Hacienda Santa Rosa de Lima facts for kids
The Hacienda Santa Rosa de Lima is a beautiful old estate in Maxcanú Municipality, Yucatán, Mexico. It's about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the city of Mérida. This hacienda was built during a time when a plant called henequen was very important. It produced sisal, a strong fiber, for many years. The main parts of the hacienda were finished in 1909. Today, it is a fancy hotel where people can stay.
History of Hacienda Santa Rosa
The first owner we know of was Benito Montero. He sold the estate in 1870 to two brothers, José Dolores and Encarnación Guzmán. Later that year, José Dolores became the only owner. Records show that a powerhouse with a steam engine was added around this time.
In 1886, the hacienda was mortgaged, meaning it was used as a loan guarantee. It was then bought by José Dominguez. He had to sell it to his brother Alfredo Maria de la Trinidad in 1889 because of money problems. Alfredo sold it three years later to the Urcelay family. This family was led by José Antonio Urcelay Peniche, who owned many haciendas. In 1897, about 90 people lived on the estate. It also had many animals, including cattle, horses, and mules.
Around 1937, the government made changes to land ownership. This was called land reform. Much of the hacienda's land and machines were taken over. Also, people around the world started buying less natural fibers like sisal. Because of these changes, the hacienda's production dropped a lot. It went from a very large area to a much smaller one.
The hacienda was owned by engineer Enrique Vales Monforte for some time. Then, in 1996, a private company bought it. They completely fixed it up and turned it into the beautiful luxury hotel it is today.
Architecture and Design
Like many Mexican estates from the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Hacienda Santa Rosa is laid out in a straight line from north to south. The main house and the powerhouse are next to the main square. On one side of this square was the path for workers coming from their homes and the company store. The church and a school also completed the area.
The main house you see today is built in a colonial style. The storage buildings and the keeper's house were also built in 1909. They have special decorative edges called cornices and flat bands called friezes. In 1916, the powerhouse was added. This building also held the machine that shredded the henequen plants. You can see different building styles in its design, including Renaissance and neoclassical touches.
The hotel rooms at the hacienda are called suites. They have very tall ceilings, about 18 feet high, with exposed wooden beams. The double doors are also very tall, about 10 feet high, and made of dark tropical wood. The floors are made of tiles. The hacienda also has a huge botanical garden, covering about 9,200 square meters (nearly 2.3 acres). It used to be an old fruit farm. Now, it has over 200 different types of plants. Many of these plants are only found in the Yucatán Peninsula.
See also
In Spanish: Hacienda Santa Rosa de Lima para niños
