Yucatan Athenaeum Contemporary Art Museum (MACAY)

It is part of the facilities of the old building known as Peninsular Athenaeum whose construction was between 1573 and 1636. It is located in the main plaza of Merida and has had many uses and remodeling over the years, the most important one in 1916 by the architect Manuel Amábilis who gave the building its Neo-Renaissance French style. It has been the priest house of the cathedral, the Old School of San Ildefonso, the Peninsular Athenaeum (Art Teaching Center), Archbishop Palace, Saint Joseph and Saint Rosemary chapel, the Council Seminar, a religious hostel and government offices. As a museum, it opened on April 29, 1994 with the technical and museographic support of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) and the National Autonomous University of Mexico. It is managed by the Macay Foundation with government resources via the Institute of Culture of Yucatan. The halls have History of the Art names  Gabriel Ramírez Aznar, Tane Orfebres, Bordado Maya Chuy, Fernando Castro Pacheco, Arte Contemporáneo del Museo de Cuenca, Fernando García Ponce and History of the building. The facilities includes nine halls for temporary plastic and visual art exhibits, auditorium, library, sound library, newspaper and magazine library, video library, coffee shop, and souvenir store. Their promotion strategy includes a weekly TV show, cultural collaborations in press and the edition of bullet board. The museum organizes guided visits, concerts, lectures, book presentation, painting, pottery classes and workshops for children and adults.