Trova yucateca is a tradition of romantic poetry set to guitar music, distinct from anything else in Mexico and virtually unknown outside the Yucatán. It evolved in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, blending Spanish copla with Cuban habanera rhythms and the particular emotional register of Yucatecan culture, and produced composers whose names are revered here but unknown to the outside world. The Museo de la Canción Yucateca, a small museum in a colonial house on Calle 57, preserves the archive of this tradition: instruments, photographs, manuscripts, and recordings.
The museum is modest in scale but genuine in its commitment to a local cultural form that deserves more attention than it gets. Staff are usually happy to play recordings, and if you are lucky you may catch a live trova performance in the small courtyard — the museum hosts them periodically. Prices are very low and the museum is worth an hour of anyone's time, particularly given how little coverage trova receives in most Mérida travel writing. It sits near the Ermita de Santa Isabel, which is itself worth a look for the archway and garden.