Yucatán, México
I got a chance to visit Seyé, a Mayan pueblo, in Yucatán, México near Mérida.
During my visit, my host, Lucy, showed a friend and me a working henequén farm and factory, and a Tortilla Shop that made fresh tortillas.
A quick history of henequên in the Yucatán focuses on the large Spanish Haciendas or henequén plantations where workers farmed the agave plants, harvested and transported them to a factory where the plant fibers were made into different types of rope.
Until the invention of synthetic rope fiber, the Yucatán was once one of the few sources for rope.
The wealth from henequén products can be seen in the remaining haciendas in outlaying areas and the mansions in the city of Mérida, particularly on Paseo de Montejo.
Some have been renovated and are used as hotels, homes, or businesses.
So, it was a real joy to visit a working factory.
The huge pieces of equipment reminded me of Margaret Burke-White’s photography and some of Frank Lloyd Wright’s industrial designs.
A few references:
Henequen industry in Yucatán
All in the Family: Railroads and Henequén Monoculure in Porfirian Yucatán
Later in town, we visited a Tortilla Shop and the owner, Thelma Rodriquez, was kind enough to let me take pictures of how they made tortillas from a corn flour mix.
