Hacienda Tours at
Sotuta de Peon

Sotuta de Peon is the only henequen/sisal fiber hacienda in the area that continues to work as it did 100 years ago.  Originally, haciendas names usually included a Mayan name followed by the last name of the hacienda owners. In the case of Sotuta de Peon, Sotuta is derived from the Mayan language Dzu Dzul Ha, which means water spout and Peon is the last name of the original owner, Don Augusto Lorenzo Peon.

This property dates back to the end of the XIX century and is made up of 315 hectares (778 acres) of which 154 hectares (380 acres) are used exclusively for cultivating henequen/sisal fiber.

A visit to Hacienda Sotuta de Peon, located 45 minutes from Merida, is the opportunity to travel into the past. During the 2.5 hour tour, the guests will learn about the origins of henequen and details of the henequen boom here in Yucatan. The process, which begins with the planting, continues on to the peeling, then drying and finally the packing, is interestingly explained and the transformation from threads to ropes to textiles is shown. This is a graphic tour where you will see the centuries old machinery actually working. During some of the process, visitors can even participate in the process.

After seeing and participating in this interesting part of the process, the visitors will get onto the mule drawn platforms (called trucks), and take a ride into the henequen fields/plantations.

Along the way, they will stop off at a Mayan home where a Mayan gentleman will show you the home and the henequen plants.

The last stop on the ride takes you to three cenotes of which you can swim in one – Dzul Ha (gentleman of the water in Mayan.)
The 2.5 hour tour ends at the Main House of the hacienda where if you like, you can go to the restaurant and savor the Yucatecan cuisine they specialize in.

Tour times: 10 AM and 1 PM
Tour days: Monday to Saturday
Distance from Merida: 40 minutes or 45 kilometers (25 miles)
Tour time: 2.5 hours
Tour includes:
- Guided tour (Spanish, English, French)
- Welcome cocktail
- Tour of the Main House
- Manual weaving   (explanation and process)
- Peeling (explanation and process)
- Drying
- Machinery museum (explanation of the evolution of the machinery)
- Presses (how the packages are made)
- Mayan house
- Visit to the Dzul-Ha cenote (opportunity to swim, masks, snorkels, life jackets and towels included)
- Pool (opportunity to swim (masks, snorkels, life jackets and towels included)
- Restaurant – Yucatecan cuisine (optional service – not included in tour)

Transportation
We can provide transportation hotel-hacienda-hotel. This service is available exclusively for hotels in Merida.

Other services
Restaurant
Pool
Cenotes
Towels, masks, snorkels, life jackets included.

The casa de maquina at
Hacienda Sotuta de Peon.
Cover photo by Juan Manuel Mier y Terán

Restaurant Menu

Appetizers
House salad
Cheese empanadas (3)
Papadzules (3)
String pork or chicken Salbutes  (3)
String pork or chicken Panuchos (3)
Lime soup

House Specialties
Chicken Pibil
Stuffed Edam cheese
Shredded beef
Chicken in pickled onions
Grilled pork   

Desserts
Coconut creme
Neapolitan Flan
Natural flavored sherbets
Candied papaya with cheese

American coffee, black tea or chamomile tea

Nearby attraction
- 10 minutes to Tecoh village and the archeological site Mayapan
- 25 minutes to the Mani convent
- 40 minutes to Oxkutzcab, the fruit orchard area of Yucatan
- 40 minutes to the Lol-tun caves
- 45 minutes to the Puuc Route
- 45 minutes to Uxmal

Added plus
Sotuta de Peon is one of the few henequen haciendas in the state of Yucatan that functions as it did 100 years ago. The visitors will visit three cenotes and swim in one plus have the opportunity to interact with our Mayan collaborators. You will see sheep filled corrals whose main job is to keep the grass eaten around the hacienda! Being able to observe the entire process of how henequen starts as tiny plants and ends up as threads, ropes and textiles makes this visit a unique and unforgettable experience.

Tour rates
(Including transportation hotel-hacienda-hotel, tour and lunch)
Adults: $500 pesos
Children: $250 pesos

Contact:
Hacienda Sotuta de Peon
Merida, Yucatan, Mexico
Tel. 52 999 941 8639
Cel. 044 999 129 8944
Cel. 044 999 121 1865
ventas@haciendatour.com
www.haciendatour.com

More interesting articles
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 Hacienda Hotels
 Hacienda Route
Transportation in the Yucatan

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