U.S. Consulate in Merida shines with sculptures by Jorge Pardo: “Mexican and Mayan vitality”

U.S. Consulate in Merida shines with sculptures by Jorge Pardo, which allude to cenotes and trees of Yucatan with “Mexican and Mayan vitality”

Mérida, Yucatán.- 83 days after its inauguration, the United States Consulate in Mérida showed off the decoration of the building in the city with sculptures by Jorge Pardo , a Cuban-American visual artist and furniture designer.

On X (formerly Twitter), the account Art in Embassies , which belongs to the State Department of the neighboring country to the north, showed a video and a photograph where the colorful sculptures hanging from the ceiling enveloping what appear to be lamps can be seen.

And, perhaps without the artist intending it, views from below are reminiscent of mandalas.

“The U.S. Consulate in Merida shines with Jorge Pardo’s sculptures , which fuse Yucatan rock formations, cenotes, and fruit-laden trees.

“From his studio in Mérida, the Cuban-American artist combines Mexican and Mayan vitality in these architectural wonders.”

The US Consulate in Mérida glows with Jorge Pardo's sculptures, blending Yucatán's rock formations, cenotes, & fruit-laden canopies. From his Mérida studio, the Cuban-American artist weaves Mexican & Mayan vibrancy into these architectural marvels! @ConsulateUSAMer pic.twitter.com/wbdc6DIDy9

— Art in Embassies (@ArtinEmbassies) February 25, 2025

The $211 million building, designed by Miller Hull Partnership and built by BL Harbert International, features regional landscaping and advanced energy and water efficiency measures.

The design of the consular complex evokes Mayan archaeological sites, rising above the jungle and offering tree-lined views across the Peninsula.

The ceremonial staircase that connects the common spaces within the building represents the cenotes found throughout the region.

The consulate houses a permanent art collection curated by the OBO Office of Art in Embassies, with contributions from American and Mexican artists.

But there is one highlight of the collection, which is a specific installation (an art installation is a type of exhibition, a genre of contemporary art that is characterized by the interaction of the viewer with the work) by the renowned artist Jorge Pardo .

In it, the artist presents 17 brilliant sculptures that repeat the reference to the cenotes of Yucatan, in the gallery space.

But local talent also contributed to the design, as did the Mexican abstract expressionist artist Gabriel Ramírez , considered one of the most important artists of Yucatán , who collaborated with acrylic paintings influenced by Mexican motifs, history and culture.

Jorge Pardo was born in 1963, Havana, Cuba, and is a visual artist and furniture designer, who at the age of 6 moved with his family to the city of Chicago.

He attended the University of Illinois to study biology, but after taking some painting courses as a hobby, a professor encouraged him to change direction and he ended up graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.

There he was a student of Stephen Prina in 1954 in Illinois, an American artist whose work has been categorized as post-conceptualist and Mike Kelley, one of the most influential American artists of the last quarter of the 20th century.

Since 2013, after having lived 45 years in the United States, Jorge Pardo lives and works in Mérida, Yucatán.

Pardo's practice is sculpture and artistic installations , but he goes beyond the boundaries of contemporary art to relate to other disciplines such as architecture and design.

The facility, which opened on December 4, 2024, came four years after the U.S. Department of State 's Office of Overseas Building Operations (OBO) began construction.

The building also reflects the commitment between the United States and Mexico, as well as the permanent presence in the Yucatan Peninsula, an essential region for trade, tourism and cultural exchange.

Information from the Embassy indicates that in 1897 the Consulate of Mérida was closed and its functions were relocated to Progreso, where it remained for 37 years.

Records at the National Archives in Washington, DC contain lists of communications the Consulate made to Washington at that time concerning American vessels arriving at the ports of Progreso and Campeche , agricultural and commercial matters in Yucatan, missing American reports, as well as reports of contagious diseases in the area.

The Consulate returned to Mérida on February 1, 1934 , near the “Parque del Centenario”. It was later relocated again to the city center, near the cathedral.

The United States government has leased the former Consulate building, located at Paseo de Montejo and Avenida Colón, since 1959. The Consul and Vice Consul originally lived in houses located in the Consulate complex.

In December 2001 , the property's lease expired and a temporary extension was signed while an extensive search process for a new location was undertaken.

Construction of the new Consulate was then completed, about three blocks from the previous site, to open its doors on November 6, 2006 , in its current location.

The facilities of the new building, which was inaugurated on December 4, 2024, are located on Calle 60, number 338-K between Calle 29 and Calle 31, in the Alcalá Martín neighborhood, Postal Code 97050.

Here are the Google Maps directions to get there quickly and easily.