Okay, the first entry is a biggie. So, let’s put out the foundation first of who, what, why & where.
- As part of the Ajua Wedding services clients can choose to have a tradition Mayan Wedding ceremony. It is very cool and done by a Shaman that we know.
- As of April 10, 2009 Vaughan & I will have been married for 10 years! V thought it would be cool to do a renewal to celebrate. At first he was thinking keep it a surprise for me but then he thought getting me in on it made more sense….see, that is one reason I married him….he is a smart guy.
- The Shaman told us that he would like if I could take photos for him of a Mayan Equinox Ceremony at some ruins. Ummmm…..YES! As an exchange of services I would take photos of the Equinox Ceremony and Vaughan, the kids & I would get to do a Mayan Wedding/Family reunion.
- So, the ruins are not around Playa del Carmen. They were south of Merida. Woo Hoo! Long weekend away!
-Brenda, Vaughan’s mom, got us all reserved at the Hacienda Temozon near Abala. Beautiful!
A little history about where we were…or you can click this link, http://www.haciendasmexico.com/temozon/linea_tiempo/index.php
The following is taken from a binder that was in our room.
The Hacienda was first registered in 1655 and the principal activity was cattle. In the second half of the 18th century corn was incorporated into the Hacienda. Then in the second half of the 19th century was a “boom” for natural fiber and Temozon quickly transformed into cultivating henequen (sisal) for fiber. In 1890 Temozon became the largest producer of henequen under the new owner Carlos Peon Machado.
Originally the Hacienda registered having 6,642 hectares of land. There were some “rezoning” issues related to the government giving land to the villagers which caused Hacienda Temozon to reduce to 3,291 hectares in 1924. A 50% loss of land.
In 1973 after being in the Peon Family for one hundred years the property was sold to Adolfo Escobedo Batun who bequeathed it to Miguel Angel de Cervera. In 1996 the property was acquired by Plan Group and restored as a hotel.
It was only in the last quarter of the 19th century that sisal could be shredded mechanically, and cultivation spread. The old estates or rural farms were transformed for almost exclusive production of henequen. Great halls were built for the shredding machinery, steam engines with their typical chimneys, and presses for making bales. There were trains for transporting leaves and networks of Decauville rails that covered the whole hacienda leading to the dryers and the warehouses. Houses were built for the overseas administrators, supervisors and workers. As most everyone lived and worked on site service buildings such as schools, infirmaries, chapels and stores were built. Usually the families of the workers would live around the haciendas creating large villages. The government that came into power after the Revolution of 1910 carried out the agragarian reforms and the redistribution of land. This was happening at the same time as the market for “Green Gold” was declining. Many of the Haciendas were abandoned and their ruins disappeared into the tropical jungle. Today, some have been restored for different purposes than the original, thus preserving the beauty of what was until not so long ago, the Pride of the Yucatan.
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Arrival March 20, 2009
As I sit here at 9:45pm by candle light I have enjoyed 2 pieces of dark chocolate and I am sipping on a glass of white wine that I brought with me.
The room is fantastic! A wooden beam ceiling tops thick stuccoed white walls. Dark wood & rattan furniture fills the spaces and a hammock sways gently across the center of the room in the breeze from the fans.
Aside from my fear of walking around barefoot…due to the large silver dollar sized spider that Avery found hiding next to her shoe earlier…things are going great. Just the glimpse we got of the grounds when we arrived tonight I can tell this place is beautiful. Can’t wait to see it in the sunlight. Fabulous tall (2 story) palm trees with up lighting, stark white paint trimming out the edges of deep brick red walls and a pool that for me, is rivaled only by the Reflecting Pool in Washington DC.
The following is taken from a binder that was in our room.
The Hacienda was first registered in 1655 and the principal activity was cattle. In the second half of the 18th century corn was incorporated into the Hacienda. Then in the second half of the 19th century was a “boom” for natural fiber and Temozon quickly transformed into cultivating henequen (sisal) for fiber. In 1890 Temozon became the largest producer of henequen under the new owner Carlos Peon Machado.
Originally the Hacienda registered having 6,642 hectares of land. There were some “rezoning” issues related to the government giving land to the villagers which caused Hacienda Temozon to reduce to 3,291 hectares in 1924. A 50% loss of land.
In 1973 after being in the Peon Family for one hundred years the property was sold to Adolfo Escobedo Batun who bequeathed it to Miguel Angel de Cervera. In 1996 the property was acquired by Plan Group and restored as a hotel.
It was only in the last quarter of the 19th century that sisal could be shredded mechanically, and cultivation spread. The old estates or rural farms were transformed for almost exclusive production of henequen. Great halls were built for the shredding machinery, steam engines with their typical chimneys, and presses for making bales. There were trains for transporting leaves and networks of Decauville rails that covered the whole hacienda leading to the dryers and the warehouses. Houses were built for the overseas administrators, supervisors and workers. As most everyone lived and worked on site service buildings such as schools, infirmaries, chapels and stores were built. Usually the families of the workers would live around the haciendas creating large villages. The government that came into power after the Revolution of 1910 carried out the agragarian reforms and the redistribution of land. This was happening at the same time as the market for “Green Gold” was declining. Many of the Haciendas were abandoned and their ruins disappeared into the tropical jungle. Today, some have been restored for different purposes than the original, thus preserving the beauty of what was until not so long ago, the Pride of the Yucatan.
************************************************************************
Arrival March 20, 2009
As I sit here at 9:45pm by candle light I have enjoyed 2 pieces of dark chocolate and I am sipping on a glass of white wine that I brought with me.
The room is fantastic! A wooden beam ceiling tops thick stuccoed white walls. Dark wood & rattan furniture fills the spaces and a hammock sways gently across the center of the room in the breeze from the fans.
Aside from my fear of walking around barefoot…due to the large silver dollar sized spider that Avery found hiding next to her shoe earlier…things are going great. Just the glimpse we got of the grounds when we arrived tonight I can tell this place is beautiful. Can’t wait to see it in the sunlight. Fabulous tall (2 story) palm trees with up lighting, stark white paint trimming out the edges of deep brick red walls and a pool that for me, is rivaled only by the Reflecting Pool in Washington DC.
Wedding Day/Family Celebration March 21, 2009
What an incredible experience! The ruins of Labna are really beautiful. The equinox ceremony was done in an alcove surrounded by walls of ornately carved stones that make up the walls in this section. The Shaman preformed the ceremony for spring and then it was out turn. Connor walked up to the alter table with Vaughan and then Avery came with me. Connor did a great job of sticking next to Vaughan. Avery was not too sure about what was going on so she held tight to my leg for a bit. Once she was comfortable with her surroundings she would slip back and forth between Vaughan & me depending on where the Shaman was. It got to be comical to watch her but, she stayed up there!
What an incredible experience! The ruins of Labna are really beautiful. The equinox ceremony was done in an alcove surrounded by walls of ornately carved stones that make up the walls in this section. The Shaman preformed the ceremony for spring and then it was out turn. Connor walked up to the alter table with Vaughan and then Avery came with me. Connor did a great job of sticking next to Vaughan. Avery was not too sure about what was going on so she held tight to my leg for a bit. Once she was comfortable with her surroundings she would slip back and forth between Vaughan & me depending on where the Shaman was. It got to be comical to watch her but, she stayed up there!
We hired a photographer Eduardo Machuca (http://www.eduardomachuca.com/) who I think had a good time taking the photos. After the ceremony we went over to the back side of the ruins where there is a huge arch doorway and we got some great photos.
After the ceremony we stopped for lunch at a restaurant near the ruins of Uxmal. Then it was back to Temozon for some relaxing by the pool.
After the ceremony we stopped for lunch at a restaurant near the ruins of Uxmal. Then it was back to Temozon for some relaxing by the pool.
After swimming we checked in with Ita (Vaughan’s mom. The kids call her Ita which is short for Abuelita…Grandmother in Spanish) because she was not feeling good. Avery & Connor both got some very cool toys made out of wood that Ita bought for them while she & Jorge (Abue, sounds like Ah-bway) were in Chiapas visiting his family. Then we changed and went up to the restaurant for some dinner before heading back to the room for some sleep. It was a special day and I am so glad that we did it.
Relaxing Day March 22, 2009
Relaxing Day March 22, 2009
We brought cereal and milk with us so that we could just do breakfasts in the room. While the kids ate I headed out for a 30 minute run. While it felt good to go I was very thankful for the ipod. Unlike here in Playa where you can people watch while you run there was nothing to see once I got outside of the little town that surrounds the Hacienda. Just pavement and jungle stretching as far as I could see. Did I mention that the sun was beating down like mid day at only 8am? Wow. I was ready to hit the pool when I got back.
We all changed and decided to wander around the grounds with the pool as our final destination. We found an orchard, a private pool, some beautiful flowers, lots of old buildings, the resident donkey, and all of the really neat old machine pieces from when the Hacienda was working.
We all changed and decided to wander around the grounds with the pool as our final destination. We found an orchard, a private pool, some beautiful flowers, lots of old buildings, the resident donkey, and all of the really neat old machine pieces from when the Hacienda was working.
There are 2 cenotes on the property. One is used for spa treatments and the 
other is open for swimming. You can either walk to it or you can get a ride on an old cart used to haul the henequen. They hook the donkey up to the cart and pull the cart on the old rails. Connor & Avery got a very short little ride because we were talking to the worker who was hooking the donkey up for his morning excursion. We stopped right by the pool so it was swimming time! We had lots of fun splashing around and playing. They have these great lounge chairs under a cabana of palapa poles with a hammock behind.
For lunch we decided to eat out on the front porch of the main Hacienda building. We took some board games up that we brought and played until our lunch came. It was a really nice relaxing time with the family.
After some quiet time for everyone we got in the car and went to go see an old abandoned hacienda and then a hacienda that has been restored and is working. It was really interesting to compare Temozon (hotel) to the Uayalceh (abandoned) to Sotuta de Peon (working). I will just let the photos explain. I will be loading eveything and I will post the link to the slideshow of all of the photos from the weekend.
other is open for swimming. You can either walk to it or you can get a ride on an old cart used to haul the henequen. They hook the donkey up to the cart and pull the cart on the old rails. Connor & Avery got a very short little ride because we were talking to the worker who was hooking the donkey up for his morning excursion. We stopped right by the pool so it was swimming time! We had lots of fun splashing around and playing. They have these great lounge chairs under a cabana of palapa poles with a hammock behind.For lunch we decided to eat out on the front porch of the main Hacienda building. We took some board games up that we brought and played until our lunch came. It was a really nice relaxing time with the family.
After some quiet time for everyone we got in the car and went to go see an old abandoned hacienda and then a hacienda that has been restored and is working. It was really interesting to compare Temozon (hotel) to the Uayalceh (abandoned) to Sotuta de Peon (working). I will just let the photos explain. I will be loading eveything and I will post the link to the slideshow of all of the photos from the weekend.
Leaving Day March 23, 2009
Do we have to go? This has been so nice. Last night we all had dinner together. Brenda was feeling well enough to come up and eat with us too. We had such a nice relaxing time. I learned so much about henequen and why the Haciendas were so important to the production of it and its products. If you are interested in purchasing anything you can check out this web site, http://www.artesaniasdelmundomaya.org/
Time to go back to reality.....
--J--
