ROPA TIPICA DEL CENTRO - 97000 Mérida

TOURIST TRAP!!! We were in the main square and a friendly local approached us and chatted to us about things to do in Merida, and about where we were from etc. After breaking down our guard, we had about 15 minutes of (what we thought was a genuine) conversation he then mentioned that we simply must visit Cooperativa (the blue shop a block and a half away from the square) he said we must ask for a sisal hammock (which is the best quality and repels mosquitos) he then said that the people in the shop were leaving at 6pm and wouldn't be back for a week because of a local festival which was on. Being naive and young travelers we went to the shop.... we ended up being served by "Enrique" (if that's even his real name) for about 20 minutes. He showed us the different sized hammocks and showed us a picture booklet of the people in the so called villages who make the so called sisal hammock underground.... ALL FAKE! So not knowing this at the time we bought a two person hammock for $3100 pesos... OUCH!! we were on a high from the experience and believed we had gotten the real deal and for a good price! (WHEN I READ THIS I THINK HOW DUMB WE WERE) After getting home and being happy about our investment that was going to be so good for the next year traveling around Central America, we decided to go on a walking tour the following day. In this tour the wool was pulled back from our eyes as the guide told us how no one has made this material (sisal) for over 30 years..... we looked at each other (WHAT HAVE WE DONE!!!!) after this we stayed in denial.. the guy in the square couldn't have been working for the shop, he was too nice. He didn't even walk us to the shop? Wrong...as that night the exact same thing happened with another local...we went along with it to see where he would take us and sure enough it was the same place! After all this and some further online research into others who have had the exact same experience, we got up the courage to go back and ask for a refund. In short, they would not refund, but with very tough negotiations we ended up keeping the hammock and getting $900 pesos back. We would have liked to get more back or a full refund but that didn't happen. All in all we still love our COTTON hammock and are happy we got a little bit of money back, but want to warn others NOT to be fooled or to shop at this store. It's not fair for them to lie to tourists who just want some cool genuine Mexican souvenirs. And to be honest we would have rather given our business to a person selling hammocks on the street claiming theirs were cotton because at least they didn't lie about the product they were selling. DO NOT GO THERE AND BEWARE OF OTHER SIMILAR SHOPS!!

SCAM ! Same story as all others. We were approached by a "local" who told us about Maya culture and about the best "artisan shop". They wanted to charge us 3500 MXN for a two person hammock. After negotiations we ended up paying 1000 MXN.These guys are a shame for the beautiful city of Mérida!

As many other reviews point out, the way you are brought to visit the shop is scam-like. Somebody in the city you will meet, will pretend to be someone he is not, making up stories about howthe stuff they make here is handmade and authentic. When you get there the shopkeeper will tell you the same things, so similar that they seem to be prepared. I cannot tell if the quality of hats and staff is how they say; anyway similar shops with good reviews in Merida have the same things with similar prices.

TOURIST TRAP! Same story: friendly guy on street, chatting to the hapless tourist, claiming to work in city administration. Says the shop is closing in an hour and will stay closed for days. Supposedly a cooperative of 25 poor Mayan families. Funny that out of 25 Mayan families (and they tend to be pretty big) they can't find people to staff the shop every day, right? I was in the market for a hat so I looked around. A guy who looked nothing like Maya tried to convince me the hat would last a lifetime and repell the mosquitos. It was 200 USD! I told him it was too much for me and the attitude changed immediately. He was no longer interested in selling me anything. The next day, the shop which was supposed to be closed for days, was wide open. The same evening I ran into the guy who had brought me to the shop, hanging around the main square trying to pick up more gullible tourists. He asked me if I liked the shop and I told him it was still open. He pretended to be very surprised, said it's a "rare thing" to be open. He left rather quickly after I told him the shop was way too expensive for me. He must've finally realized I wasn't his target "customer". Funny thing is, right after he left, a local woman who saw me talking to him approached me to warn me to be careful with such people, that they're looking to scam tourists. So these guys and their shop are well known in Merida. I bought a hat for $3 in Mayab House of Culture eventually.

I am sure this place is a SCAM. We didn't go in, and after reading the reviews, I'm glad. But watch out: We were approached by 4 different "tourist sweepers", first one an older man saying we should go there as it is a unique Mayan store for unique real Mayan goods. My first thought: the Mayan empire unfortunately died out and was sceptical from the get-go. Second man (can't remember his face) said the same thing after a quick chat and said we should go today as its closed the following day. Third person approach us was a younger man who said he works for the town hall and told us about the culture festival that was on. And then also told us to go to the YaaKun Maya. At this point I was sure it was a scam (used to live in Asia and am well aware of the sweepers). Out of curiosity we walked past the place and I immediately got a bad feeling about it. Especially as the scariest man full of suspicions (not nice) tattoos wanted to lure us in. Fourth person was on a guy in his 30's-40's who pretended to be with the University of Yucatan (the building) and told us some rubbish about hippy hoppy hats. I thought it was a weird story. He too wanted us to go to the store as it was only open until 1pm. Hold on? I thought it was closed on Sundays?! Full of lies! Watch out!

ADVANCED TOURIST TRAP!! Same story as other reviews. Step 1: Friendly guy starts talking to you and starts saying exactly what you want to hear (Free event, security on the city, original handicraft, etc.). Step 2: He recommends an incredible shop and sends a message of urgency (He says that they are going to close soon). Step 3: He boosts his confidence level since he doesn't ask for money or anything in return for his "wonderful" recommendations. ... I don't know about the quality of the products they have but I know that they trick you with lies into their shop. I was given a fake flyer of a supposedly free event in the Yucatan University (it was from 2014). Then I was told that the shop closed in half an hour (630pm). I passed the next days at 930pm and they were still there. As a Mexican I'm ashamed that they use this methodology of lies to take advantage of tourists. I fortunately didn't buy anything since I was witness of this type of scam in Cuba already. It is really easy to fall for, I almost fall again. Hopefully internet helps in debunking these places.

I haggled like crazy and ended up with 4 pieces for about $195 US. I can not properly judge the authenticity or quality of the products however the final price I paid was about 50% of all the local competitors retail and they seem totally authentic . I stayed within budget and I love the pieces. I will frame them and enjoy them, so I am happy. Always shop wisely and never buy compulsively when abroad, don't be afraid to walk away and shop around because you can always go back later. I will say the retail price was over double my final purchase price of 4 pieces. Authentic or not I cannot say for certain, but I am very satisfied either way. UPDATED Mar. 28/ 16 . I was told by the framer that these were much better quality than some others in the past. I would definitely purchase from here again after seeing the finished product.

Beware! THIS PLACE IS A SCAM! This is a seriously thought out scam by a group of guys. One guy pretended to be associated with the university of Yucatan and was standing around the corner right outside the university door waiting for tourists. He saw us and immediately told us that there was a festival that evening we should attend in the main plaza, and this special store (the Mayan cooperative) would only be open tonight. He started explaining specific objects in great detail and wrote the store name down on a paper. He even helped guide us there. When we went around the block to the store, there was another guy waiting for us and led us straight to the hats the first guy had talked about. He also had tons of details about how it is made and the special materials used. He quoted an absurdly expensive price and showed us how these prices were listed on a piece of paper taped to the table. We bargained with him some and we’re close to spending $250 on a hat, before we decided to look it up online to see what these things cost elsewhere. That’s when we saw some info about a possible scam with the same back story and got the hell out of there!! It is so sad to know that this is what poverty can do to people. The people of Mexico had been so kind to us this far, that this was truly heartbreaking. I hope this helps other visitors and tourists to be more aware and to always double check and listen to our instincts.