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enda-style bed in commanding dark ma- to Spanish nobles. These tracts, orga- Mechanized shredders, introduced in
hogany, with 12-foot high windows let- nized around haciendas, became centers the late 19th century, created an un-
ting in jungle sounds to lull you to sleep. of farming and manufacturing and the precedented boom. Sisal was “green
Get the idea of how rock stars live now? basis of a far-flung feudal system. gold.” Haciendas maintained huge
fields of agave and hundreds of workers.
We unpacked and finished our drinks on From the late 1600s to the mid 1900s, Along with its “casa de maquinas” (ma-
our veranda serenaded by water splash- Petac and the other haciendas were chinery house) and 50-foot chimney for
ing into pools and hidden fishponds. symbols of wealth and status. Mexico’s its power plant, haciendas often includ-
Beyond, one of the hacienda’s many version of southern plantations. And, ed a school, a church, stables, an infir-
stone paths disappeared into a carefully like plantations, in the early days ha- mary, servants’ quarters, a granary, and
attended jungle of native trees. ciendas adhered to a strict racial caste a company store.
system. The “haciendados,” or landown-
We didn’t leave the grounds for three ers, were the masters, the “indigenos,” The boom didn’t last. New processes for
days and two nights. The hacienda of- mostly Maya, were the workers. making rope and twine appeared after
fers various excursions for its guests. World War II. Eventually the sisal indus-
But when the epicures went off on an The economics of the hacienda system try collapsed and, one by one, most of
exploratory day trip to the markets of changed in the 19th century and Petac the haciendas were abandoned.
Merida, we stayed behind. We weren’t changed with it. Originally designed
going anywhere How many chances do for cattle ranching and farming, Petac, But there’s a happy ending. In the 1990s,
you get to live like a rock star? like many Yucatacan haciendas, began Mexican banker Robert Hernandez be-
producing henequen -- later called sisal gan restoring the derelict haciendas to
The Hacienda Petac story began long be- because it was shipped from the colonial
fore the rock star era. After the conquest port of Sisal. Shredding the pulpy leaves Opposite: The Hacienda Petac before and after
of Mexico, Spain needed a way to con- of the henequen, a type of agave plant, restoration. Above :The hacienda main building
trol and exploit the vast new territories. creates fibers for rope and twine.
So the crown granted huge tracts of land veranda and kitchen.
Wine Dine & Travel Summer/Fall 2015 85