OVERVIEW
In the southeast of Mexico, surrounded by the clear blue waters of the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, lies the peninsula of the Yucatan, where the great Mayan culture once flourished amidst tropical forests. A 35 minute drive from the international airport of Merida, the state capital, lies Hacienda Temozon Sur.
Temozon, a superb residence in the Heart of the Yucatan Peninsula recreates the belle époque of the Mexican southeast. The 28 rooms and suites are conditioned with exquisite details and locate in the main 16th 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
XVII Century
1655 During this period Temozón Sur was known as an "estancia" and belonged to Don Diego de Mendoza. The Montejo Family were ancestors of the Mendoza Family and Francisco de Montejo was the conqueror of the Yucatan Peninsula and founder of Merida.
1680 Due to the continuous purchase of surrounding land around the property local from the population of Abala, Temozón Sur became one of the most important live stock estancias in the area into the first half of the 18th century.
XVIII Century
1764 Temozon Sur, still primarily a livestock estancia, changed hands became the property of Doña Maria Muñoz.
1782 In this year, the actual population of Temozón Sur, still an estancia, consisted out of 23 men and 27 women.
XIX Century
1803 Temozon was recorded as a cattle raising Hacienda by Bishop Pedro Augustin Estevez y Ugarte, of Yucatan, in his pastoral travelling report.
1810 Temozon Sur, now owned by Doña Micaela Montero had the three basic necessities to become a successful mixed Hacienda. During this time having livestock and corn, they increased production and intensified the activities carried out by the estancias and produced corn on a greater scale than they had done previously.
The three necessities were as follows: extensive land for the cattle to use, sufficient natural water resources on the property (sink holes) and lastly a local indigenous population large enough to work the land. In those days the Hacienda had 20 horses and 800 head of cattle.
1851 The extraordinary demand for hard fibers in the U.S. twine industry paved the way in this period (1880-1920). Livestock and corn haciendas like Temozon Sur, now owned by Don Jose Nicolas Lara and after him by his widow Dominga Lara, were transformed into sisal factories. This caused the mixed production of the Hacienda to be reduced to the minimum activities, basically to maintain the Haciendas self sufficiency. The main activity was now one single product: sisal or as they call it in Mexico: Henequen.
1855 The name Temozon is a hybrid term consisting of a Mayan and a Spanish word: te which means in Mayan this is the place and the Spanish word mozon which means whirlwind. In a report written in this year by a government promoter D. Jose Maria Peon y Cano about the Mayan language it states: the Indians say t-mozon to a whirlwind and therefore the name place of the whirlwind.
1869 The Hacienda was purchased by Mr. Jose Rendon Peniche, one of the pioneers of the railroads in the Yucatan Peninsula.
1873 In this year Temozon Sur was purchased by a young lawyer called Carlos Peon Manchado. The Peon Family was one of the most important "hacendados" families in the peninsula, his father Felipe Peon Maldonado was owner of 13 haciendas when he died in 1876. Carlos Peon Machado also stood out in the Yucatecan history as an important politician (governor of Yucatan 1893-97), banker and businessmen. Before exporting the fiber, it had to be extracted from the henequen leaves ("pencas"). This was done by special steam machines known as "strippers". The first 2 strippers were set up by Carlos Peon in the mid 1870s. Temozón yielded 34 kg of fiber per 1000 henequen leaves.
1885 The Hacienda Temozon was connected to the telegraph network and later it also had a telephone line.
XX Century
1900 Temozon Sur was now the most important sisal Hacienda of the Peon family empire, with 640 dwellers (320 men, 317 women) and extended over an area of 6,642 hectares. Of these, 1,700 were allocated to growing henequen. 4,782 hectares were forests and bushes while the "casco" was built over 89 hectares with buildings and housing for workers in addition to roads crossing the estate. It was bigger than any other Hacienda of its era!
1908 On April 25 a huge fire put an end to the henequen plantations in the Hacienda. This was perhaps, the most serious disaster of this kind. 31,700 mecates of henequen went up in flames (one mecate is 400m2). The fire wiped out Carlos Peon's fortune and destroyed the prosperity of the Hacienda. Temozon was never able to recover completely from this disaster.
1914 The henequen crises of 1911 to 1915 were over and an upward cycle started, mainly associated with the outbreak World War One. This culminated during 1916-1918 with the highest profits in history for the Yucatan henequen industry.
1921 The henequen fiber production for one year at Temozon was as much as 80,000 kg.
1924 In this year Temozon Sur registered only 50% of the 6,642 hectares that had once belonged to the Hacienda. The main reason for this was that the socialist government of Yucatan in 1921 planned to put together collective ejidos, similar to those created in 1937 by the Mexican President Cardenas, to reestablish the village of Abala by returning the land of the haciendas to the peasants so they could work on it (Milpera).
1937 During this period, the Hacienda was owned by Humberto Peon Suarez. The Agricultural reform act announced by the President of Mexico Lazaro Cardenas caused several organized conflicts in Temozon finishing with the expropriation (supposed to be officially requested by the workers of the hacienda) of the Hacienda Temozon Sur, by the authorities.
1956 The President of Mexico, Avila Camacho reversed the process of the expropriation of Temozon Sur in favor of the owner Humberto Peon Suarez who kept the property in his family until the seventies.
1973 100 years after acquiring Hacienda Temozon Sur, the Peon Family sold it to Adolfo Escobedo Batun
1983 The Hacienda came into the hands of Miguel Angel Cervera Manges who for a short time reactivated the strippers process. In 1987 the operation of the industrial machinery was suspended and remained as a mere memory of the ancient activity processing the "green gold" of Yucatan.
1997 The Hacienda, after being restored for almost two years by a team of architects and restoration specialists, was opened as a hotel in December of this year. The most worthy aspect of this specific hotel-hacienda project, however, may be the social issues implied in the hiring and systematic training of local workers, first in the construction work and later on in hotel positions.
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