Hacienda Yokat

As soon as you pass through the solemn gate on the Ticul-Muna highway at km 4.5, you will be submerged in 150 hectares of peace, fruit aromas, forest vegetation, birdsong, and architecturally grand buildings, carefully restored, which evoke the splendor of the Yucatecan hacienda of the 18^th C. This, and more, is Yokat.

Yokat is situated on high ground, from where you can clearly see the dense green surroundings, as well as the only hill in Yucatán. The swimming pools are waiting for the visitor to slide into their depths, to provide rest and relaxation, after having walked the paths of the hacienda. In these laberynthine green walkways, don’t be surprised if you meet the timid eyes of a “temazate” deer, who will dash away to safety.

Yokat, which in ancient Maya means “on clay”, came back to life when a Mexican architect and current student of archaeology decided to purchase the hacienda, with the goal of returning it to its long-ago splendor and offering a unique place for lodging and leisure for the visitor.

In every one of its corners, the profound historical research is palpable, beginning with the founding of the cattle ranch, to the detailed knowledge of the customs of each of the previous owners who gave character to the hacienda, to the conversion to a sugar production center and then a henequén hacienda. In all of the spaces, one can feel the presence of celebrated explorers who came from other lands in the 19^th and 20^th centuries and who fell in love with the beauty of the property.

For this reason, it is not unusual for today’s visitors to feel they are passing through the boundaries of time, when they find themselves in a salon from the Porfirio Díaz era, where every piece of furniture, every lamp, was meticulously chosen, leaving nothing to chance. No room is the same as any other; each has been furnished with pieces brought from Europe and antiques found in the region, inspired by the decorative styles from the end of the 19^th C and beginnings of the 20^th C.

On the walls of the rooms you can see oil paintings from the 19^th C, from the private collection of the hacienda owner, while the feasts at the hacienda are still served on the European tableware, reminders of those years of splendor, when henequén was king of the economy of the peninsula.

Yokat also has a place to safeguard its own history and give witness to it; the old machine room is now the Museo Casa de Barro (clay museum) which showcases a collection of Yucatecan ceramics, with a great introduction to the entire transformation process of clay. The museum also houses a private collection ranging from pieces found in the restoration process of the hacienda to objects of invaluable historical value: furniture of the era, antique maps, and other items which enrich its heritage, which the owners feel proud to share with their visitors.

Ticul-Muna highway km 4.5

haciendayokat.com

museocasadebarro.com