the world through the windsheild of ron and kat: Haciendas

Hacienda Yaxcopoil

The Sisal trade mentioned in the previous post not only left behind the outrageous mansions of Merida, it also gave we tourists the remains of the working farms to tour. The farms or Haciendas consist of little more than barely visible crumbling walls to gloriously restored mansions. Today some have been reborn as Spa Hotels or Restaurants for those with big bucks.

When Hacienda Yaxcopil was rescued its level of decay was maintained rather than restored. Today it's grounds are a museum. For reasons unknown to me the Moorish Arch was very popular and is repeated all over the state of Yucatan.

This large building was only one of at least three buildings of this size used in the processing of Henequen Fibers into rope. The Henequen plant looks much like the Agave Cactus that Tequila is made from. The leaves of the Henequen were feed through a machine that beat it and separated it into fibers. This fiber was left to dry on drying racks. Next he fibers were separated into strands about the thickness of upholstery thread. This "thread" was then twisted tightly into strands. The strands were then twisted into larger strands and so on until rope of the desired diameter was obtained. Imagine the labor that would go into a rope of the size necessary to dock a ocean going ship. The rope was then transported about 30 miles or so to the Port of Sisal where it was loaded onto ships bound for places far away. The Henequen rope became known as Sisal Rope after the port from which it was shipped. End of lesson.

Equal attention to decoration was given to all buildings regardless of whether they were living quarters, workshops or storage buildings.

Hacienda Temozon

Many Haciendas have been turned into exclusive hotels with prices of upwards of $500 or much much more per night. Hacienda Temozon is but one example. Often the whole facility is rented for the ultimate in privacy. During the Clinton and the George Bush administrations summit meetings with the Presidents of Mexico were held here.

We enjoyed a nice lunch overlooking the pool. The facility appeared close to empty today so we asked if we could wander around. They wouldn't let us do that, but our waiter grabbed the key to the Presidential Suite used by both Bill Clinton and George Bush and allowed us to peak into hallowed territory..

The Presidential bed.

The Presidential vanity.

Yes, even heads of state must occasionally.........

Hacienda Ochil

This may look like a child's carnival ride but it isn't. This small train was used to move the Heneque leaves and fibers from one processing area to the other. Today it is a easy way to tour Ochil Hacienda and Restaurant.