Marta González-Hontoria Mexico
Mexico
Updated Wednesday, February 14, 2024-00:33
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Cochinita pibil was invented in Yucatán and is the origin of the habanero chili. The Mayans erected amazing temples here for eternity and an agave was cultivated that made this place
one of the richest in the Americas
. How many stories come together in the Mexican state that, on top of that, is considered the safest in the country.
To follow the thread, you have to visit an old
henequen hacienda
. The so-called
Yucatecan green gold
, henequén, is the agave from which the fiber we know as
sisal is obtained.
Between the 19th and early 20th centuries, the ropes for almost all the ships in the world were made with it. "The wealth that was amassed in Yucatán was abysmal," explains Herman Reeling Brouwer, general director of Las Haciendas, which today is part of the IHG group. And although the hype lasted as long as it did, until nylon appeared and at the same time a socialist government that expropriated the agave farms, some of these impressive haciendas have survived to this day thanks to their transformation into boutique
hotels
.
One hour south of Mérida,
Hacienda Santa Rosa
is a living example. Restored at the end of the 90s, its 11 rooms are divided between the old engine house, with ceilings of up to 9 meters, and between the boss's house, the cellars and the manager's house with arches and Italian-style patios through which it runs. into the air and you breathe total placidity, only disturbed by the singing of the birds.
One of the rooms at Hacienda Santa Rosa.TRIPS
The swimming pool in the old henequera hacienda 50 km from Mérida.TRIPS
Each
suite
has its own garden, its small water basin made of chukum, the resin of the homonymous tree that the Mayans already used, and hammocks hang from all of them to swing in this tropical dream. One of the essential corners of the property is the botanical garden, with more than 250 species of plants. Many have medicinal properties that older workers teach to younger ones. The same occurs with the production of
melipona honey,
another of the artisanal treasures of the Yucatecan jungle. It is a honey that comes from
a stingless bee
and whose production is tiny, just one kilo per hive per year. Of course, it is not about doing business, but about transmitting an ancestral art, something that is at the origin of this and other haciendas that are part of the universe of the Haciendas del Mundo Maya Foundation.
"When these haciendas are restored in the early 90s, they not only become a sustainable tourism project, but also a way to help the community," says Reeling Brouwer. A walk through the town of Santa Rosa allows the traveler to see some of these projects, such as the library or the
Mayan workshops,
where local women make by hand Yucatecan hammocks, decorative items made of henequen, filigree jewelry and knitwear. cross and embroidery. Everything can be purchased
on site
.
A Mayan artisan works with henequen fibers.MGH
MÉRIDA, THE CAPITAL OF YUCATAN
Many of the landowners who made their fortune with sisal also wanted to display their power in the city of Mérida. The
Paseo de Montejo
, the great avenue of the capital of Yucatán erected in the image and likeness of the
Parisian Champs Elysées
, is flanked by large trees and dazzling buildings. Although in the middle of the afternoon, all the people of Merida seem to gather around the
Plaza Grande
, where the Cathedral of San Ildefonso stands. The austerity of the temple contrasts with the ecstatic color of this city of celebrated gastronomy.
The pastel tones of the facades are reminiscent of Havana. The guayabera shops, too. There is no need to be surprised. We are closer to the Cuban capital than to Mexico City. But the Mayan heritage is also evident, both in the
craft and huipil shops
, the typical flowered dress, and in the pieces exhibited in the Great Museum of the Mayan World, an essential stop, even if it is not close to the center.
Colorful facades in Mérida, the capital of the state of Yucatán.SHUTTERSTOCK
The Yucatecan Gastronomy Museum restaurant, with a garden and in the center of Mérida.MGH
Returning to the square, enjoy an ice cream from the Sorbetería Colón, next to the Governor's Palace. In front, the
Casa Montejo Museum
opens rooms so we can see the family residence of the conquerors of the peninsula, back in 1540. It is, by the way, the oldest building in the city. Visitors look into the cathedral to see a Christ of truly surprising size, but much more beautiful is the
Church of the Third Order
, on the way to Santa Lucía Park. Click here for a required photo of the confidant chairs. They are seen all over Yucatan. The fun is that two people can have a conversation looking at each other.
UXMAL, MAYAN TREASURE
It doesn't have the fame of Chichén Itzá, but neither does the crowds of people who visit it. That is why the ancient
Mayan city of Uxmal
, also declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, is a must-see excursion. Legend has it that a dwarf built the largest monument in this city in a single night. Frankly, one look at the great Pyramid of the Fortune Teller (more than 30 meters high and 50 meters wide) is enough to distrust that theory. Just behind, every detail of the so-called Nuns' Quadrangle, with geometric decorations, snakes and masks of the rain god Chaac, leaves the visitor with his mouth open.
The Pyramid of the Fortune Teller, one of the jewels of Uxmal.SEFOTUR
The wooden viewpoint built with Mayan techniques, part of the 4x4 experience of Hacienda Uxmal.MGH
And there is still the main course, the Governor's Palace, almost one hundred meters long, is one of the most exquisite Mayan monuments. To finish off the day in Uxmal with a touch of adrenaline, hold on. They propose a tour through the jungle driving old Land Rovers that will make you feel like Tarzan in the jungle. At a stop along the way, you climb to a
viewpoint built with Mayan techniques
from which you can see the entire city of Uxmal in the distance. A beauty.
When night falls,
Hacienda Temozón
is another special place to stop and make a stop. Painted in a striking coral red, it has been the set of several Netflix series. It is not for less. This farm once had about
8,000 henequen plants
. "A person was capable of cutting 600 stalks a day, very hard work, because they are full of thorns," explains Ángel, one of the workers on this property who preserves all the machinery of the time and many details of that bizarre bonanza, such as the collection of
harnesses from the French house Hermés
that the landowners' horses wore. One more pearl: Temozón hides three cenotes, those unusual underground water pools, one of the unquestionable treasures of Yucatán, which for the Mayans were the door to the underworld. One of those three is the spa.
The spectacular pool at Hacienda Temozón, the setting for several Netflix series.TRIPS
One of the best suites at the hacienda.TRIPS
Like Mérida, the magical town of
Izamal
is one of the stops of the new Mayan Train, the new and ambitious infrastructure that will link the main tourist spots of the Yucatan Peninsula. Founded in the mid-16th century and painted completely yellow, Izamal is a hurricane of color and charm. After climbing the ramps that take us to the majestic
convent of San Antonio de Padua
, there is a lot to wander around this small and lively colonial city. Many do it by buggy, one of its tourist attractions. Others, more modern, by quad. But on foot you can also reach the Mayan pyramid of Kinich Kakmó, one of the three in Izamal. How to resist: it is the largest in area in the Yucatan Peninsula and the third in Mexico.
The Magic Town of Izamal.SHUTTERSTOCK
When night falls, the old
San José hacienda
is pure magic. Its history begins in 1517, because before henequen they cultivated sugar cane here. Vegetation floods everything. The table is dressed with candles to dine next to an extraordinary laurel tree, whose trunk and roots seem to melt. They call it the tree of dreams. On the menu, chef Adriel Medina has prepared a series of dishes from the fallen jungle, where all this overflowing nature is very present. The next morning, some encamisado eggs (inside a tortilla)
with chaya and pineapple juice await us. The chef also shows how he prepares the pibil oven, a two-meter-deep pit where the famous cochinita is made, behind the main house. The delicacies do not stop arriving. How many stories, how many flavors Yucatán has.
Dinner under the tree of dreams at Hacienda San José.TRIPS
PRACTICAL GUIDE
How to get.
World2Fly (w2fly.es). The World2Meet Group airline, with competitive flights to the Caribbean, operates five routes a week between Madrid and Cancún.
Where to sleep.
Haciendas Santa Rosa, Temozón and San José (ihg.com). Old henequen haciendas converted into hotels.
More information.
Icárion (icarion.es). The grand tour operator offers 11 programs to Mexico. 'Essences of Yucatán' lasts 9 days (from €2,325).
Yucatan Tourism
(yucatan.travel), with all the tourist information.
You can follow
El Mundo Viajes
on
,
and