Hacienda Itzincab Cámara facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hacienda Itzincab Cámara
Private Residence / Event Venue
Entrance Hacienda Itzincab Cámara, Yucatán.
Hacienda Itzincab Cámara Location in Mexico
Country	Mexico
Mexican States	Yucatán
Municipalities	Tecoh Municipality
Time zone	UTC−6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Postal code	97822
Area code	988

Hacienda Itzincab Cámara is a special old estate found in the Tecoh Municipality in Yucatán, a state in southeastern Mexico. It was built during the 1800s when a plant called henequen was very important for making ropes and other products.

What's in a Name?

An old token from Hacienda Itzincab Cámara

The name Itzincab Cámara is a mix of two languages: Maya and Spanish.

• Itzincab comes from the Mayan language. It means "brother of the earth."
• Cámara is a Spanish family name. It belonged to one of the hacienda's past owners. The word "cámara" also means "chamber" or "room" in Spanish.

Over the years, the hacienda's name has been spelled in many different ways. For example, in 1888, it was spelled Yɔincab on old coins. By 1970, it became Itzincab Cámara, which is what it's called today.

How to Find the Hacienda

If you wanted to visit Hacienda Itzincab Cámara, here's how you could get there:

• You would start in Mérida and drive south on Calle 42 for about 21 kilometers.
• Then, you would turn left at a "y" in the road and go another 2.5 kilometers.
• Another way is to take highway 18 from Mérida to Tecoh. From Tecoh, you would turn right on Calle 27 and drive for about 8 kilometers.

A Look at the Hacienda's Past

Early Days and Owners

The hacienda was bought around 1860 by a person named Camilo G. Cámara. This was a time when henequen (a plant used to make fibers) was a very important crop in Yucatán.

By 1898, workers from Cuba were helping on the farm. In 1905, records show that 22 workers were Korean indentured servants. These were people who came to Mexico to work for a set period, often to pay off a debt.

In 1910, Gonzalo Cámara Zavala, who was Camilo's son, opened a school right on the estate. This was one of the first schools in that area, which was a big deal for the workers' children.

Changes Over Time

In the 1930s, new laws were passed in Mexico to change how land was owned. These laws, called agrarian acts, greatly reduced the size of the hacienda.

• In 1934, the Cámara family still owned 211 hectares (about 521 acres).
• By 1981, only 14 hectares (about 34 acres) were left.
• When the Cámara family sold the property in 1996, it was only 4 hectares (about 10 acres).

A group of private investors bought the hacienda in 1996. Today, Hacienda Itzincab Cámara is a private estate. People can rent it for special events like weddings, parties, and photo shoots.

Building Styles and Features

Main Buildings

The oldest building on the hacienda is on the southern side. It has strong pillars that hold up arches, with simple carvings. Nearby, there's an arch that looks like a mix of old Yucatecan and Moorish styles, with some newer classical touches. This arch probably marked the original entrance to the estate.

The main house has a colonial style. Its front porch has three arches supported by pillars. You reach it by climbing a large stone staircase with iron railings. Inside, many rooms still have their original painted designs on the walls, like in the master bedroom and a small prayer room. There's also a pantry, kitchen, lobby, a hallway with arches, a wine cellar, and a dining room.

Other Structures

In the southwest corner of the property, there's a small building that used to be the company store. South of the main entrance, you can find the remains of what was once a chapel. It doesn't have a roof anymore, but you can still see its main area, the altar, a room for the priest, and the bell tower.

Who Lived Here?

Before 1937, many people lived and worked directly on the hacienda. However, after President Lazaro Cardenas made new land reform laws, the large henequen plantations changed. They became collective farms called ejidos. This meant that only about 150 hectares of land could be kept by the original owners for private use.

After 1937, the Hacienda Itzincab Cámara mainly housed only the owner's family. The numbers below show how the population connected to the hacienda changed over the years.

According to a count done in 2005 by INEGI, the community had 377 people living there. This included 190 men and 187 women.

Photo gallery

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  Hacienda Itzincab Cámara principal park

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  Church at Hacienda Itzincab Cámara

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  Hacienda Itzincab Cámara token

See also

In Spanish: Itzincab Cámara para niños