In the final decades of the 19th century,
Yucatán experienced a period of economic prosperity due to the boom of the
henequen industry (the green gold). Such prosperity was reflected by the considerable increase in the number of sophisticated civil construction projects, particularly when it came to
residential areas. At that time, however,
Mérida had no avenues. The only major gathering places in the city were:
La Alameda (also known as
Paseo de las Bonitas),
El Camposanto,
La Cruz de Gálvez, and
el Limonar. Thus, during the governorship of Guillermo Palomino (1886-1889)
, there emerged the idea of expanding the urbanization of the Yucatecan capital amidst the advantageous circumstances of the economic boom that they were experiencing. In January 1888, with the support of a group of farmers, industrialists, and merchants of the era, that idea took shape in the form of a boulevard named "Paseo de Montejo"; the hope and end goal of the project being to modernize the city and to provide an additional hub for social and commercial gatherings. == References ==