Henequen drying in the sun. What on earth is Henequen? If you lived in the Yucatan Peninsula from 1850 to 1900, you more than likely made a living off the back of Henequen. Henequen was the California Gold Rush of the Yucatan. What you see here in this photo are the shredded fibers of the Agave Fourcroydes plant natively found in the Yucatan. A very similar Agave also cultivated during the same period is called sisal which was the name of the port it was shipped out of. They both made up a booming industry that brought a great deal of wealth to the area during the late 19th century. Because Henequen was resistant to humidity it was primarily used as mooring lines and ropes for ships. By 1900 the influx of wealth had transformed the region taking the city of Merida from a small town to a modern city with electricity, drainage, and streetcars. During the industry’s peak, Henequen growers set up many haciendas in the countryside like the place in this photo. We took this photo at Sotuta de Peon, not to far from Merida. For a variety of reasons, the industry did decline slowly and by the end of the 1920s the Yucatan was no longer the dominant supplier and alternative fibers were being introduced. It’s important to note that long before all this, the Mayans were the first to discover the valuable qualities of Henequen which they used to make hammocks, coarse textiles, sandals, and baskets. The Mayan word for Henequen is called “Ki.” Now you know something about the rise and fall of the Henequen industry in Mexico.
The fresh fish market in Campeche. You can smell it from blocks away. Octopus, Stingray, Redsnapper, Bluecrab, Shrimp, Seabass..... You can find it all here. Every time I walk through the market I seem to always discover a new species of fish. There is a local dish in Campeche called “Pan de Cazon” which uses Shark as it’s main ingredient. It’s basically a tortilla shark lasagna with a tomato sauce drizzled over it. That’s my best description. In my opinion, shark has one of the fishiest tastes I’ve ever come across. It has taken me a long time to appreciate the taste but Pan de Cazon is one of my mom’s favorite dishes. Even after ordering it a million times over the years, we still haven’t found someone that can tell us with 100% certainty what kind of shark is used to make Pan de Cazon. Rumor has it that it’s dogfish which is in fact a type of shark but that’s just a rumor. Google doesn’t even know the answer to this question. I promise I’ve tried. One of the first things I do when I go to the fish market now is to find the shark section and try to solve this mystery. I’ll let you know if I ever find an answer.
One of the many beautiful churches in Campeche, Mexico. Brings you back in time. Iglesia del Dulce Nombre de Jesus. This church was originally established to administer the sacrament to the indigenous, mulato, mestizo and black population of Campeche in the 16th century. In June 1685 the church was partially burned down during a city-wide pirate attack. It was later restored.
Imagine running up to this corner turret in 1663 and sticking your rifle through the tiny hole. 💥 Boom! Your desperately firing shots at the fast approaching pirates who have big dollar signs in their eyes. The pirates have one mission, to raid the City of Campeche of all its wealth. The 150-strong Spanish militia was no match to the 1,000 pirates running up the shore. After a 2-hour long battle, the Spanish officials finally surrendered. Today, Campeche has conserved a large amount of the original perimeter wall that once fortified the old Spanish town. This is a must see if you are ever in Campeche. Photo credit goes to Chris Hancock.
At first glance this might not look all that appetizing but you’d be terribly mistaken. Platanos fritos con queso y crema. Top 5 favorite dishes of all time without a doubt. Fried plantains with cream (not sour cream) and panela cheese. A great antojito you can find at Cafe La Fuente, Ciudad del Carmen.
Growing up, my brother and I had endless fun climbing Mayan pyramids top to bottom acting out mock sacrifices. This was back in the day when they still permitted you to walk up the ruins. It was a giant playground. Over the years, we have visited the ruins of Uxmal many times. At the center of Uxmal is the structure in this photo which is named “The Pyramid of the Magician.” Most fascinating is the legend behind how this pyramid was built.
The legend tells the story of a dwarf magician. It begins with an old woman who had no children. One day this woman found a very special egg. She covered the egg with a cloth and placed it in the corner of her house. The egg eventually hatched and a little boy lay beside it. The old lady was overjoyed and cared for the child as he grew up. The boy was very intelligent but one day the boy stopped growing. The mother however knew the boy was destined to become a great king regardless of his small stature. So the mother instructed the dwarf to go and challenge the king to prove his strength. After completing several challenges successfully, the king ordered him to construct a building taller than anything else in the city and if he failed, he would be executed. He ran home terrified of the impossible task ahead. To everyone’s surprise, the morning came and the dwarf had completed the task in only one night. What they saw was the pyramid in this photo, taller than anything they had ever seen before. Soon after, the dwarf was declared the new king of Uxmal. That is the legend behind el “Piramide del Adivino.”
