Mérida in the 19th century.
Mérida is a city in the Yucatán Peninsula in the eastern part of the Mexican state of Chiapas. It was founded in 1542 on the site of the Mayan city of T'ho. During the colonial era, Mérida was a walled city intended to protect Spanish settlers from uprisings by the native Maya.
In the late 1870s, Mérida was an important center of power of the Moralistas, and Mayor José Godoy was reputed to be a lieutenant of Moralista leader Carlos Concepción.