OVERVIEW
In the southeast of Mexico, bathed by the clear blue waters of the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, lies the peninsula of Yucatán, where the great Mayan culture once flourished amidst tropical forests. At a 45 minutes drive from the international airport of Mérida, the state capital, and 2 1/2 hours drive by car from Cancun, lies Hacienda San Jose Cholul.
San Jose Cholul is a smaller more private hacienda located south east of Merida. The 15 rooms and suites are conditioned with exquisite details and locates around the main 18th century building, surrounded by beautiful gardens.
We invite you to evoke the splendor of past eras, eveloped in the luxurious amenities and services expected of a five-star hotel. Learn about the history, our role in the social context of this ever evolving land, the rich juxtaposition of the ancient and modern cultures. Delight in the flavors of our cuisine, the architectural heritage of our rooms and the archeological zones, colonial villages and the natural reserves that surround us.
BRIEF HISTORY
XVI Century
1549 The land on which the Hacienda San Jose Cholul was founded was part of two different holdings: The holding of Cacalchen, assigned in this year to Francisco Tamayo Pacheco, and the holding of Tixkokob, which was owned since the start by a cousin of Francisco de Montejo until it became in the hands of Martin de Palomar.
XVII Century
1606 The holding of Cacalchen passed on to Juan Fernandez Castro.
1666 The holding of Calcalchen ended up in the hands of Jose Ventura de Magaña y Figueroa. Due to the fact that the borders of both the holdings and the Haciendas were joined since the end of the previous century, it is reasonable to think that the land in those days was used by the Mayans for agricultural purposes.
XVIII Century
1794 The first news we have about the actual Hacienda San Jose Cholul, owned in these days by Joaquim Tenreiro, was that it was a mixed Hacienda. Consolidating itself as a livestock and corn Hacienda it was more important for the Hacienda owners to be self sufficient than to sell their produce. In addition to these two basic products, San Jose Cholul had an orchard with an important production of fruit trees, sugarcane (24 hectares) and also their own honey production. To be able to cultivate the sugarcane the Hacienda had to amplify the artificial irrigation system, through channels, to ensure enough moisture for the soil.
XIX Century
1805 The name San Jose Cholul was a typical Hacienda name combining the original or Mayan name of the place with the saint they adopted for their religious worshipping. "San Jose" was the holy patron dedicated to the religious activity of the Hacienda and "Cholul" for two reasons, first it was an appellative widely used by the pre-Hispanic Mayan Indians to name their assents, the best example of this is an ancient assent converted into a village called Cholul, located close to the city of Merida and second for the abundance of the "cholul tree" in the area of the original settlement of the hacienda.
1826 Between the declaration of independence and the cast war (1823-1847) the social and economical growth in the Yucatan Peninsula was partially based on the sugar cane production in the Haciendas. The sugar cane was used to produce brown sugar and snaps for local consumption. Today, one can still admire in San Jose Cholul, adjacent to the actual library, the chimnea they used for this production process. Only 4 workers were living on the Hacienda in those days.
1830 For not paying taxes the Hacienda was confiscated by the government and sold for $4,614 pesos to the reverent of Tixkokob.
1865 San Jose Cholul was converted into a sisal producing Hacienda, leaving behind the sugar cane production, almost 10 years after most of the other Haciendas had been converted into sisal haciendas.
1870 Francisco Zavala and Manuel Jose Castillo purchased, paying 50% each, the Hacienda San Jose Cholul, from Jose Cicerol for $5000 pesos. In those days only 5 workers with their families were living on the Hacienda.
1875 Francisco Zavalla bought out Manuel Jose Castillo and became the sole owner of San Jose Cholul.
1878 Manuel Jose Castillo exchanges San Jose Cholul for the "Bolio Theatre", located in Merida, with Antonio Bolio Guzman.
1879 Mr. Bolio Guzman becomes the main promoter of the sisal Hacienda San Jose Cholul, by introducing in this year a special steam machine known as "stripper".
1891 After 13 years of steady growth, Mr Bolio Guzman decides to borrow a large sum of money, using San Jose Cholul as guarantee, to improve the facilities of the Hacienda. This showed how fast the Hacienda had managed to recuperate financially in spite of starting relatively late with the sisal production.
XX Century
1904 Antonio Bolio Guzman, 81 years old, sold San Jose Cholul to the brothers Gustavo and Arturo Bolio Manzanilla, who were his sons.
1916 The Bolio Manzanillo brothers managed to make the property quickly grow to almost 3000 hectares, including 20 henequen plantations (young, mature and old).
1929 Felipe G. Canton, owner of several Haciendas around San Jose Cholul, becomes de new owner of San Jose Cholul. The Agricultural Reform Act announced by the President of Mexico Lazaro Cardenas in 1937, hardly has any affect on San Jose due to the absence of an important population in the Hacienda.
1934 The workers of the Hacienda provoked several conflicts as they did not agree with the salaries Felipe G. Canton was paying them. The authorities intervened and established new prices and salaries. All the workers of the Hacienda, about 20, were living in those days in the village of Euan.
1944 San Jose Cholul Canton came into the hands of Elba G. Canton de Basares. In these days the Hacienda had only 15 hectares of land left.
1998 The Hacienda, after being restored for almost two years by a team of architects and restoration specialists, was opened as a hotel in December.
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