Confetur Convention

Welcome Confetur Ladies! As you probably noticed, there is a Confetur logo on the cover of this month's magazine. The reason behind this is because Merida is hosting the XXVI Annual Convention of Confetur - Confederacion Feminina en Turismo. Confetur is made up of some 250 ladies in six chapters - Mexico City, Guadalajara, Chihuahua, Puerto Vallarta, Veracruz and Merida. Every year they have two conventions - one national and one international. This years national convention is here in the Yucatan!

The ladies in Confetur all work in tourism as owners or employees of travel agencies, airlines, shipping lines, transportation companies, hotels, tourist guide magazines (Yucatan Today) and car rental businesses. When these ladies go on these conventions, as is expected, they are wined and dined by the local tourist companies. The advantage of this is that they take fresh, up-to-date information back to their agencies, making sales for trips to Merida easier.

During this year's convention in Merida, the ladies will visit the Colonial City of Valladolid, the Mayan pyramids of Ek-Balam and the port of Progreso. At these different areas, they will visit hotels and restaurants, see local traditions and people and have a good time as they gather information, brochures and publicity at each place they visit.

This month is also Valladolid's 460th anniversary, known as The Sultaness of the East, Sultana del Oriente. Founded in 1543, a year after Merida, by Francisco de Montejo, the Valladolid of today is a tranquil city with many romantic nooks and crannies, impressive convents and churches and beautiful Colonial buildings. The Valladolid of years ago was rather agitated with a bitter history as it was a Mayan city, Zaci, that was conquered by the Spanish - always a messy situation and the setting for the beginning of the Caste War in 1847.

The Valladolid of today boasts a safe tranquil area where you can stroll the streets at night, sit in its many parks and the Main Plaza, savour its wonderful cuisine and take in a modern/old fashioned Mayan city. Walk the streets and take note of the stonework on the many pastel colored façades. In Valladolid you will find banks, ATM machines, hotels, restaurants, clinics, post office, handcrafts and much more. Another thing Valladolid is famous for is its embroidery. This is especially obvious right on the Main Plaza where the Mayan ladies sell hand-embroidered dresses, blouses, handkerchiefs, Barbie dresses and handbags. Our cover this month is in honor of all the hands in the Yucatan that do this beautiful, colourful embroidery work.

To read in Spanish click here