In the barrio (neighborhood) of La Mejorada is a very unique museum, and may very well be the only one of its kind: the Museo de la Canción Yucateca (museum of Yucatecan song). Our music has such sensitivity and romanticism that this museum was created exclusively to pay tribute to the great Yucatecan composers and singers who have contributed to our musical memories over the years.
With its slogan: “Una puerta al mundo de la música romántica” (a door to the world of romantic music), you will be welcomed at the entry by a very special welcoming committee: three life-size sculptures of Pepe Domínguez, great composer, and Guty Cárdenas and Ricardo Palmerín, both trova singers. This museum displays more than 50 oil portraits of composers, singers, poets, and promoters of Yucatecan song, forged with enormous influence from Cuban and Spanish music. We recommend that you visit all the rooms, for in each one there will be something which wins you over, including personal objects of the composers, letters, manuscripts, and even instruments which belonged to them. If you are a music and history lover, you will be enchanted by the antique songbooks and original scores!
If you are wondering why there would be a museum dedicated solely to this music, the answer is simple: trova music is considered a cultural heritage of the Yucatecan people, and in this museum, you will find its greatest Yucatecan examples. Some important people who are represented are: Ricardo Palmerín, Guty Cárdenas, Cirilo Baqueiro Preve “Chancil”, Ermilo Padrón López, Juan Acereto, Armando Manzanero, and Pastor Cervera.
As you move through the museum’s salons, you will find guitars, phonographs, violins, song lyrics, documents, papers, black and white as well as color photographs, personal writings, medals, trophies, and a world full of Yucatecan musicality and ingenuity. You can also hear musical pieces in the various salons while taking your tour.
Among the features of the museum are a video salon, a sculpture museum, with 10 busts on display, a cafeteria, a theater with various activities, and a store where you can purchase discs, cassettes, videos, songbooks, and postcards.
The Museo de la Canción Yucateca, without a doubt, is one of the most important museums in our country because of its invaluable heritage, which includes donated items as well as musical objects on loan from the families or descendants of the composers and singers.
Founded on November 5, 1978, initiative of Doña Rosario Cáceres Baqueiro de Manzanilla, granddaughter of composer Cirilo Baqueiro Preve “Chan-Cil”; it is open to the public in the barrio of La Mejorada, and also offers weekly trio and trova recitals. Don’t miss it!
Múseo de la Canción Yucateca
Calle 57 #464 x 48, Parque de La Mejorada, Centro
Tuesday to Friday 9 am – 5 pm; Saturday and Sunday 9 am – 3 pm
Entry: $20 pesos (free on Sunday)
Photograph by Andrea Mier y Terán for use in Yucatán Today
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