergies mediated by immunoglobulin E antibodies “At the heart of Merida is understanding the mechanisms behind antibody-driven diseases like Graves’ at the molecular level and leveraging these insights to develop precision therapeutics that have thus far evaded the field,” Merida co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer Dario Gutierrez said in a prepared statement “Our highly differentiated approach has the potential to yield best-in-class treatments by going after the root causes of these devastating diseases.” Merida’s launch comes as other immunology-focused biotech companies make headway with their own selective Fc-receptor targeting drugs Roivant Sciences subsidiary Immunovant is pursuing various immunological indications with IMVT-1402 and batoclimab Both drug candidates are monoclonal antibodies The clinical program for IMVT-1402 includes a Phase 2/3 study underway in Graves’ Batoclimab is currently in Phase 2 testing in Graves’ Immunovant reported preliminary data showing batoclimab achieved a strong response and a lowering of levels of antibodies associated with the disease The study is expected to post additional data this summer a potential treatment for the rare autoimmune condition chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy Merida received seed financing from Third Rock in 2022 when Gutierrez was an entrepreneur in residence at the firm The Series A financing announced Tuesday was co-led by Bain Capital Life Sciences The other investors in the new round are GV and Perceptive Xontogeny Venture Funds who was most recently chief operating officer at Apellis Pharmaceuticals a company that develops drugs that address the complement system Illustration: Sebastian Kaulitzki/Science Photo Library Discover Houston's best orthopedic surgery centers and what features — from personalized treatment plans to rehabilitation services — make these top providers stand out in their industry Finding the best analytics tools for health care revenue management can revolutionize operational processes Compare the leading software options to discover helpful team resources This webinar will explore how a banking platform approach could be the resource for your company By: Charlie Sternberg Merida Biosciences has launched with $121 million in Series A financing The financing was co-led by Bain Capital Life Sciences joined by GV and Perceptive Xontogeny Venture Funds (PXV Funds) Merida has developed a novel platform to precisely target the pathogenic antibodies that underpin a wide array of autoimmune and allergic diseases The company is developing antibody-like therapeutics with the potential to drive deep and durable depletion of pathogenic antibodies without the broad immunosuppression and resulting toxicities that accompany currently approved therapies The company currently has programs targeting Graves’ disease allergy and primary membranous nephropathy a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the kidneys “We are driven by the opportunity to fundamentally transform the treatment of a wide range of severe autoimmune and allergic diseases,” said Adam Townsend we have the potential to precisely target the clear pathogenic drivers of an intractable set of diseases with absolute selectivity and a degree of completeness and durability that has not been achievable through any approach to date.” Townsend was appointed Chief Executive Officer in March 2025 bringing more than 20 years of global biopharmaceutical experience in commercial operations and corporate development He is joined in leadership by Chief Operating Officer Dodzie Sogah Process and Product Development Michael Naill Use of this constitutes acceptance of our privacy policy The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Rodman Media Advertiser DisclosureAdvertiser Disclosure 495 Published Articles 783 Edited Articles Opinions and recommendations are ours alone Hyatt ranks its hotels from Category 1 to Category 8 getting more expensive (and usually fancier) as you go up in category I visit Category 1 properties like the Hyatt Regency Merida with measured expectations Sometimes a Hyatt Category 1 property can provide a great stay with solid amenities but the hotel is just rough around the edges That was our experience at this property in Mexico’s Yucatán state during a 3-night stay with my wife in late October 2024 If the hotel made a few small touch-ups in the maintenance department and we thoroughly enjoyed the Hyatt Regency Merida Here’s a look at the good and bad from our stay During our late-October stay, the Hyatt Regency Merida charged $116 per night for a standard room before tax The total after taxes would have been $419.01 for our 3-night stay As it was a World of Hyatt Category 1 property, however, we booked the Hyatt Regency Merida for 5,000 points per night. If you visit on off-peak dates you can find award nights at this hotel for just 3,500 points rooms with access to the Regency Club were available for 7,000 points per night Suites were available for $370 per night after taxes or 8,000 points per night After booking the hotel, I called My Hyatt Concierge — a perk of Hyatt’s top-tier Globalist status — and applied a suite upgrade award to our stay confirmed without waiting for a space-available upgrade at check-in The Hyatt Regency Merida was near the Centro Internacional de Congresos de Yucatán (Merida convention center) and surrounded by numerous other hotels it wasn’t near the main tourist spots around Plaza Principal Those sites were roughly 10 minutes away by car or 30 minutes walking We were surprised when the taxi driver told us “We’re here.” We hadn’t noticed any sign on the street and only later noticed a Hyatt Regency logo at the top of the hotel’s tower The sign near the hotel’s front door had clearly been missing for a while which is why we were surprised by the announcement of our arrival 2 bellhops rushed to the trunk of the car to help with our luggage and give a smile-filled welcome to the hotel After asking for the name on our reservation they promised to deliver our belongings to our room after we checked in After mounting a few steps and passing through a revolving door we entered a massive lobby that felt like a different planet from the signless front entrance we were greeted by a friendly employee who welcomed us to the hotel and found our reservation quickly She was patient while not 1 but 3 separate credit cards were rejected by our banks for suspected fraud as she tried to take a deposit for our room It had ample seating around a central tree There also were several chairs in the rear Signage around the lobby was nice for finding the hotel’s main facilities And we liked the suitcase art on the wall near the entrance After finally resolving the credit card issue the front desk agent gave us our room key cards and wished us a pleasant stay Aren’t you supposed to tell us about the hotel but she didn’t provide any information proactively when I asked about the location and hours for breakfast and the gym she didn’t take the initiative to provide further information about the location and hours for the pool and additional restaurants We only got the information that I specifically asked for As mentioned, we had a confirmed upgrade to a Regency Suite King, which I used a suite upgrade award for prior to arrival. However, we also enjoyed other benefits from my Globalist status These included complimentary breakfast at the buffet each morning given that the Regency Club lounge was closed during our visit (though we only found out that existed at all the following day) We also received an offer of late checkout which we declined because we’d be leaving early on the final morning We didn’t need the free parking benefit because we didn’t have a rental car Our suite was at the end of the hallway on the 15th floor with white walls and a tweed carpet that also had a few tears brown door with a small sign indicating the room number and being at the end of the hall put us far from the noise of slamming doors we heard when passing through the hallway there was a small foyer with a mirror and shelf on the wall The shelf was for holding items like keys and hats the item closest to the door was a half bathroom there was a rather plain half bathroom to the right It had a sink with a surprising amount of counter space we had spare towels and extra toilet paper There also was a toilet in a small cutout space at the other end of the bathroom narrow living room had a mix of colors and designs that didn’t seem to go together There was a sitting area with a couch and coffee table A green — very green — chair was nearby and stuck out like a sore thumb while other grays in the living room were much lighter there was a TV in a recessed space above wooden cabinets The cabinets were empty save for a small minifridge — which was also empty In contrast to the black top on the cabinets and coffee table There was a floor lamp in the corner and thick curtains covering the windows that ran the width of the living room A door from the living room led into a very spacious bedroom with a palette of gray but exposed hardwood floors covered most of the room A comfortable king bed was the room’s main feature The 4 pillows provided a soft and superfirm option for each side of the bed The headboard had a light fixture controlled by a small switch that proved to be a great reading light in the evenings Each side of the bed had a marble nightstand with 2 drawers There was also a light on a bendable arm on each side of the bed One nightstand had a wireless charging pad and a clock radio floor-to-ceiling windows had both daylight and blackout curtains there was a TV on the wall above a desk and chair The desk also held notes about the hotel’s housekeeping conservation efforts On the wall near the door to the living room Our windows looked out toward the convention center and its surrounding greenery there was a closet with sliding doors next to a full-length mirror there was a flashlight plus both a steamer and an iron The suite’s main bathroom had a sink with a marble counter and lots of counter space and a can with toiletries like cotton swabs and makeup pads There also was a box of tissues in the corner there was a toilet that nearly touched the glass wall of the shower The spacious glass box for the shower offered handheld and rainfall showerheads A cutout space held pump bottles of Yucatán Herbal products but it wasn’t on the top of the hotel’s main tower This third-floor location meant it was visible from the windows above guests encountered a list of rules and policies and there was a small covered space at the far end A small box on the deck that held a potted plant needed a good scrub and a fresh coat of paint The hotel had a small fitness center on the top of the parking structure accessible through a hallway within the hotel There was also space for additional exercises and equipment for various activities There was an outdoor space that could be used for various games like basketball The door to this area was locked throughout our stay and we couldn’t get a clear answer on the reason the largest of which was the Regency Ballroom at 6,415 square feet the pool terrace could hold up to 120 guests The Regency Ballroom’s foyer also could be used for event registration though one of them wasn’t working during our stay Choosing a floor with guest rooms required tapping our key card Waiting areas on the guest floors were spacious and had seating While the elevators were on the small side Doors inside the elevators advertised the hotel’s restaurants This culinary experience was available in a room inside the Peregrina Bistro offering family-friendly immersive dining with multiple courses The Hyatt Regency Merida offered complimentary valet parking for overnight guests while self-parking cost MX$25 ($1.25) for those not staying at the hotel A pay machine was available near the rear of the lobby Wi-Fi was included for free during our stay We were surprised to learn that we could connect up to 99 devices at no charge All guest rooms on the third floor and certain parts of the hotel were off-limits to animals (this was discussed at check-in) Guests receive bedding and towels for pets at check-in Housekeeping wouldn’t clean rooms if animals were in guest rooms without their owners present (unless the animals were in crates) The hotel charged a $60 pet fee for the first night and $30 for additional nights You were permitted a maximum of 2 pets per room each with a maximum weight of 50 pounds (22.7 kilograms) or 75 pounds (34 kilograms) combined This restaurant was down a hallway and several steps past the rear of the lobby Its regal-looking entrance belied the rather modest design inside there was an à la carte lunch or themed buffet from 1:30 to 5 p.m there was a brunch buffet operating from 1:30 to 5 p.m and a few desserts.We had breakfast here each morning and we found the buffet extremely impressive There were numerous cold cuts on the buffet The selection of desserts on the breakfast buffet wasn’t something we’d seen in many of our travels such as taquitos and enfrijoladas (corn tortillas covered in a bean sauce) And there was both a mountain of tortilla chips and multiple salsas to choose from nearby though they always included some type of eggs and some type of potato and there were typically a handful of people in line a stand held several types of juices and hot water for tea a server came to our table as soon as we were seated asking if we wanted coffee or an espresso-based drink Despite the buffet being busy each morning the staff did a good job of keeping coffee cups full and clearing away dishes to midnight daily and had an additional entrance directly from the street making it more welcoming to patrons who weren’t staying at the hotel This space behind the lobby felt like a coffee shop on steroids While there was no seating inside the market itself there were a handful of tables and chairs immediately outside and even main courses like fajitas or steak Room service was available from 6 to 11 a.m The menu had a range of items from traditional Mexican fare to Italian and American dishes The hotel had a club lounge on the 17th floor typically offering complimentary drinks throughout the day but it was closed for renovations during our visit The best description of service during our 3 nights at the Hyatt Regency Merida is that it was friendly yet inconsistent Staff members at breakfast each morning were full of smiles while checking us in and attending to our table Reception staff were always smiling when we passed or stopped to ask a question And the employee who checked us in was very friendly But she also failed to provide some of the most basic information a hotel guest should receive such as breakfast benefits and the path to the room And she didn’t pick up on the fact I was asking about my benefits or the hotel’s amenities and start offering this information I had to extract from her anything I wanted to know But she answered each question with a smile Providing this information without my continued prodding would have provided a much better experience While none of them actually affected our stay Why was the outdoor space at the gym locked and why couldn’t any employee explain the reason attention to detail was a recurring issue with maintenance no one had put tape around the switch panels in our room when painting so all of the light switches and outlets had paint on them The entry to the housekeeping area on every floor we visited also looked like this — clearly an issue of people running into the corner repeatedly with laundry carts And then there were the windows near the elevators I couldn’t guess the last time they were cleaned How much effort and cost would be involved in fixing these things such as using tape before painting and not banging into the wall with a laundry cart The hotel could easily elevate its guest experience with a few small touches we needed to leave roughly 15 minutes after breakfast opened to catch a flight we were at reception to check out rather early The friendly staff at the desk understood the situation and offered to hold our luggage while we had breakfast they came to the restaurant to tell us he was ready outside as we quickly ate and there were no other guests at the desk at this time Once we returned to the lobby from breakfast the bellhop helped us put our luggage in the trunk — once again providing a big smile while helping us Smiles were consistently present during our stay at Hyatt Regency Merida But none of the negatives were enough to turn us off from another stay should we return to Merida in the future The Hyatt Regency Merida was built in 1994 and renovated in 2011 This is a Category 1 property in World of Hyatt meaning you can book it for 5,000 points on standard nights there is a Regency Club at this hotel on the 17th floor it was closed during our stay with an unknown reopening date Ryan completed his goal of visiting every country in the world in December of 2023 and is letting his wife choose their destinations he’s written about award travel for publications including AwardWallet Plus — expert strategies to maximize your points & miles by joining our (free) newsletter We 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This site is protected by reCAPTCHA. Google's privacy policy  and terms of service  apply OFFER ENDING SOONChase Sapphire Preferred® Card LIMITED TIME TRAVEL OFFERThe Business Platinum Card® from American Express BEST LOUNGE ACCESSThe Platinum Card® from American Express Privacy Policy | All Guides | Terms & Conditions | Web Accessibility Policy | Cookie Policy travel information and ancillary information concerning travel and credit cards The information provided is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial LLC uses reasonable efforts to maintain accurate information on the site — and prior to applying for any credit card offers found on UpgradedPoints.com all visitors should review other features of such credit cards including but not limited to interest rates and should determine the suitability of such credit cards considering their own individual financial position as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases Editorial Disclosure: The content featured on UpgradedPoints.com has not been influenced or reviewed by the credit card companies mentioned comments and analyses are the responsibility of the author(s) and not any Advertiser or credit card issuer Brentford owners have acquired a Spanish third-tier side. GettyBrentford owners Best Intentions Actions have reached an agreement to acquire Spanish third-division club Mérida, the Premier League side said on Tuesday founded in 2013 after the dissolution of predecessor Club Polideportivo Mérida are fifth in the Primera Federación standings "We are aware of the club's history and identity and respecting that is something very important to us," Brentford chair Cliff Crown who is set to become Mérida's club president "The project at Mérida will continue on the same basis as it is currently maintaining the foundations of the great work that has been carried out so far "This was another key factor in our decision to commit to this club along with the fact that it has been run on a sound financial footing." Brentford were previously part of a multi-club system alongside FC Midtjylland from 2014-2023 until owner Matthew Benham sold the Danish side to Anders Holch Povlsen "Being integrated into a well-established and internationally respected methodological structure in the world of football is a source of pride," Mérida general director Alejandro Pérez Robles said "It reaffirms the work carried out by the club over the past four years during which solid foundations have been laid for its future development." Mérida’s annual cultural festival will return Jan celebrating the city’s 483rd anniversary with nearly 200 events across multiple venues Mayor Cecilia Patrón Laviada announced the program will expand beyond the city center to include events in the Caucel and Cholul districts selected by a committee of arts professionals will showcase 862 artists from nine countries Events will take place across 33 venues throughout the city This year’s highlights include performances by Mexican groups Nortec and Sonora Santanera featuring María Fernanda The festival will also commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Serenade of Santa Lucía where José and Cesár Marrufo will receive the Guty Cárdenas medal Local culinary traditions will be celebrated through a Popular Cuisine fair at El Remate de Paseo de Montejo organized by the Collective of Gastronomic and Tourism Professionals of Yucatan Fashion designer Guillermo Pérez Alayón will present a runway show Traditional events returning this year include the Alborada celebration and mass at the Holy Cathedral Church The festival will also honor notable Yucatecans including teacher Tere Cazola with the presentation of the Pepe Domínguez medal The complete festival schedule is available on the city’s official website Yucatán Magazine has the inside scoop on living here. Sign up to get our top headlines delivered to your inbox every week archaeological sites in El Salvador have largely remained unvisited by all but the most avid adventurers But this tiny country boasts several interesting sites full of unique features and blends of cultural traditions Cuicuilco is one of the most ancient settlements in all of Mesoamerica Edzná is a large archaeological site located 52 kilometers southeast of the city of Campeche Edzná means the home of the Itzá. Although not nearly as famous as Chichén Itzá Edzná is extremely impressive and feels nothing short of a great imperial capital One of the reasons people prefer this style is because they love the vibe and vitality of Mexico University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters Arts and Sciences Day of the Dead might sound like a solemn affair but Mexico’s famous holiday is actually a lively commemoration of the departed which include a massive parade in Mexico City Maya religion and cosmology have been the subject of hundreds of investigations over the past century but there is still much that remains a mystery O House, designed by Reyes Rosiñol, is located in downtown Mérida, Mexico with a guaya tree as the only pre-existing element The design concept is influenced by the intersection of Maya and Spanish traditions shaping a spatial composition that reflects regional cultural identity The house‘s layout is organized around a central axis inspired by the Maya ‘sacbé’ or ‘white road,’ which extends from the entrance to the guaya tree Positioned between an existing diagonal wall and a newly introduced converging wall the tree is encircled by a circular body of water referencing the cenote as a symbolic and spatial node organizing the spatial arrangement in response to the site’s natural morphology The placement of built elements prioritizes orientation and views following principles found in ancient Maya settlements all images by Onnis Luque The project consists of solid volumes composed of materials native to the region including sascab (white soil) and kankab (red soil) and a mass-dominant composition establish a dialogue with the colonial architecture of the surrounding urban fabric The architectural program includes four bedrooms—one main and three guest rooms—along with public spaces such as terraces Service and maintenance areas are integrated into the layout The architectural team at Reyes Rosiñol organizes the space around the central node integrating the built environment with the surrounding vegetation The monochromatic volumes function as sculptural elements shaping interior spaces defined by shifting shadows and natural light This approach creates a subdued yet dynamic atmosphere where the boundaries between interior and exterior are softened through material and spatial continuity the enclosed facades and mass-dominant composition create a sense of privacy and enclosure the monochromatic volumes act as sculptural elements the project features solid volumes composed of native materials such as sascab and kankab a circular body of water encircles the guaya tree the spatial arrangement follows the natural morphology of the site enhancing the relationship between interior and exterior casting dynamic shadows throughout the day name: Casa O architect: Reyes Rosiñol | @reyesrosinol photographer: Onnis Luque | @onnisluque_fotografia designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here. edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom happening now! partnering with antonio citterio, AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function, but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style, context, and personal expression. From soaring neoclassical residences to colorful colonial buildings lining grid-like streets there are eye-pleasing delights around every corner The region’s cultural and culinary capital lays on fascinating museums and world-class cuisine Add buzzing cantinas and regular festivals and you’ll always find something to do in the White City – here are our recommendations SCStock / Shutterstock See City Tours Mérida earned its nickname as La Ciudad Blanca (the White City) due to the prevalence of limestone finished in a vibrant palette of pastels and primary colors tree-lined Paseo de Montejo to spy spectacular styles of architecture from fairytale French Renaissance to flamboyant former art nouveau residences The Palacio Cantón is a particularly fine example – now home to an anthropology museum Photo by lucas Oliveira on Unsplash While most party seekers fly into the vacay hotspot of Cancún for the fiesta Mérida more than holds its own when it comes to after-hours fun where the mezcal flows and people dance into the early hours (we especially love the vibe at La Negrita) You can often expect live music at these venues pumping out everything from rock to reggaeton Go shopping at the bustling markets Market Nan Tun Nay / Shutterstock Mérida has long been an important crossroads for trade with over 2,000 stalls selling everything from traditional Mayan clothing and curios to the weird and wonderful ingredients that go into Yucatecan cooking Its cacophonous riot of color and aromas is the best way to fully experience the essence of Yucatán all in one place head to the more orderly Mercado Miguel Alemán The Mercado Santa Ana is the spot for sizzling street food Sign up to our newsletter to save up to $800 on our unique trips See privacy policy Join the fiesta at one of the annual events Concert Hall Mexicans like a good party, and Yucatecos are no different. The city kicks off the year in style with Mérida Fest, celebrating the anniversary of its founding through 165 shows, dedicated to dance, theater and music. February sees the Mérida Carnival, one of the biggest street festivals in the country, full of color and costumes, followed by the rather more solemn but still spectacular Semana Santa around Easter Not to be missed in November is Hanal Pixán Max Letek / Unsplash With a history as rich as this part of the world, it’s no wonder Mérida has some superb museums. Housed in a rather striking piece of modern architecture, Gran Museo del Mundo Maya is a world-class venue (and an absolute must) dedicated to the history, culture and achievements of the Mayan culture. The city also boasts the Palacio de la Música where visitors explore Mexico’s musical heritage while train buffs will love the old engines at the Railway Museum import PrebidBidService from "/v1/js/PrebidBidService.js"; import AmazonBidService from "/v1/js/AmazonBidService.js"; window.addEventListener('intersecting',async (e) => { const element = document.querySelector('[data-id="in_article_2"]'); const slot = element.getAttribute('id'); if(e.detail.slotName !== slot) { return; } let promises = []; if(window.canRunPrebid) { const prebidService = new PrebidBidService(); promises.push(prebidService.requestPrebidBids(null [slot])); } if(window.canRunAmazon) { const amazonService = new AmazonBidService(); promises.push(amazonService.fetchBids(null [slot])); } if(promises?.length) { await Promise.all(promises).then(() => { googletag.pubads().refresh([window.addSlot[slot]]); }); } else { googletag.pubads().refresh([window.addSlot[slot]]); } }); Soak up modern art Art Gallery Marv Watson / Unsplash Experience History With the Mayan sites of Uxmal and Chichén-Itzá both a few hours away Mérida is a handy jumping-off point for visiting these archeological gems But there are some great places even closer worth exploring Dzibilchaltún is an excellent ancient site with over 8,000 structures and a great little museum too – a natural limestone pool filled with limpid waters and a lovely spot for a refreshing dip import PrebidBidService from "/v1/js/PrebidBidService.js"; import AmazonBidService from "/v1/js/AmazonBidService.js"; window.addEventListener('intersecting',async (e) => { const element = document.querySelector('[data-id="in_article_3"]'); const slot = element.getAttribute('id'); if(e.detail.slotName !== slot) { return; } let promises = []; if(window.canRunPrebid) { const prebidService = new PrebidBidService(); promises.push(prebidService.requestPrebidBids(null [slot])); } if(promises?.length) { await Promise.all(promises).then(() => { googletag.pubads().refresh([window.addSlot[slot]]); }); } else { googletag.pubads().refresh([window.addSlot[slot]]); } }); The Best Trips and Tours in Mexico Historical Landmark Michael Potts F1 / Shutterstock Book Your Trip to Mexico Mexico is one of the most exciting countries in North America with its lively city streets brimming with culture music and some of the best street food you’ll find anywhere But it’s also a country of fascinating history and amazing natural wonders with Aztec and Mayan temples found right next to mystical cenotes A dyed-in-the-wool Londoner now firmly rooted among the cobbled streets of old town Palma de Mallorca left a piece of himself in Mexico some time in the last millennium and had a previous existence touring the world with a band you've probably never heard of See & Do Unique Indigenous Towns in Mexico See & Do Mexico's Most Stunning Lakeside Towns and Villages Guides & Tips A Guide To The Palacio De Bellas Artes See & Do The Most Beautiful Plazas in Mexico City See & Do A View of Mexico City Through the Xochimilco Canals See & Do 16 Must Visit Attractions in Guadelejara See & Do The Most Magical Sites to Visit in Mexico Guides & Tips 14 Things You Should Never Say to a Mexican See & Do The 10 Best Things to See and Do in Pachuca See & Do The Top 10 Things to See and Do in Tlaxcala See & Do Must-Visit Attractions in the Copper Canyon See & Do How to Spend Christmas and New Years in Mexico City US: +1 (678) 967 4965 | UK: +44 (0)1630 35000 tripssupport@theculturetrip.com © Copyright 2025 The Culture Trip Ltd Yucatán state has attracted nearly 7 billion pesos (US $348 million) in real estate projects in the state capital of Mérida as the current administration seeks to increase support for the housing sector Governor Joaquín Díaz Mena inaugurated the Residencial Punto Maya project in Ucú The project cost a total of 5.5 billion pesos (US $274 million) In a separate event, Díaz laid the cornerstone of the second building of the Distrito Arte Mérida (Mérida Art District) complex with an investment of over 1.3 billion pesos (US $64 million) the director of the real estate development company Misión Obispado cut the inaugural ribbon for Residencial Punto Maya a project expected to generate more than 250 direct jobs “This project represents hundreds of opportunities for our people,” Díaz said during his speech highlighting the strategic location of the development “It’s just six minutes from the current beltway but it will also be very close to the Metropolitan Beltway that we will soon build and the Maya Train.” Díaz added that such investments demonstrate that Yucatán is a state with legal certainty and appeal for investors In an event that took place later that day Díaz laid the cornerstone of the second building of the Mérida Art District he reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to promoting policies that encourage productive investment and strengthen the community’s economic and social fabric The real estate project will create over 350 direct and indirect jobs and “will strengthen the entity’s tourism and service infrastructure,” Díaz said The development features over 10,000 square meters of commercial space a 120-room hotel that will be operated by the Voco brand financed and maintained through private investment This project is part of the first phase of the Mérida Art District initiative which has already seen a  US $15 million investment in the construction of a corporate center set to  open in May With reports from El Economista and 24 Horas Yucatán ADVERTISE WITH MND COMMUNITY GUIDELINES Subscription FAQ's Privacy Policy Mexico News Daily - Property of Tavana LLC Zeynep Sonmez posted a big result for herself and her country of Turkey by winning her first Hologic WTA Tour singles title at the Merida Open Akron on Sunday The 22-year-old Sonmez hoisted her maiden trophy by cruising past Ann Li of the United States 6-2 World No.127 Sonmez needed just 70 minutes to defeat 24-year-old Li a former Top 50 player currently ranked No.111 Sonmez becomes the first Turkish player in over eight years to win a WTA singles title Cagla Buyukakcay was the first Turkish WTA singles champion when she claimed the Istanbul title on home soil in 2016 "I've been working for this day for 15 years." 🥲@ZeynepSonmez__ | #MeridaOpenAKRON pic.twitter.com/7hdAZ0eE2q On the rise: The victory underlines Sonmez's methodical rise up the WTA ranks over the past couple seasons Sonmez had never cracked the Top 300 before 2023 but she is now edging closer to a potential Top 100 debut Sonmez made her Grand Slam main-draw debut at this year's Roland Garros and she became the first Turkish player to make a WTA quarterfinal since Buyukakcay in 2017 when she reached the elite eight in Monastir Busy Sunday: Both Sonmez and Li won their semifinal matches earlier on Sunday Li completed a rain-delayed match by defeating Polina Kudermetova 6-3 winning four of the five games they contested on Sunday after resumption of play This is definitely worth a feed post 😉@ZeynepSonmez__ | #MeridaOpenAKRON pic.twitter.com/CXJRbfrlyr Sonmez won her Sunday semifinal over 17-year-old Alina Korneeva coming back from 4-2 down in the first set to prevail 7-6(5) Sonmez took control early and never let up Sonmez slammed a volley winner to take a 4-2 lead and wrapped up the one-set advantage two games later Sonmez broke Li's serve three times in succession and never dropped serve reeling off the last six games to collect the title Sonmez won 23 of Li's 40 first-service points in the match Title town in Mérida 🏆Top seeds Quinn Gleason & @ingriidgmartins defeat Kempen/Salden 6-4 6-4 to complete their dream week!#MeridaOpenAKRON pic.twitter.com/5jl67CaEHF Doubles champions: The Merida Open Akron doubles title went to the No.1 seeds Quinn Gleason of the United States and Ingrid Martins of Brazil Gleason and Martins won the title over unseeded Belgians Magali Kempen and Lara Salden 6-4 The champions converted five of seven break points in the 91-minute final on Sunday It is the first WTA doubles title for 29-year-old Gleason who was previously a doubles finalist at 2023 Prague The 28-year-old Martins has now won two WTA career doubles titles; she previously paired with Lidziya Marozava to win the 2023 Bad Homburg title Just over a week ago Merida launched their first real lightweight eMTB with the all-new eOne-Sixty SL powered by the Bosch SX ebike motor and a 400Wh internal battery Mixing the smooth feel and ‘just enough’ power of the SX eMTB powertrain Merida gives the e160 SL a full carbon frame with truly enduro-capable all-mountain geometry and 160mm of travel front & rear to create a do-it-all shredder for riders looking for ultimate lightweight and a more natural ride I spent a couple days riding this new light eMTB on familiar steep and came away truly appreciating an ebike that felt like riding a regular bike just with several hours of fresh legs built-in I’m a little torn over whether I should call this ebike the eOne-Sixty SL like Merida does on their website or the e160 SL like is written on the top tube I feel like this new e160 SL is the real highlight of Merida’s 2025 move to Bosch Merida diversifies with their first move into Bosch motors The Shimano-powered bikes aren’t going anywhere but now German motor lovers get their options Together with this Performance Line SX-powered e160 SL there’s a new Performance Line CX-powered e180 and a few base CX-powered eFloat commuters of various sorts All come at a time as Bosch has seriously overhauled their premium performance ebike motors while also adding the same small unobtrusive handlebar style mounted displays that Shimano has used for years The heart of this e160 SL ebike then is the lightweight Bosch Performance Line SX motor that debuted last year tucked under this custom plastic protector The lower overall SX torque actually translates to less power drain So even though this Merida e160 SL only has a 400Wh battery inside you’ll get a lot longer range than if you put that small of a battery into a CX-powered eMTB the Merida eOne-Sixty SL has its charging port right on the side of its seattube below the rocker link pivot And you can strap an extra 250Wh Bosch PowerMore range extender external battery in place of the regular water bottle to carry you 62.5% further than without it I would probably recommend that everyone who buys this lightweight ebike plan to cough up another 400€ for that extra battery The greatest thing about this eMTB is probably how light it is and how that makes it handle more like a regular enduro or all-mountain bike And I think the building 400Wh battery offers plenty of range for the majority of rides you’ll do on it – where you don’t want the penalty of an extra 1.6kg on every ride But being able to increase your range by so much when you do plan on an all-day ride with more climbing than usual just makes this a much more versatile ebike in the end This new lightweight 29er Merida eOne-Sixty SL ebike gets 160mm of travel front & rear in a <2kg full-carbon frame with a simple linkage-driven single-pivot suspension design and flex stays that help keep it simple & lightweight Or 174mm in the rear if you convert it to a mullet setup via the flip-chip and a 27.5 rear wheel swap It looks quite a bit different, but suspension kinematics-wise it’s quite similar to the new Shimano EP8-powered eOne-Sixty that launched last spring (which was actually already a mullet with 174mm of rear wheel travel paired to a 170mm fork) this SL eMTB even feels a bit more capable off-road too It does get a half a degree slacker headtube at 64° and an extra centimeter of Reach to 489mm on my size Long test ebike it’s a bit longer and slacker for more stability so it’s much easier to hop and maneuver around on the trail – and still available in 5 Agilometer sizes (XS-XL) A few more key details… all the cables are routed in through the Wire Port cap on the Acros block-lock headset thick sculpted wrap-around rubber chainstay protector to silence the drivetrain and optional short or long rear fenders to keep mud away from the main pivots The e160 SL has clearance for 29 x 2.4″ tires Merida backs the carbon frame with a lifetime warranty Want more details? Check out my eOne-Sixty ebike launch story, here so the new Merida e160 SL 8000 that I tested in size L (Long or Large) weighs 20.4kg That’s set up tubeless without petals but with the mini-tool strapped under its seat That’s not really light for a regular bike but it is only about 2.5kg more than an entry-level pedal-it-yourself One-Sixty A lot of weight savings comes from that 400Wh battery in it But it still seemed to be plenty for what I was getting up to and riding Merida describes this as an ebike meant to blur the divide between conventional regular bike riding and pedal-assisted ebiking There’s no doubt that the Bosch SX powertrain makes you feel like you have fresh legs zipping up climbs easier than you probably should And the complete package is still light enough that you go downhill without really feeling like being weighed down by a heavy it’s plenty light enough to still be maneuverable under you This is an eMTB that’s easy to pick up and hop around on tight technical trails And it’s really easy to get it off the ground I often feel I’m plowing into things This ebike still feels light enough that you can pick lines easily and confidently tackle more challenging lines the Bosch SX motor is less powerful than its heavier-duty CX sibling But still it offers that same peak power of 600W So it’s still feels like it’s going to carry you up some of the steepest terrain its torque is about 40% less than the most powerful motors out there But to just make getting back up the hill a bit quicker it definitely felt like plenty of zip for me And that lower torque in the end actually does create a more natural ride – a feeling I prefer when getting pedal-assist The SX setup kind of strikes a balance between really lightweight and full-power motor support And it manages power well with the 400Wh battery to still deliver quite long range I (85kg) had no problem getting 2 solid hours of riding and 900-1000 meters of climbing out of this relatively small motor and small internal battery while pushing it hard Knocking it down to eMTB mode looked like it would get me about 10% more it won’t keep up all-day with full-power eMTBs with much bigger batteries if you head high into the mountains But it’s definitely a compromise I’m willing to make in order to have that much better maneuverability and much more playful feel to the ebike – both when going downhill and especially carving the ebike through tight technical terrain & more flowy trails Saving 3-5kg off many of the more powerful eMTBs out there the e160 SL just creates a much more enjoyable feel that is much more like riding a mountain bike and less like lugging a heavy ebike up & down in the forest And I think it’s simply more fun to throw a lightweight eMTB off of jumps that it is a heavyweight ebike you can just strap on a range extender battery And while a 250Wh is a relatively small addition to a thousand Wh battery when you’re already starting from just 400Wh So you’re genuinely increasing your range by more than 60% the one thing I don’t like is that the range extender takes the place of your water bottle you’ll just have to accept wearing a hydration pack One recent Bosch update that I can really get behind is their new Purion 400 display (which looks a lot like Shimano’s similar Di2 & ebike display) It simply puts useful ebike info in an easy-to-see spot and lets the rider cycle through whatever you prefer to focus on – estimated range It’s simply much more informative than the LED indicator bars that Bosch puts on your toptube The one issue I had tested this Merida e160 SL 8000 was that this model includes a wired-in SRAM AXS transmission rear derailleur here it’s powered directly from the ebike’s battery But the Bosch system & SRAM don’t talk That means when you run out of battery for the ebike and you’re left in whatever gear you’re in you should just turn off any pedal-assist to still get more shifting you can start it back up for a second and probably get a couple extra shifts out to get back to a pedal-able gear it’s going to shut down again with its lovely Bosch message of “See You” at the end My recommendation if you get any Bosch ebike with a wired-in SRAM derailleur is just to buy an extra AXS battery to carry as a spare so you don’t ever have to worry about it again It’ll cost you about 60€ and weigh <25g What I come away with is that this new e160 SL is my favorite Merida ebike, yet. It actually rides a lot like the regular 160s, which I liked a lot for the it simple The Merida e160 SL is not super long travel Although its geometry is really trying to emulate full-on enduro bikes But it’s much more of an e-All-mountain shredder type of thing and Merida’s characteristically steep seattube angle you can comfortably ride this thing down just about any trail It’s probably the most versatile e-mountain-bike that Merida has made And at this light weight and natural ride feel it really just handles so much like a regular bike that it’s just fun for all types of trail riding and makes you feel like you always have fresh legs Merida-bikes.com Cory Benson is the EU Tech Editor of Bikerumor.com Cory has been writing about mountain bikes gravel bikes & bikepacking for over 25 years even before the industry created some of these names Cory was a practicing Architect specializing in environmental sustainability has designed bike shops & bike components Cory travels extensively across Europe riding bikes meeting with key European product developers industry experts & tastemakers for an in-depth review of what’s new Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed sullied for me by the headset cable routing and direct-wired derailleur Not sure you can just simply pop an AXS battery into those direct-wired units Curious whether or not the Bosch “clacking/rattling” while coasting downhill is a thing with the new lower-powered SX motor but don’t want to deal with solvents Simpyfast claims their Lube Cube is the easiest way Peak Performance expands on their MTB specific clothing with new pants Apparently that’s an option when you’re designing products for the GOAT We spotted Cofidis racing an all-new prototype wireless 13-speed Campagnolo Super Record 13 WRL SC road groupset Canyon Bicycles is now selling select models directly through Amazon.com Want wireless shifting but don’t want to have to buy a whole new drivetrain Be protected from the sun with the new UV Hooded Trail Shirt… OrNot The new Van Nicholas Astraeus is a beautiful titanium road bike that’s limited to just 50 frames Germany (BRAIN) — Taiwan bike maker Merida Industry Co has acquired an additional 39% stake in Merida & Centurion Germany GmbH from its founder Merida already owned a 51% share in the distributor Merida & Centurion has been the long-time distributor of Merida-branded bikes in Germany The company also develops and distributes Centurion bikes Renner has been associated with Centurion since 1976 His company acquired the Centurion brand from WSI in 1990 after WSI consolidated its brands to focus on Diamondback In a filing with the Taiwan stock exchange Merida said it was acquiring the shares from Renner because he is approaching retirement age Renner was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in Fairfax in 2017 for his efforts in establishing mountain biking in Germany as a journalist and businessman "This plan is designed to ensure long-term sustainable management of Merida & Centurion Germany GmbH," Merida said in its filing has manufactured at least some Centurion models for decades Merida also owns a majority share in Japan's Miyata bike brand and at one time owned a 49% share in Specialized Bicycle Components That share has been reduced to 35% according to exchange filings the company had sales last year of NT$27.261 billion ($844 million at August 2024 exchange rate) down 36% from its outlier results in 2022 but in line with its pre-pandemic annual revenue figures down less than 1 percent from the same period in 2023 with June and July sales up 49% and 18% from the same months in 2023 Merida Biosciences MA-based biotechnology company developing a new class of precision therapeutics The round was led by Bain Capital Life Sciences The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and its R&D efforts and Chief Scientific Officer Dario Gutierrez It is developing antibody-like therapeutics with the potential to drive deep and durable depletion of pathogenic antibodies Merida was seeded in 2022 by Third Rock Ventures while Dr Gutierrez was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence most recently as Chief Operating Officer at Apellis Pharmaceuticals The two are joined in leadership by Chief Operating Officer Dodzie Sogah Merida’s Board of Directors brings experience across the full spectrum of drug discovery and development: Mérida is a vibrant you’ll find a wide variety of fabulous free events to check out in the weekly Semana Meridana Genuine pride in local culture and history runs through the events of the Semana Meridana Yucatecans are extremely proud of their heritage and the clear delight in being able to share it with visitors is a joy to behold While being able to speak Spanish will be useful at the events you'll be able to be amused by the explanations of local traditional dress and dance styles as well as the poetry and jokes that accompany the events Begin the week in the Plaza Grande with the Vaquería a traditional celebration that began during the Spanish rule and which has stayed at the heart of Yucatecan culture The dancers are all dressed in stunning traditional clothing and watching their feet move in a blur is always my favorite part of this show If you speak Spanish you’ll also enjoy the tradition of the Bomba For an evening of romantic music, you can’t do much better than the Trova Tuesday. Each week, a Trovador trio delights audiences with a set comprising classic Yucatecan and Mexican timeless songs Trovadores are the Yucatecan alternative to Mariachis: they’re the ones to sing by your window at night Diálogos del Conquistador is a video mapping presentation that takes place at Casa Montejo, a bank and museum by day, and an art installation on Wednesday nights. A (subtitled) interaction between Francisco de Montejo and a Maya leader, it’s a moving piece of theatre that highlights that Mérida was first a Maya city and that it owes so much to the Maya culture.     The 40-minute event will be a multi-faceted performance showcasing the history and significance of the Palacio Cantón The event will offer a unique blend of history making it a must-see for anyone visiting Mérida Without a doubt, this is the most popular night of the week. I have never seen Parque de Santa Lucía as busy as it is on a Thursday night you can try grabbing a table at one of the many fabulous restaurants on the square The evening is full of joy and music in the form of different bands but with the same format: the orchestra and dancers comes alive on Friday nights thanks to "Isla de Luz," a spectacular video mapping that projects images onto its detailed sculptures narrates the history of Mexico from pre-Hispanic times to the present you can savor a marquesita and admire the intricate details of the monument's four faces Video mapping is something that México truly excels at. If you’re out and about in Centro on a Friday evening enjoying the pedestrianization of town, be sure to stop by for the beaming of a potted history of Mérida onto one of the oldest cathedrals in the Americas it’s been featured in countless travel guides due to the quality of its content Don’t miss out on our latest articles and the digital magazine before anyone else we accompany the traveler so that they can experience the authentic essence of Yucatán Search More results...