Uxmal

Uxmal

Touring Vulcan Industries Limestone Mine: By Blake Price

On January 8^th it was one of our last days in Mexico and what would have been a better way to end the trip than touring Calica, one of the world’s largest limestone mines. When we first got to the site, we were greeted with very warming hospitality, typical of the Yucatan’s citizens. The first thing we did as part of our tour was attend a presentation by one of Calica’s managers who explained to us how they extracted the limestone, and why it was economically feasible for them to essentially ship rocks to the United States. After the presentation we got to take a tour of all of their facilities in order to understand how they ran their operations.

I was completely amazed by the scale of their operations, and was astonished to learn that they shipped hundreds of millions of pounds of limestone to the US every year. Even the size of their equipment was massive, and we learned that just one tire for this truck costs over $10,000. 

One of the coolest parts of the tour was when we got to walk to the top of a giant tower that controlled a huge rock crusher. We got to see how the operator controlled the machine and I couldn't believe how powerful this machine was. I learned that this single rock crusher could process over 600,000 pounds of limestone rock a minute and I got to see firsthand how this machine threw around slabs of rock probably weighing a few thousand pounds each like it was nothing.  

After touring the processing facilities it was time to have a little excitement; we learned that today would be their blasting day and we were going to see firsthand several thousand pounds of rock blown up by dynamite. We drove out to the blasting site and received the countdown, and even though we were a long ways away from the blast we could still feel the earth shake and see the massive explosion.

All in all it was a very informative trip and I thoroughly enjoyed getting a chance to learn a great deal about an industry that I previously had no knowledge of at all. This trip gave me a chance to tour such an amazing operation that was so grandiose in size and scope that it is hard to explain. I definitely walked away impressed with the people who put such a huge operation together, and now I can say that I have seen a dynamite blast in person which checks a task off my bucket list. 

Visiting the Hacienda Sotuta de Peon and its Beautiful Cenote: By Blake Price

                On January 2^nd 2015 It was a beautiful day to take a tour of one of the newly restored haciendas that used to grow henequen, the green gold of the Yucatan. Henequen was a plant that was grown for the purpose of making materials from its fiber, and in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s the Yucatan had a monopoly on this product which made it one of the 5 richest cities in the world at the time. Out of this great wealth came many beautiful hacienda’s which are very similar to the plantations that used to exist in the southern United States. The particular hacienda that we visited was called Hacienda Sotuta de Peon, and it was built in the late 1800’s during the boom of the henequen industry. We were fortunate enough to have an excellent tour guide who painted a very detailed picture of what the hacienda used to be like during its prime years of production. We got to tour all of the haciendas operating facilities and saw the complete process that transformed the henequen plant into a usable fiber. We even got a chance to try the old method of separating the henequen fibers over a metal comb, and it was definitely more difficult than it looked. 

This hacienda happened to have restored many of its original machines back to a working order, so during the tour we were able to see how the hacienda operated during the prime years of production.

This particular machine made rope from many separate henequen strands.

 After our tour of the production facilities we were transported by cart and mule out into the henequen fields where we met an 81 year old Mayan man who has lived and worked on this hacienda all of his life. He told us the story of the hacienda’s history, and how much it has changed over time. One thing that surprised me about this man was how happy his job seemed to make him. He had been working one of the toughest jobs in the world in an extremely harsh environment, but it seemed that he couldn't be happier. He told us that when he was younger he would have never imagined getting to meet people from all over the world that came to tour his home, and he said that it made his life worth it to be able to tell us about his history.

After we finished talking to him we got on our cart again and traveled out to a cenote to go swimming. A cenote is essentially a cave filled with water from an underground spring, and when we descended into the cave I was amazed at how beautiful it was. I had never seen such beautiful, crystal clear water from a natural environment in my life, and going swimming in this natural spring felt so refreshing. Because the water is so crystal clear I thought it was only a few feet deep, but after putting on goggles and trying to dive to the bottom I found that it was actually around 30 feet deep with tunnels that descended much deeper into the earth. It was an amazing sight to behold, and definitely one of my favorite experiences of the trip.

Learning about "Green Gold" by Margaret Eggers

Today, we went to the hacienda Sotuta de Peón. We learned about the process of converting henequen into fiber.  The tourists consisted of people from both Mexico and the United States, so the tour guide translated the tour from Spanish to English and back again. On the tour, we learned that the fiber produced at the hacienda was used for sandals, fishing line, bags, and hammocks. We also learned about the family that lived at the hacienda and their extravagant lifestyle. The family even had its very own crest. The crest could be seen on chandeliers and the fine china plates throughout the hacienda.  After touring the house, the group was then able to watch the process of converting henequen to fiber.

There was a steam machine that brought the large, cut leaves from the plant. These leaves were put through the machine and cut into thin strands of fiber. Once the henequen had been cut, the plant was put on laundry lines to dry.

Once dry, the henequen needed to be separated because it became quite tangled. We were able to watch the process of separating the henequen in order to untangle the plant.  Basically, the henequen was thrown over a “comb-like” apparatus and pulled through to separate the knots. At one point in the tour, they allowed us to try separating the henequen, however, we quickly learned it is not as easy as it looks. One must be very strong in order to do this portion of the job. As you can tell in the photos, it is not easy!

Once the henequen is separated, it can be used to make many of the items mentioned earlier. We saw the process of making rope, which basically involved the workers spinning the henequen. As the tour went on we learned the there was no documentation of how much henequen was made a day. Once the henequen has been separated, it needed to be compressed into bundles, like hay, in order to pack and ship it. 

The tour guide told us that when the hacienda was in full operation, there would have been about 4-6 machines that they used to compress the henequen. What was upsetting to learn is that today, fiber is imported from Brazil to Mexico. Merida no longer exports henequen around the world like they once did in 1915. When the industry started going under, machines were imported form Germany in 1961 in order to try and save it. Instead of separating the fiber manually, as discussed earlier, these machines were able to separate the fiber with the push of a button.  Soon these machines were used to make rope in many different sizes, including burlap. 

We learned that there were over 800,000 plants (leaves) cut a week. Those who cut the leaves at first were from Mexico, however, the industry soon had so much demand that they had to import slaves from Korea. These plants were so sharp that they could blind or even stab a person, which was why many of the slave’s hands were badly mangled. At one point, the Mayans used these leaves as weapons. Each slave needed to be very careful while cutting these leaves. After we were finished touring the hacienda, we were taken on a horse drawn carriage around the fields of henequen. There was so much henequen to be seen!

As we toured the fields, we stopped and talked to a man who has lived on the hacienda for many years. We heard his story and what is was like to farm the henequen.

We were then brought to one of the cenotes on the land and were able to swim. The cenotes are absolutely stunning. After the tour we sat and had lunch at the hacienda. Dr. Fiser ordered us a variety of appetizers and entrees (as he always does) for everyone to split. He  did the same with the desserts too! From corn tortillas, to well flavored pork, to ice cream, the food was delicious. Overall, the day at the henequen plantation was very informative, and we were able to learn about the rise and fall of “green gold” in Merida.

A Rainy Visit to Uxmal and Bob Gow's Hacienda by Bennie Jefferson

Our group woke up this morning to head to the Uxmal ruins. It was pretty rainy, and I thought that might put a damper on the trip somewhat. However, the ruins were absolutely beautiful, even in the rain! The best part was the view from the Governor’s Palace. From this vantage point, we could see the entirety of Uxmal and the beautiful jungle surrounding it.

Afer our visit to Uxmal, we went to visit Bob Gow, former president of Zapata corporation, on his hacienda. There is some suspicion that he was once in the CIA disguised as an exotic fruit importer from Columbia. Needless to say, he is an interesting man. Bob Gow bought his hacienda, Xixim, in 1985 when both the floors and roof were missing. He has worked on it for a number of years, and the hacienda has been returned to its a original state (with a few modern additions such as a pool).

Like most haciendas in Mexico, Xixim has three cenotes (underground pools) that would carry the water to supply the fields as well as the inhabitants of the hacienda.

During our visit with Mr. Gow, we enjoyed a delicious traditional Yucatecan meal that featured pork, rice, and steamed vegetables. Mr. Gow took a great interest in each of our personal stories, and gave us some valuable life lessons. Bob Gow is a believer in being prepared to change at a moments notice, and he has used the hacienda as a think tank for many of those ventures including both a talapia and bamboo farm. He stressed to us the importance of experimentation and not being afraid to take chances, for chances are what makes life worth living. 

A Visit to the Governor's Palace by Chandler Parker

This afternoon, a group of us toured the Governor’s Mansion in the town square. When we walked into the courtyard, it was decorated for Christmas with a beautiful 14 foot tree.

As you walked up the stairs, you could see the famous murals on the walls. Each mural was a representation of the history of Merida. Many depicted the struggle that the Mayan people faced against the Europeans and Spaniards. There were images of Yucatecan historians who were important in the reform of the country's government and politics.

It was interesting to see artistic representations of Mayan citizens being persecuted by the Europeans and Spaniards. The Mayan people were enslaved for many years, and were abused or publicly killed when they tired to escape. However, it was interesting to see how far they overcame this oppression through visual representation.

An Afternoon of Bullfighting by Christopher Lawerence

January 1^st was a day that I will always remember.  A few of my classmates and I decided we wanted to experience a bullfight firsthand.  At 4 p.m., the first bull was released and the fights began.  

Throughout the course of the night, there were 6 bulls that entered the ring. Ultimately, all 6 bulls were killed and taken out of the ring by two horses. There were a few events, however, that changed my whole mindset on bullfighting. I learned that the matadors work together to take the bull down, and that each matador tries to appease the judge who sits atop the arena.  Secondly, I saw several men from Central America attempt to grab a bull as it was running at them. This event is a Portuguese tradition called the “pega.”

In doing this, the men stand in a single file line and attempt to pile on top of the bull in order to stop it.  At this particular fight, a few of the men failed to stop the bull and ended up being severely injured.  This brings me to my final lesson.  These men put themselves in harm’s way just to appeal to a crowd and to please a single judge.  I was astonished to see so many young children in attendance that were cheering these men on.  After going to the fight, I learned that the Mexican culture is in favor of daring events, but they also love to see their countrymen succeed.  Despite such a learning experience, I do not think I can ever sit through a bullfight again. However, it was a cultural experience I will never forget!