When most people go to the Yucatan Peninsula, they visit its more well-known attractions, such as cenotes and ancient Maya sites. However, the land is dotted with haciendas from the henequen age of the peninsula.
Many travelers who go to the Yucatan don’t know about the haciendas. There are hundreds of them, and they cover thousands of acres. They were once symbols of wealth and power, but now most are abandoned and dilapidated. Some of them have been renovated to create hotels and museums, but many were simply left to decay.
The haciendas were built at a time when the Yucatan Peninsula was rich and powerful due to the henequen agave plant, which was native to the area. This was during the late 19th century and the early 20th century. The plant’s fibers were used to make rope. The plant-fiber rope was so durable that it was the number-one rope used on ships. At a time when every sailing ship carried large quantities of rope on board, shipping companies needed to purchase the best rope available. As it happened, henequen rope was the highest quality rope, and it could be bought for a reasonable price. As henequen agave farming increased, the plant earned a nickname: green gold. As a result of possessing the perfect climate for raising green gold, Yucatan became the richest state in Mexico. By the year 1915, more than 70% of the land in Yucatan was used to produce henequen, and more than a million bales of the plant were exported to foreign countries. The rope industry attracted attention from the United States, which bought a lot of rope. However, over the decades, motorized boats took over from sailing ships, and stronger, cheaper kinds of rope made from synthetic fibers were invented. By the mid-1940s, most of the haciendas were abandoned.
In a town called Homun, about 60 kilometers southeast of Merida, there is a hacienda called Kampepen. It was converted to a museum, and people can learn more about henequen haciendas in Yucatan by visiting Kampepen. There are also cenotes (underground pools) to swim in there.
Source: https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1659261996329x139390306798344200/Yucatan%27s%20lost%20hacienda%20trail%20-%20BBC%20Travel.pdf
Many travelers who go to the Yucatan don’t know about the haciendas. There are hundreds of them, and they cover thousands of acres. They were once symbols of wealth and power, but now most are abandoned and dilapidated. Some of them have been renovated to create hotels and museums, but many were simply left to decay.
The haciendas were built at a time when the Yucatan Peninsula was rich and powerful due to the henequen agave plant, which was native to the area. This was during the late 19th century and the early 20th century. The plant’s fibers were used to make rope. The plant-fiber rope was so durable that it was the number-one rope used on ships. At a time when every sailing ship carried large quantities of rope on board, shipping companies needed to purchase the best rope available. As it happened, henequen rope was the highest quality rope, and it could be bought for a reasonable price. As henequen agave farming increased, the plant earned a nickname: green gold. As a result of possessing the perfect climate for raising green gold, Yucatan became the richest state in Mexico. By the year 1915, more than 70% of the land in Yucatan was used to produce henequen, and more than a million bales of the plant were exported to foreign countries. The rope industry attracted attention from the United States, which bought a lot of rope. However, over the decades, motorized boats took over from sailing ships, and stronger, cheaper kinds of rope made from synthetic fibers were invented. By the mid-1940s, most of the haciendas were abandoned.
In a town called Homun, about 60 kilometers southeast of Merida, there is a hacienda called Kampepen. It was converted to a museum, and people can learn more about henequen haciendas in Yucatan by visiting Kampepen. There are also cenotes (underground pools) to swim in there.
Source: https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1659261996329x139390306798344200/Yucatan%27s%20lost%20hacienda%20trail%20-%20BBC%20Travel.pdf
