Hacienda Yaxcopoil is located near Mérida, Yucatán, México and dating back to the 17th century. The name Yaxcopoil in Maya means “place of the green poplars”
YUCATAN, (November 20, 2021).- Hacienda Yaxcopoil was founded in the 17th century. Its name means in the Maya language “place of the green poplars”. The hacienda brings together in its history the three great periods of the Yucatan of yesterday, pre-Hispanic life, colonial life, and the henequen boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
With more than eleven thousand hectares of land in its heyday, Yaxcopoil was considered one of the most important rustic farms due to its size and magnificence, both in the cattle and henequen industries. However, with the passage of time and with the continuous processes of political, social, and economic change in the region, its extension was reduced to less than 3% of its former surface.
At present, the hacienda is converted into a private inn and museum, which seeks to show with the greatest veracity and simplicity, the spaces and furnishings that were used during the times of splendor.
The main house, with its spacious living rooms, high ceilings, and spacious corridors, is surrounded by extensive gardens with an infinite range of colors and exuberant vegetation, which place us in a unique and incomparable environment. It still has the original European furniture that gives it the atmosphere of the time.
The main hall is dominated by two oil paintings: Don Donaciano García Rejón Mazó and his wife Mónica Galera Encalada, who in 1864 acquired the farm. From then on, the property was passed from father to son until its current owner, a descendant of those. The office keeps books, plans, documents, and other collections from the time of the administration of the estate.
In the chapel, there is an oil painting from the colonial era. There, the image of its patron saint, San Gerónimo de Yaxcopoil, is venerated. The dining room and kitchen, both with beautiful and fine antique furniture that reflects the excellent domestic and country way of life.
In the garden, there is a swimming pool with its dressing rooms, the irrigation tank, and the Ferris wheel with its motor and American pumps from the beginning of the 20th century, which continue to work extracting the water for daily use.
From the pre-Hispanic period, Yaxcopoil preserves in its premises, Maya ruins formed by numerous pyramidal structures, the six main ones having a height that varies between 6 and 20 meters, a ball-game court, and small stelae that are scattered in an 8 square kilometer perimeter.
One of the rooms, the so-called “Maya Room”, has been converted into a small museum that brings together numerous vessels, sculptures, and other archaeological relics from the classical period (250-900 AD) found in the Maya ruins of Yaxcopoil.
In the henequen shredding plant, it shows vestiges of the first engines and machines of the late 19th century for the agricultural and industrial process. In the engine room, a German diesel engine with 100 HP of power brand Körting (Hannover, Germany) from 1913 is kept in good condition, which was used until 1984 when the production of henequen fiber on the farm ended, after more of a century.
The workshop and the wineries are constructions that have beautifully decorated facades in neoclassical style columns with four sculptures of women representing the seasons of the year designed in the José de Antonès pottery factory in Hostafranchs, (Barcelona).
At the other end of the sleeve in front of the machine room, you can see other buildings that were once part of the hacienda and that functioned as the school, hospital, and store.
Due to its classic rural-style buildings, Yaxcopoil is, without a doubt, the best-known henequen farm in the region, since its main house and plant have served as the setting for filming several films and television programs.
Any visitor who wants to know the past of Yucatan must visit a Hacienda because these facilities are part of the state´s history. Of all the haciendas in the peninsula, most are semi-destroyed by the relentless passage of time. Only a few of the size of Yaxcopoil, have been preserved.
Traveling along the highway towards the ruins of Uxmal, when passing through Yaxcopoil, the building that most characterizes it immediately emerges, its monumental “double Moorish arch” from the colonial period, perhaps the most beautiful in Yucatan, which opens the doors of the hacienda, offering you a cordial welcome.
WALL
SERVICES.
Museum, Events, Locations, Lodging, Craft Store, Refreshment, and Parking.
MUSEUM.
The visit of the Hacienda, which is guided in Spanish and consists of a tour of the main points of interest of which reference is made in the “Visitor’s Guide” printed in Spanish, English, German, French, Italian and Russian with a duration of approximately 60 minutes. We also have a rest area and toilets. The important pre-Columbian Maya ruins of Yaxcopoil cover more than 8 square kilometers around the hacienda. Artifacts at this site can be seen in the Maya Room during your tour.
EVENTS.
Hacienda Yaxcopoil is a magical and unique place for all kinds of events. The hacienda can accommodate up to 1,000 people, with your choice of multiple indoor and outdoor spaces. As a venue for weddings, conventions, and other events, La Hacienda is unique and incomparable! Meals can be set outside under the stars with fairytale lighting, or inside for more intimate events.
LOCATIONS.
Hacienda Yaxcopoil can be rented as a single location for different productions. In the past, the Hacienda has been an exceptional photo location for magazine photos, catalogs, video productions and has been used as a location for film productions.
LODGING.
The hacienda has a splendid “Guest House” beautifully restored for guests with a spacious room furnished with two double beds, hammocks, air conditioning and electric fans, its private bathroom, corridor, patio and parking. With free WiFi service.
SHOP OF CRAFTS AND REFRESHMENTS
Henquen items, ceramics, and other crafts are available for sale in the gift shop, along with 100% pure Yaxcopoil honey, cards, books and other things to remember. As well as soft drinks, ice water, and snacks.
SCHEDULE.
Open all year round, Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 6 PM.
Saturdays from 9 AM to 4 PM.
Sundays closed.
ADDRESS
Hacienda Yaxcopoil is part of the Maya World. The distance between Mérida, the capital of the state of Yucatán, and the Yaxcopoil hacienda is approximately 22 kilometers (30 minutes) by car heading southwest.
Proceed to exit No. 1 of the Mérida peripheral to Federal Highway 180 towards Campeche Uxmal, near the airport. 12 kilometers from Mérida, follow the exit signs to Federal Highway 261, in the direction of Chetumal Uxmal and continue for about 10 kilometers until you reach Hacienda Yaxcopoil, where you will find the property at kilometer 220, on Calle 21 N ° 500, Yaxcopoil, Yucatán. CP 97396.
Source: Haciendas de México
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