We visited Hacienda Sotuta De Peon today – a working henequen plantation. Merida’s success came from the henequen plantations used to make sisal rope and rugs. Henequen is related to the agave plant used to make Tequila. Many of the haciendas around Merida are now abandoned ruins as the market for henequen crashed in the mid 50’s as synthetics took over.
The machines used to process henequen look pretty dangerous and the guide leads you right the process. Apparently OSHA and liability attorneys don’t exist in Mexico.
A mule pulled cart on little train tracks takes you through the fields and the highlight for me – two cenotes.
We swam and snorkeled in the last cenote. The water was fresh, crystal clear and a nice cool 77 degrees.
