Hacienda Temozón

Overview

Description

During the 1920s, in southeastern Mexico, the Yucatan peninsula's Henequen (sisal) industry was booming. These fiber exports were the main economic income of the region. At the heart of this economy were the haciendas or plantations which became not only the production plants, but also small estates that offered work, housing, schools, and in some cases even hospitals, to their habitants. The architecture was magnificent, designs were made by famous European architects, and investments were made in the communities with a felling of a never ending prosperity.

The henequen Haciendas represents an important part of the history of the Yucatán Peninsula. The wealth produced at these Haciendas by harvesting the "Green Gold" was similar to the wealth of today's Silicon Valley. The economic and social systems within them was similar to the feudal system of medieval Europe, where the workers dependent on the landlords goods and services. The Haciendas Maya properties have become therefore a symbol of that era, and their conservation is important so as to avoid the disappearance of such an important part of history.

Our idea was to restore old henequen Haciendas according to their original architecture adapting them as high level hotels for international travelers who demands activities which involves interaction with nature, culture and adventure while integrating the habitants of the local communities into this work by training them in construction and later in hotel services, offering opportunities for development and employment to the communities around the recovered properties.

The restoration of the haciendas has been financed by Grupo Plan, and is operated by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, under the brand of "The Luxury Collection." Two of the hotels have been named Best New Hotels of the World by Conde Nast Traveler 2001 and 2002 and CONDE NAST TRAVELLER UK,"Readers' Travel Awards 2003."

There are several nearby points of interest for tourists, including various World Heritage Sites. Other attractions such as caves and cenotes, Mayan handicraft workshops, Pre-Hispanic sites, the City of Merida, churches and convents are also nearby.

Rooms

28

Making a Difference

Number of employees: 85

Percentage of local employees: 83%

In 1990, 99% of the 400 sisal haciendas were abandoned, nearby communities were in extreme poverty, and those that remained seemed like ghost towns where only the very old or the young struggled on in the remains of a golden past. Some of the problems facing the haciendas were:

• Remains of buildings were abandoned and looted for several years.
• There were legal complications in the property titles.
• Extreme poverty among rural Mayan families (85% of the families do not earn more than half the official minimum wage, around US$50/month).
• The rural Mayan population has one of the lowest rates of human development, classified as deficient within the standards of the United Nations Development Programme.
• Low quality of education; high degree of marginalization; few recreational and cultural activities; high rates of alcoholism, sexual abuse, and domestic violence; no social participation; institutional, governmental and political paternalism; and lack of cultural and community roots.
• Environmental deterioration and reduction of agricultural productivity due to inadequate growing practices.
• Limited opportunities for employment and economic and social improvement in the communities.
• Disintegration of families due to periods of temporary migration and loss of values and cultural identity.

Fortunately, a group of dreamers fell in love with the area, the people, the architecture, and the potential of giving a new life and future to these magnificent communities. They began acquiring several of these haciendas, and formed a group of historians, architects, restoration specialists, hoteliers, trainers, and social workers and began to tranform the haciendas to restore some of the glory they once held.

The architectural restoration has been a success, and the haciendas have won recognition in the cultural world for the amazing transformation of the old remains, the respect for the traditional design mixed with contemporary touches, and hotel facilities such as pools, public areas, bathrooms, spas and updated rooms.

Along with the architectural restoration, the hiring and training of local workers -- first in construction and later on in permanent hotel positions –- acted as an agent of social and economical development for the Mayan communities in the Yucatan Peninsula. The hotels’ social projects are organized and financed by the Haciendas del Mundo Maya Foundation, which in conjunction with local governments and institutions, identifies sustainability projects that promote the recognition and recovery of Mayan cultural identity, and strategies to overcome extreme poverty through education and health care. The Foundation supports self-sustainable development projects that involve the communities in their own social welfare projects, and each community is invited to submit a Sustainable Community Development Plan with overall goal of improving the quality of life of all those that participate. We work with the communities to develop six basic areas: preventive health, education, infrastructure, productive projects, human development, and environmental conservation.

The Foundation sends one promoter per community to live there three days out of every week, in order to guide the community through their journey towards development. The Foundation team is an interdisciplinary group of 31 members with different specializations: engineers, psychologists, social workers, economists, accountants, biologists, lawyers, etc., that meet each week to design the projects the communities need and study the feasibility and the resources available, both within as well as outside the community.

Rates

$150 and up

For more information about rates, please visit:

• www.grupoplan.com (available in Spanish).

Getting There

Nearest international airport: Mérida (MID), Yucatán.

Travel time to nearest airport: 45 minutes

Additional Information

Awards or Recognitions

World Heritage Alliance Member - www.worldheritagealliance.org

Date This Information Was Provided

October 2009.

Photo courtesy of Hacienda Temozón, Mexico, for SustainableTrip.org.