We wanted to go there on New Year's Day, but it was closed. Pres. and Sis. Dyer decided to stay in Cancún over the weekend, which almost ruined our plans again, so Pres. Richards said he would take the Monday temple cleaning day so Gerhard could go with the group. We are grateful for his thoughtfulness.
First we toured the home. Our tour group picture on the veranda --a couple who spoke French! (she is Mexican, he is Swiss), Smiths (Steve and Cheryl), Verlindens (Victor and Elsa), Gerhard, a turista considering living in Mérida, Flor Soto, Sis. Richards, Carol, Luz Sánchez.
the restored kitchen (made small because the owner didn't live at the hacienda and when he came with family or friends, the wives of the workers would cook for them)
an antique camera, typical of the period
a 1948 Studebaker, that still runs and gets taken for a ride every couple of weeks
The hacienda raises carneros as part of its program to be financially solvent.
The second stage of the tour --the production of sisal
On the walls of the bodega were pictures showing how the Maya people used their henequen products.
This process used to be done by hand by the Mayans, but machinery made increased production of the "green gold" possible. The cut leaves are taken to the machine that removes the plant juice and separates the fibers which are then dried for 5 hours before being combed.
The dried fibers are crunched into bales for shipment .
bale tester :)
Gerhard practiced his skill at combing!
The combed fibers can be combined into strands of varying thicknesses. Twine of 3-25 strands is used for tying the bales, lacing sandals, etc. If more processing is required, the combed strands are made into threads and then can be made into mats or very thick ropes.
Third part of the tour was to ride in the truk pulled by Camila the mule through the henequen fields to visit a Mayan house
The ostriches were a bonus attraction :)
Henequen is very well adapted to grow in rocky gravel with little water and no fertilizer. We often see abandoned henequen plantations with the fields taken over by weeds as we drive on the highways between towns .
In the background we saw the hotel development that will open in August as a tourist attraction.
We were welcomed by Toño Ocan Uc, 68 years old, who demonstrated how Mayans lived on the henequen haciendas.
His grandfather, father and he had been workers, and now the owners have allowed him to "not get dirty." He has made TV and radio commercials for the Hacienda and says his pictures are found all over the world.
The clothing, tools and gourd for drinking water were typical, as were the type of cooking arrangements and the style in which the homes were built.
The tour allowed 45 minutes at one of the 8 cenotes on the hacienda.
None of our group swam, so we returned rather quickly to the restaurant for our lunch of typical Yucatecan food, yummy pork and chicken dishes.
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