By Monica Hartlief

When I first moved to Mexico in 1999 it wasn’t to Playa del Carmen but to the city of Merida, in the state of Yucatan. I spent 2 years living there and, mainly because of personal reasons, I didn’t like it very much. What I did like was that I got a lot of visitors during the time I lived there and together we explored much of Merida and the surrounding areas. I think I visited Chichen Itza at least 8 times in 12 months, but we also explored less known Mayan ruins sites like Uxmal and Dzibilchaltun. As impressive as these ruins are what I liked best about exploring the state of Yucatan was visiting the many restored haciendas, most of which are located an easy drive from Merida.

Hacienda Temozon pool area

Haciendas in Mexico were the basis of an economic system introduced by the Spaniards in the 16th century, similar to the feudal system of Europe. Many of them were originally cattle ranches which in the 19^th century converted to produce rope from henequen.* In Yucatan, the hacienda owners used the local Mayan population to work the fields and factories at slave-like wages or no wages at all. Over time, haciendas became symbols of wealth and culture, decorated with architecture, furnishings and art from around the world. There are over 170 haciendas in Yucatan, some of them completely renovated and turned into 5 star hotels and historical museums while others are left unrestored, sometimes abandoned, to collapse and fall apart over time.

restaurant at Hacienda Temozon

A hacienda usually consisted of the Casa Principal, or main house, where the hacendado and his family lived and the administration of the business took place. The processing of the henequen took place in the Casa de Maquinas, the machine house, the overseer lived in the Casa del Majordomo, many of the haciendas also had a chapel, La Capilla, and several other smaller buildings used for storage and living quarters.

I´ve visited several haciendas during the time I lived in Merida and my favorite is Hacienda Temozon. This hacienda is located about 40 minutes south of Merida, in the town of Temozon Sur. The hacienda was beautifully renovated in 1997 and is now a 5 star hotel. I´ve never actually spent the night there (although it is high on my wish list) but I´ve had lunch and dinner there on several occasions and it was always a great experience. The pictures of Hacienda Temozon were borrowed from its website.

*henequen: a type of agave cactus which is processed for its fibers, primarily to produce rope

Now that the family holidays are behind us maybe it is a good idea to start planning your next trip to Mexico. If you want more information about the Haciendas in Yucatan, or vacation rentals and services in the Playa del Carmen / Riviera Maya area please send us an email through our website. We´re more than happy to help you with the planning!