Hacienda Santa Cruz Palomeque

Hacienda Santa Cruz Palomeque is located in the Mérida Municipality in the state of Yucatán in southeastern Mexico. It is one of the properties that arose during the nineteenth century henequen boom. It is part of the Cuxtal Ecological Reserve which was set aside in 1993 to protect both the man-made and natural history of the reserve area of Mérida.

Hacienda Santa Cruz Palomeque
Hotel
Entry
Cuxtal Ecological Reserve
Hacienda Santa Cruz Palomeque
Location in Mexico
Coordinates: 20°52′45″N 89°39′13″W
CountryMexico
Mexican StatesYucatán
MunicipalitiesMérida Municipality
Time zoneUTC−6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Postal code
97315[1]
Area code999[2]

Toponymy

The name (Santa Cruz Palomeque) is a combination of Spanish terms. "Santa Cruz" (holy cross in English) is a reference to the Brotherhood of the Holy Cross and Palomeque is the surname of one of the former owners, José María Palomeque,[3] who also owned part of Hacienda Chenkú.[4]

How to get there

The property is located south of Mérida. Take Periférico south to exit "Dzununcan, Avenida 86" and turn toward Dzununcan for 1 km.[5]

History
Main article: Haciendas of Yucatán

The original property of Hacienda Santa Cruz was designated as a Franciscan monastery in 1640. It was later operated as a henequen production farm[5] by José María Palomeque.[3]

On 28 June 1993 the Cuxtal Ecological Reserve was designated to protect the history of the 7 large haciendas, their adjoining pueblas, 12 minor archaeological sites, 6 cenotes and one of Merida's important water supply stations.[6] Hacienda Santa Cruz Palomeque was part of this historic designation.[7]

Within the reserve are the following protected haciendas:[7]

In 2007 Robert and Carolyn Franck[9] bought the abandoned estate[10] and renovated it.[11] The estate currently operates as a boutique hotel and can be rented for private events.[5]

Architecture
Company Store of Hacienda Santa Cruz Palomeque

The estate has an area of 7 hectares with several buildings, extensive gardens and vestiges of old buildings. The whole area is surrounded by stone walls and shaded by large trees.[5]

The Main House was built in the colonial style with stone walls 1.8 meters thick and stone floors. The very high ceilings and arches of the corridor allowed the entry of horse-drawn carriages.[5]

The powerhouse was the most important building of the estate during the henequen phase, as it was where the sisal fiber was processed into rope. The powerhouse has been converted into a bar and reception hall, accessed via a library staircase from a courtyard below.[5]

The Chapel was severely damaged by Hurricane Gilberto in 1988. It has been fully restored. The sculpted beam that supported the old roof was rescued and re-installed. The chapel has been re-sanctified and occasional Masses, baptisms and weddings are celebrated.[5]

Demographics
Church at Hacienda Santa Cruz Palomeque

All of the henequen plantations ceased to exist as autonomous communities with the agrarian land reform implemented by President Lazaro Cardenas in 1937. His decree turned the haciendas into collective ejidos, leaving only 150 hectares to the former landowners for use as private property.[12] Figures before 1937 indicate populations living on the farm. After 1937, figures indicate those living in the community, as the remaining Hacienda Santa Cruz Palomeque houses only the owner's immediate family.

According to the 2005 census conducted by the INEGI, the population of the city was 718 inhabitants, of whom 372 were men and 346 were women.[13]

Population of Santa Cruz Palomeque by year
Year 1900 1910 1921 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 1995 2000 2005
Population 7 0 17 154 106 155 220 202 276 374 419 567 718
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References
  1. "Consulta Códigos Postales". Servicio Postal Mexicano. Correos de México. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  2. "Yucatan Mexico Telephone Area Codes". Travel Yucatan. Travel Yucatan. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  3. "Comisarías y Subcomisarías del Municipio de Mérida: Station Santa Cruz Palomeque". Mérida GOB (in Spanish). Mérida, Mexico: Mérida GOB. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  4. "Hacienda Chenkú". Haciendas en Yucatan (in Spanish). Gobierno del Estado de Yucatán. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  5. "Hacienda Santa Cruz Palomeque". Haciendas en Yucatan (in Spanish). Mérida, Mexico: Gobierno del Estado de Yucatán. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  6. Lougheed, Vivien (2009). Yucatan Chetumal, Merida, Campeche. Edison, N.J.: Hunter Publishing. p. 22. ISBN 978-1-588-43734-1. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  7. "Reserva Ecologica Municipal Cuxtal" (PDF). The Matrix. Mérida, Mexico: Municipal Government of Merida, Yucatán. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  8. "Haciendas » Dzoyaxché". Gobierno del Estado de Yucatán (in Spanish). Mérida, Mexico: Gobierno del Estado de Yucatán. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  9. "Haciendas in Yucatan: Hacienda Santa Cruz". Yucatan Today. Merida, Mexico: Yucatan Today. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  10. Dragonné, Carlos (14 February 2011). "Mérida: Entre Haciendas y la ciudad blanca". Los Sabores de Mexico (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  11. Fields, Ellen; Fields, James (November 2006). "Haciendas in the Yucatan". Yucatan Living. Merida, Mexico: Yucatan Living. Archived from the original on 2015-05-06. Retrieved 2015-05-11.
  12. Joseph, Gilbert Michael (1988). Revolution from without : Yucatán, Mexico, and the United States, 1880-1924 (Pbk. ed.). Durham: Duke University Press. p. 292. ISBN 0-8223-0822-3. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  13. "Principales resultados por localidad (ITER)". Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (in Spanish). Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía. 2010. Retrieved 30 April 2015.

Bibliography
  • Bracamonte, P and Solís, R., Los espacios de autonomía maya, Ed. UADY, Mérida, 1997.
  • Gobierno del Estado de Yucatán, "Los municipios de Yucatán", 1988.
  • Kurjack, Edward y Silvia Garza, Atlas arqueológico del Estado de Yucatán, Ed. INAH, 1980.
  • Patch, Robert, La formación de las estancias y haciendas en Yucatán durante la colonia, Ed. UADY, 1976.
  • Peón Ancona, J. F., "Las antiguas haciendas de Yucatán", en Diario de Yucatán, Mérida, 1971.
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