Parque Zoológico del Centenario

The Parque Zoológico del Centenario, known in Mérida simply as "El Centenario", is the city's main zoo and one of its oldest public parks. It covers about 9.7 hectares on the west side of the historic centre, on Avenida de los Itzaes between Calles 59 and 65, roughly 1.7 km west of the Plaza Grande, and it is run by the Mérida city government. Entry has always been free, and in January 2026 the mayor publicly dismissed rumours that a fee would be introduced, so it remains one of the easiest family outings in the city.

The park opened on 18 September 1910, timed to the centenary of Mexican independence, which is where the name comes from. It was laid out to give Mérida a large recreational park and began as a botanical garden; the animals arrived in 1962, when it was turned into a zoo, and an aviary was added about thirty years later. The ground it occupies once held the colonial barrio of Santa Catarina, which has since disappeared. The park's red-and-white gateways on the avenue and its Porfirian fountain and kiosk still recall that first period, and its Educazoo environmental education programme has run since 1988.

Inside, a shady network of paths links the animal areas with the older park. There is an aviary of about 2,500 m², a herpetarium for reptiles, an outdoor primate area and mammal enclosures; a 2023 count gave roughly 195 birds, 228 reptiles and 195 mammals, and the animals visitors look for include lions and a white tiger, hippos, giraffes, zebras, dromedaries, crocodiles and several kinds of monkeys. Around them are a small lake with rowing boats, a cable car over the lake and picnic area, playgrounds, a carousel and small rides, food stalls and the Torre EducaZoo. The little train that has looped the park for decades, and used to cost a peso a ride, has been out of service since an accident in April and a second incident in May 2026; the city has announced new track but had not set a restart date as of August 2026.