Yucatan, Mexico - "My City" with Michael Scott

My City is a Volcom video series showcasing the Latin American Skate Team as they take us through their hometowns, showing us where they grew up skating and what struggles they had to overcome along the way.

In the sixth episode of My City, we visited Michael Scott, 30, from Merida, the vibrant capital and largest city in the Mexican state of Yucatan, as well as the largest city in the Yucatan Peninsula. Far from the chaos of Mexico City, this city is rich in Mayan culture and is known for being a quiet, safe and relaxed area of the country, with narrow streets, large central squares and beautiful museums.

Michael, originally from the city of El Carmen, a small town a couple of hours away, with a large absence of skate spots and a solid skate scene, made the decision to move a few years ago when he realized that Mérida was a much better place to call home for a skater. In addition, it can be said that Merida is the city with the most support for skateboarding in the southeast side of Mexico, so it was an easy choice for Michael.

From incredible beaches to impressive cenotes (underground springs and rivers) and beautiful colonial structures to a varied selection of culture and food of Yucatan, Merida has much to offer. While there are Mexican, European, Caribbean and Oriental influences on food, it is strongly influenced by the Mayan culture since approximately 60% of all inhabitants are of Mayan ethnicity, which results in the highest percentage of indigenous people of any city great in Mexico.

For Michael, being a professional skateboarder in Mérida is much bigger than his origin, but it is not perfect. The climate of Mérida is warm and its humidity is moderate to high depending on the time of year. In fact, Merida is often a couple of degrees warmer than in nearby areas due to its low elevation and its location in the interior, but that does not stop Michael and his friends from skating around the city and enjoying the place they call their home.