The Hacienda

The hacienda covers 15 acres with various
buildings, gardens, expanses of lawn and vestiges
of old buildings no longer standing. The grounds are
surrounded by old stone walls and are generously
shaded with large trees.

The Casa de Maquinas
The largest building on the hacienda dates from the late
18th century, when Hacienda Santa Cruz was one of the
first in the area to grown henequen. At that time, the Casa
de Maquinas, or House of Machines, housed giant machines
to convert the spiny leaves of the henequen plant into the
fibers that became sisal rope. These fibers were loaded
into carts and sent by train to Sisal, on the Gulf of Mexico.
From there, the rope was shipped around the world and
became known by the same name. Now the Casa Maquina
contains the bar, the grand sala, a library at the top of a
tiled circular staircase, a patio with fountain and fish, and
the dining hall. The thirty-five foot ceilings in this building
offer a glimpse of the grandeur of the past era. A stone-
paved colonnade runs along the back of this entire
building, looking out onto a shady orchard. Just off the terrace
is the swimming pool, dwarfed by the old chiminea that
stands as a monument to history and can be seen from
every part of the hacienda grounds.

The Casa Principal
The Casa Principal or Main House consists of two
vaulted rooms with stone walls that are five feet thick.
This is probably the oldest structure on the hacienda and
may have been built in the second half of the 17th century,
when the hacienda was a cattle ranch on the outskirts of
the new colonial city of Merida. The front corridor room,
with its tall arch and stone floor, provided entrance to
those on horseback. Iron rings are still embedded in the
facade of the building.

The Chapel
When Hurricane Gilberto struck the Merida area in
1988, many of the people in the pueblo took refuge
in the chapel. Though the hurrican did great damage
to the Yucatan and the hacienda, and though the roof
of the chapel collapsed a few months later, no one who
sought refuge in the chapel that night was hurt. A new
church for the pueblo was built outside the hacienda's
gates, but the pueblo still holds great affection for the
old chapel, which is now restored. The massive stone
altar and font remain. The carved beam supports from
the old roof were salvaged and artwork by a local
artist, Alberto Castillo, was installed. The chapel was
also resanctified. Weddings, baptisms and occasional
mass are again celebrated at Santa Cruz.

The Bar and Library
As the sun goes down after a day of visiting colonial
cities, Mayan ruins, beaches or cenotes, it's great to
get back to the hacienda and have a cool, tropical
drink. A staircase leads up to a library full of books.

The Grounds and the Inhabitants
The fifteen acres of the hacienda are surrounded by an
old stone wall. Outside the surrounding pueblo continues
to carry on with daily life. When henequen production
and processing ended in the mid 1950's, the former
owners moved to Merida. For three decades afterwards,
the hacienda produced fruit and poultry on a small
scale. Even these efforts ceased after Hurrican Gilberto,
and the hacienda was abandoned totally in 1988. The
stone-carved irrigation system fell into disrepair, the
land returned to its natural state and, happily for us
all, the birds and wildlife moved back in.

Now the new owners encourage the wildlife. The birds
are legion, with species too numerous to mention. Frogs
can be heard and seen after sunset. Iguanas lounge on
the stone walls and geckos can surprise you in any
corner. An hour can go by watching ants, butterflies,
grasshoppers and other members of the insect world
that abound here.