Mérida

**Mérida** (メリダ, *Mérida*?) is the second port to be unlocked in the first *Chocolatier* game and serves as a pseudo-tutorial port. Opened by Evangeline Baumeister, and located in Mexico, this port is where the player is required to buy cacao beans at the behest of Evangeline, at the Mercado Mexicano, run by León Manzinillo. This port is also where the player obtains the recipe for Dark Chocolate Bars.

## Information

In the 1880s, Mérida was a bustling city in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico. It was the capital of the state of Yucatán and an important center of trade and commerce for the region. The city was founded in the 16th century by Spanish conquistadors on the ruins of a Mayan city.

At that time, Mérida was known for its opulent mansions and well-preserved colonial architecture. The city's historic center was dominated by grand buildings and churches, including the Cathedral of San Ildefonso and the Government Palace. The streets were lined with vendors selling a variety of goods, from textiles and pottery to food and drink.

The city's economy was based largely on the production of henequen, a plant used to make rope and other fibers. Many wealthy landowners in the surrounding countryside had extensive henequen plantations, which they used to make fortunes. This wealth was reflected in the city's architecture and culture, with many extravagant buildings and cultural events.

Despite this prosperity, the 1880s were also a time of political turmoil in Yucatán. The state had recently been granted greater autonomy from the central government, and there was tension between the ruling elite and the growing middle and working classes. This tension would eventually lead to the Caste War of Yucatán, a major conflict that lasted from 1847 to 1901 and had a significant impact on the region.

## Buildings

* **Plaza Mayor**: An interactable area in Mérida, the Plaza Mayor is resident to Fernando Verdez, who plays one of the main roles in the tutorial segment of the game as the one who provides the player with their second recipe, for Dark Chocolate Bars.
* **Gran Plaza Chocolates**: Maintained by Frida Sánchez, this is the main chocolate shop of Mérida where the player can sell their products. It is also the first shop that the player can buy/own as a premium shoppe, buying the player's confections for a higher price than the normal.
* **Mercado Mexicano**: The main market of Mérida maintained by León Manzinillo, this is where the player can buy ingredients that go into making chocolates here. During the tutorial questline, Evangeline Baumeister requires you to buy 100 sacks of cacao beans from Mercado Mexicano.
* **Chichen Itza**: An ancient Mayan monument watched over by Acan Gucumatz, while this location is more of a one-off location, Acan can provide quests of his own from the location or be the target of quests given by other characters.
* **Cantina Azul**: This is where the player can hear news from a variety of characters, and occasionally gamble with dice.
	+ Other characters you will meet here include:
		- Aldonza Arenas
		- Ambrose Harper
		- Bernard Shintero
		- Cyrus Rush
		- Darius Deneiro
		- Habib Ialu
		- Jefferson Gonightly
		- Marcus Trenton
		- Sarah Hoffenpepper
	+ Gamblers you will meet here include:
		- Aces McGuire
		- Yolanda Haurongu

While this is just one of many ports that the player can unlock, Mérida is nonetheless a very important port to the player early-game, as it is the only one out of the three starter ports the player has that has access to or sells cacao beans.

## Trivia

* Mérida and Accra are the only ports in the first game which sell Cacao Beans but not a varietal cacao.