Progreso - Sotuta de Peon Live Hacienda day tour:

- Enjoy the comfort and tranquility of a private day tour service, be picked up and off at the Casa de la Cultura downtown Progreso, have the opportunity to stop by other places off the road of collective bus day tours.

- Duration of this tour: 5-6 hours.
- Depart: Flexible, usually 30 minutes after cruise ship passengers off and back before boat departure by 4 p.m.
- Transportation: a/c suburvan, a/c van.
- Tour description: Upon cruise ship arrival passengers are welcomed by cruise ship staff and leaded to a free shuttle service to the Casa de la Cultura (also called Casa de las Artesanias) downtown Progreso. Local tour operator representative will be be waiting at the Casa de la Cultura with a banner showing passengers name for easy reception.
Trip starts right away crossing Progreso town with direction the Sotuta de Peon Live Hacienda. Approximate driving time is one and a half hours. General explanations of the Mayan and Yucatan culture are provided on the way.

Sotuta de Peon, Live Hacienda, is the restoration project of a landmark located in the heart of the ancient henequen zone in the Yucatan state, and gives a true glimpse of what was once a fully operational Henequen Hacienda in the grand style and tradition of this period.
When touring Sotuta de Peon, our visitors will literally travel back in time, transported on wooden platforms called "Trucks" which are pulled by "mules" over Cauville rails, as were originally used by the workers.
Here, you will witness the step-by-step process of the transformation of the Henequen (or Green Gold as it was known throughout the region), from plant to fiber and from fiber to finished product.

You will also have the opportunity to see the antique machinery that has been rescued from the ravages of time and rebuilt to precise operational capacity. Your tour will also include a visit to a typical Mayan House.
And add to this the unique geological formations of our secret attractions, the Cenote or beautiful underground rivers of crystal clear water, highly sought after, alkaline waters. Take the time for a refreshing swim at the end of your tour, where you can safely swim in the cool waters of the Cenote. Or, if you prefer, we have a huge swimming pool, surrounded by lush gardens of tropical flowers and brilliant green trees and indigenous plants.

Tour description:

Main House:
There is no more an expression of elegance and tradition associated with the spaciousness of living in the highly successful era of the green gold, than the architecture and style of the main house of Sotuta de Peon.
When you step into the "main house" you truly share a moment in history and you will be able to feel what it must have been like to arrive for a grand party or a relaxing stay.
You will see the long and shining corridors of tiles that were created in France and shipped by the very vessels that carried the finished henequen products to Europe. Marvel at the high elevated ceilings designed to keep guests cool from the heat of the days. Enjoy being surrounded by elegant antique furniture, which will provide you with an idea of the wealth that was generated through the process of cultivation, industrialization, and finally exportation of henequen products to waiting countries around the World.
We are pretty sure that once you have visited the main house you will be able to "feel" the history and capture the charm of elegant living from another time.

Scrapper Machine:
Once the leaves are cut in the fields, they are gathered into man-sized bundles and moved by mule driven trucks to the machine house. There the leaves of the henequen plant are loaded on to a conveyer lift or elevator apparatus, to be taken up one story to the waiting workers where they are placed onto a conveyor belt.
Here the leaves are separated and fed into the "scrapper machine" that shreds them into the raw fibers.
The scrapper machine in Sotuta de Peon is well over 100 years old, and has the capacity of processing 100,000 leaves in 8 hours. The machine house operates six days per week and in addition to processing henequen leaves grown within our own plantation, we process the leaves of peasant farmers throughout the region.

Bummer Press:
From the machine house the henequen fiber is then moved to be dried outside in the warmth of the sun. Once the fiber is completely dry, it is then fed into the "bummer press" where the strands are pressed under a great amount of physical pressure into huge bails. The process is quite interesting to watch as the skilled workers pay close attention to the amount of dried fiber being fed into the press.
Once the press operation is complete the bails are then tied with rope made daily by the workers of Sotuta de Peon and the process is then completed.
Each bail is moved out of the bummer press and rolled into position to be loaded by thin rails onto the waiting truck, where it is taken to market in Merida several times per week.
These bails weigh between 170 to 190 kilos or 350 to 420 pounds.

Finished Goods Plant:
The dry fiber "sosquil" that is not sent in huge bails to the market in Merida, is transported by truck once again to the finished goods plant (corcheria), where it is then processed and transformed into various end products such as yarn, ropes, sacks, handbags and rugs.
The "corcheria" can even produce a rope of a very thick gauge which is used for marine purposes.
The process begins with the combing machines where the dry fiber is unraveled, smoothed and then fed into the spinning machine, where it's once course fiber is wound into a finer quality of yarn.
The fiber is also utilized in the rope making machine where ropes of various strands are made according to the specifications required.
When used on the loom, the fiber can be woven into a course cloth for many purposes. There is yet another machine in the finished goods plant (corcheria) which is very useful for the manufacturing of burlap sacks, used to store grains, sugar, and other farm products. Finally, there is the "spooler", which transforms the previously manufactured ropes into spheres for ease of transport.

Handmade Rope Process:
This is a fascinating and yet simple process that our guests always mention as one of the most interesting steps in the process of rope making. This process was typically used to create ropes for internal use within the hacienda to make trincas, which were used to tie the huge bails of henequen (sisal).
The fiber is first combed by hand by stroking the material through a series of pegs where workers swing and pull the fiber toward them across the upright spikes or pegs in a smooth pulling motion which cleans and separates the fibers and leaves it looking almost like hair.
Once smoothed, a team of three workers work in rhythmic motion of walking and twisting as the fiber is twisted into rope.
Naturally, the more "strands" that are twisted together, the heavier the "gauge" of rope. Watching this process is enjoyable and extremely entertaining.

Truck Ride:
When it comes to an authentic, traditional experience, you will need to travel far and wide to surpass the "fun and excitement" of touring the Hacienda aboard one of our platforms, also called "trucks" which are pulled by mules just like in the days of the haciendas over 100 years ago.
The primary method of movement throughout the plantation, these "trucks" were used for the movement of people, materials, and, above all, for the transport of the entire henequen production, from planting to processed bales of henequen.
There is something very exciting about the anticipation of the ride when you first see one of our trucks arrive to whisk you into the history of the Hacienda.

Mayan House:
The Mayan house is an example of simplicity in engineering, coolness of environment, and immense functionality of design. The shape of the Mayan house is oval, and is formed by round, wooden poles. The roof consists of two slopes that are covered with palm leaves; and the walls are made of "pak luum" a Mayan mixture of earth and grass. The entire structure is held together only by the use of reeds, without the necessity of nails or wires.
In the Mayan house, you meet Don Antonio, the resident of the Mayan house and the senior member of the local Mayan community.
Don Antonio has been greeting people from around the globe and will take as much time as you need to understand the customs and traditions of the Maya and the way they lived, and in many cases still do throughout the Yucatan. Don Antonio is truly an ambassador for the ways of the Maya. We are sure that when you leave Sotuta de Peon, amongst your fondest memories, will be your time in the Mayan House with Don Antonio!
Although many of the Mayan houses had henequen plants in their yards, the Mayans cultivated, harvested, and processed henequen only for domestic purposes. They also raised animals and cultivated crops for their own consumption. And, for that purpose, the "troja" was indispensable. The "troja" is a small wooden structure used to store part of the corn harvest, which would provide the Mayan family with food for the entire year. Be sure to look for it and ask Don Antonio, why it was so important to the Maya.

Cenotes:
Sotuta de Peon is in the heart of the Yucatan noted for its spectacular natural Cenotes. We are blessed to have many such Cenotes on our plantation, which makes our property one of the true wonders of nature.
The name of our property, Sotuta, is derived from the Maya term "Tzu Tzut Ha" which means "circulating or moving water". The Maya knew for centuries the importance of this land and of course the vast treasures of fresh, highly-alkaline waters which run beneath it!
In particular, one of the most spectacular Cenotes imaginable, is called Dzul-Ha Cenote. The name Dzul-Ha means "gentleman of the water", and it is a magical place where a natural swimming pool of crystal clear water, stands as silent testimony to the convergence of "stone and rain".
For an unforgettable experience, we invite you to swim in the water of Dzul-Ha. Always refreshing and never disappointing. Swimming vests, life jackets and snorkels are provided at no extra charge with your tour price.

Duration of this tour: 5 - 6 hours.

Tour Rates: Adults: Us.57 per person.
Children 3-12 years of age: Us.46 per person.
Children under 3 years of age: Free of charge.
* * * Minimum of 4 persons required.

* * * Rates include: Pick up and drop off downtown Progreso, private transportation in a/c van, bilingual (English-Spanish) professional tour guide, ice chest witt purified bottled water and soft drinks, Hacienda entrance fees and guided tour.
* * * Does not include: Lunch (available for Us.10 per person additional), gratuities.

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