Mérida will host the first edition of the Bienal de Yucatán from 26 November 2026 to 28 February 2027, a three-month event spread across 16 venues in the historic centre and the municipality of Maní. Organisers bill it as Mexico's first large-scale international biennial, and every exhibition and activity is free.

Titled Vocal, the first edition brings together some 75 artists: 42 Mexican, including 18 from the Yucatán peninsula, and 34 international artists from 20 countries. The artist Abraham Cruzvillegas is artistic director, working with founder Catherine Petitgas and project director Daniela Pérez. The central exhibition presents 38 new commissions alongside loans and archival presentations, unfolding at the Casa de la Cultura del Mayab.

Language is the theme. Vocal reflects on tongues, languages and the many forms of communication, through work by artists including Yoko Ono, Teresa Margolles, Óscar Murillo, Minerva Cuevas, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Jimmie Durham, Cecilia Vicuña, Jenny Holzer, Lawrence Weiner and Jean-Luc Moulène. A printed catalogue, with selected translations into Maya, will accompany the show.

The biennial's scale is considerable for a first edition. Sixteen venues across Mérida's historic centre and the town of Maní will host the work, with the central exhibition joined by presentations involving linguists, filmmakers, poets, musicians and dancers. A printed catalogue designed by Estudio Herrera will carry selected translations into Maya, underlining the biennial's grounding in the region's culture as well as its international reach.

The biennial is conceived as a long-term project, with editions already scheduled for 2028, focused on Maya identity and gender, and 2030, on ecosystems and water. Its founder, the French-born collector and historian Petitgas, expects about 60,000 visitors over the three months, a measure of how far Yucatán's art scene has travelled since the programme was unveiled in Mexico City in May.