At three o’clock in the afternoon, there is an almost total suspension of business. The stores, generally, are closed, and the inhabitants betake themselves to their hammocks, to the enjoyment of their favorite siesta, which consists of a nap of an hour or more; an indulgence as indispensable to a Mexican as his cigar. The calesa is the only wheel-carriage that is to be found in the streets. Indian porters take the place of drays, and are seen carrying barrels and bales upon their backs, secured by a plaited rope passed over their foreheads. Being accustomed, from childhood, to this kind of labor, they are enabled to take loads of extraordinary weight, and to convey them to a great distance with an ease that is really wonderful. The climate of Merida, though very dry, and not subject to great changes, is productive of febrile diseases at all seasons of the year, from which even the natives are not exempted. Their bilious, much resembles the yellow fever; and, in many cases, proves fatal. The fever and ague is no stranger here. Pulmonary complaints are common, and consumption carries off many. This malady most frequently shows itself after severe attacks of the fever and ague, and makes a conquest of its victim in a very short period. The principal, as well as the most prominent, of the public buildings, are the churches. The cathedral is a structure that would attract the attention of the traveller in any part of the world. It was erected in the sixteenth century. Its architecture is of the ecclesiastical style of that age; and, altogether, it has a most commanding appearance. It has well-proportioned domes, pinnacles, turrets, and lofty windows; and it occupies, with the palace of the bishop of Yucatan, one entire side of the most important square of the city. The interior is imposing, from its numerous and splendidly decorated shrines. Its vaulted roof, supported by immense stone pillars, gives it an air of solemn grandeur peculiarly applicable to the ceremonies that are daily performed within its precincts. The arms of Mexico are displayed upon the exterior front of the building, which is finished with stone and stucco, with saints in basso-relievo. The bishop’s palace, adjoining, is plain. It is of two stories high, painted green; and is accessible by a gateway opening into a court, over which are emblazoned the crosier and mitre. The doors and windows are much dilapidated. The title of a palace is somewhat of a misnomer for this edifice, if one were to judge from its external appearance.