Hacienda Route

To spend a day exploring haciendas, start out early by driving south from Merida towards Uman. Follow the signs to Muna on Highway 261. After 35 minutes, at the 187 Kilometer marker, you'll come to a little town near Hacienda Yaxcopoil (YASH-coh-poh-EEL), which is Maya for "the place of the green Alamo trees." You can recognize the hacienda by its beautiful arch, painted in a deep mostaza color. Park outside and walk through the arch, allowing your imagination to take you back hundreds of years.



Hacienda Yaxcopoil 

Is a hacienda where time stands still. Rather than renovating the buildings, the owner has simply arrested the decay. You'll pay a small entrance fee of 50 pesos per person to roam freely through the rooms in the casa principal. There you will see the large lounges and drawing rooms with high ceilings, walls with painted stencils, original mosaico floor tiles, and European furniture in every room.
Don't miss the Mayan museum, with its display of ancient pottery and archaeological relics found on the grounds. There is an impressive casa de máquinas here also, with examples of the machinery used to process henequen. Hacienda Yaxcopoil is open from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm daily, or from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on Sundays. Website: www.yaxcopoil.com

Hacienda Temozon Sur

By now you might be getting hungry, so continue south on Highway 261. At the 182 Kilometer marker, you'll see the left turn signs towards Hacienda Temozon Sur. Follow the signs to the parking lot. Leaving your car, you'll smell the sweet air and hear the birds of Temozon, the most palatial of the restored haciendas. The entrance leads up stairways, past the unique dolphin-head waterspouts, to the grand terrace.  This hacienda, renovated by Mérida resident architect Salvador Reyes-Rios for Roberto Hernandez of Banamex, was chosen for a summit meeting between President Bill Clinton and Presidente Ernesto Zedillo of Mexico in 1999, and again for President George W. Bush and Presidente Felipe Calderón in 2007. If you're hungry, you can enjoy a delicious gourmet meal for a reasonable price.
The service is impeccable, the food outstanding, and the occasional peacock adds to the peaceful and exotic setting. If you plan to spend the night here, be prepared for a luxurious experience at a luxurious price. But you don't have to spend the night to enjoy Temozon. (Note: Some visitors have been turned away in the past with no logical explanation. This hacienda is an exclusive hotel and is occasionally rented to guests who want total privacy. If you can't eat here, enjoy the view and proceed on to Hacienda Ochil).

Hacienda Ochil

Return to Highway 261 and continue south. After Kilometer 176, look for the signs to Hacienda Ochil (oh-CHEEL) on your right. Hacienda Ochil is every bit as historically interesting as Yaxcopoil, but with the added pleasure of several artisan workshops, a gift shop, and a small hacienda museum.
Here you can watch master craftsmen teach younger artisans to work in leather, stone, metal, wood and henequen. Although most of the products are commissioned, you can purchase some of their work in the gift shop. If you're looking for a genuine henequen or a nice cotton hammaca, you can find them here at a reasonable price.
Ochil is a charming and intimate hacienda that houses an informal restaurant, a gift shop, the artisan workshops, and a museum. The museum has many interesting photographs that trace the history and restoration of Ochil, as well as examples of products and artifacts from when the haciendas were in full operation.
One of the pleasures of Ochil is simply strolling around the grounds, enjoying the lush gardens. If you walk behind the restaurant and down the path, you will be pleasantly surprised by a half-hidden cenote. Depending on the water level, you may be able to walk inside under a ledge and see ancient Mayan handprints painted on the cave walls. If you don't have time to spend a whole day exploring the haciendas, there are haciendas closer to town.

Hacienda Teya

You can take a quick drive on Highway 180 out of Mérida toward Cancún. Take the left turn towards Hacienda Teya (tay-yah). Teya has been renovated with a modern restaurant, large enough to accommodate tour buses and events such as weddings. They have conference rooms, a gift shop, a chapel, and many beautiful suites, but the mirrored ballroom with reflecting pool will really impress.
In the other direction and for a completely different experience, you can go south on Calle Itzaes past the airport. Get on the Periférico going toward Uxmal. Go past the Uxmal turn off until you see the sign for the Cuxtal Ecological Reserve on your right. Turn right at the second opportunity after that sign. If you have made the correct turn, you will immediately see a small sign for Santa Cruz Palomeque. Continue straight until you reach the town. The hacienda is on the left and is available for strolling around. The beautifully restored chapel is also open to visitors.