Student Blog by Leo Melton- Mérida Service and Leadership

Bargaining My Way into a Steal

by Leo Melton

“¿Cuantó cuestan?” (How much does it cost?) I asked, staring at the three small souvenirs I had picked out. I was floored when I heard the merchant say, “Dos mil pesos,” (2,000 Mexican pesos / $120 US dollars). There was no way I would be paying that much for anything. Under the overwhelming heat of the sun, I realized that I would need to negotiate. Last weekend, we took an overnight trip to Chichen Itza and stopped at a couple of other destinations along the way.

After a day of service at AMANC, we hit the road and traveled to Valladolid, where we enjoyed some brief free time and ate dinner. The following day, we traveled to Chichen Itza. We split into smaller groups, where we learned from a guide about the history of the ruins and their significance to the Mayan people. Afterward, I got together with a group of friends and began to travel to search for souvenirs, which led to the position I was in, now negotiating with a merchant. Of course, as a student, there was no way I would be paying such a hefty price for so little. I recalled from a previous workshop that the merchants would often overcharge and that it was always worth negotiating, so that’s exactly what I did. I shook my head and told the man, “Solamente tengo 300 pesos…” starting low to bargain for a good deal. It was incredibly difficult, as they were much more experienced than I was in the art of negotiation, and he insisted that I only got these prices “porque hablas español” (because you speak Spanish). Ultimately, we settled on a price of 500 pesos ($30 USD) after I threatened to leave. Although I still felt like I was being overcharged, I took the transaction as a win compared to what other tourists were paying.

Following a few other sales, we traveled to the Cenote Yokdzonot. The cenote was practically empty, which was a big win for us! My favorite part was standing together with my friends and jumping into the refreshing water as a group, where we then got to swim around with the fish. We also got to zipline over the top of the cenote, looking down at its wonders from above. Leaving just as the rain began to pour, the excitement of the day was finished off with a delicious meal back in Valladolid and some free time to relax.

The final day was short and sweet. We ate breakfast in a nearby restaurant, where I sampled chilaquiles for the first time, before checking out and traveling to Izamal, the yellow city. We looked at the famous church and saw firsthand how the town got its name before returning to Merida. The trip was such a refreshing experience and a great way to dive into our final week! ¡Hasta luego! See you later!