To commemorate the 45th anniversary of the restoration for tourism purposes of the Hacienda Teya, last week the hacienda opened a gallery with which literally the visitor takes a walk through the history of this emblematic place founded in the year 1683. From the beginning of the 1990s, it has received — with its tasty regional food — personalities like Hillary Clinton and Mexican leaders like Ernesto Zedillo and Vicente Fox.
“We have unpublished photographic material of my father, which records the entire process that led the restoration, which led him to be considered a pioneer in this activity, which began on April 9, 1974, a date that is memorable for the Cárdenas family,” said the current owner of the Hacienda Teya, Verónica Cárdenas, who recalled that when his father began the project they called him crazy, since the hacienda was at a distance. “He said the key to success would be the quality of the food and excellent service, and he was right,” she said.
“The Hacienda Teya is the precedent of all haciendas that are currently important tourism products of great relevance to the economy of the state, and it also is a reference of different historical contexts of the state,” said the guests at the occasion, who recalled that the first wedding that was held there was in 1990. Five years later they opened the restaurant that offers work to more than 60 people, half originally from the Hacienda Teya itself or from the municipality of Kanasín.
Don Jorge’s grandson, director Bernardo Fernández Cárdenas, said that in the midst of a context in which Yucatán is advancing and pushing its culture towards new frontiers, his grandfather’s vision makes great sense, so that the name of the hacienda transcends.
Text and photo: Manuel Pool Moguel
