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.
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