Haciendas

Haciendas are large estates established during the colonial expansion of the Spanish Empire between the early 16th century and the 19th century. During this period, the Spanish Empire covered most of the American continents as well as territories in the Asian Pacific region, particularly the Philippines. Haciendas were agricultural or industrial centers and included all the facilities needed for self-sufficiency. This included large luxury residences for the hacendado (the Spanish nobleman granted land and the rights to exploit local populations).

Understand
The hacienda concept began in Spain when the moors were pushed out of the Iberian peninsula. Noblemen and military heroes were granted lands appropriated from the expelled Muslim kingdoms. That model was used as the Spanish Empire expanded through the Americas and the Asian Pacific.

Haciendas were built over a 300-year period to expand Spanish industry in new territories. The haciendas had different purposes, but most exemplify a set of common architectural design elements. The large owner's residence was a constant and is often referred to as "the hacienda", although a hacienda in the larger sense included all lands granted by the crown and all buildings on that land, often including manufacturing facilities, a church, slave quarters and more.

In warm, wet coastal regions, and in areas throughout the Caribbean, haciendas were likely to be sugar plantations. In the Bajio region of Mexico, they were usually mining centers. In areas with expansive plains, like in Argentina, they were ranches for raising cattle or horses. In forested regions, they might be lumber operations complete with sawmills to prepare the wood for market. In the Yucatán Peninsula, many plantations grew henequin, used to make sisal rope.

Haciendas prospered during the colonial period because they had no real competition, the land costs were nothing, and they had the right to enslave indigenous peoples, giving them free labor. Later, as English colonies in North America began kidnapping Africans and selling them as slaves, Africans were also sold to hacienda owners in New Spain (Mexico).

The encomienda system that allowed haciendas to exist began to crumble by the waning years of the 18th century and by the early 19th century completely shattered as country after country declared its independence from Spain. In Mexico, the Mexican War of Independence resulted in outlawing slavery, putting most haciendas out of business. Across South and Central America, other countries also banned slavery as they declared their freedom from Spain.

Unfair land appropriations and widespread corruption allowed some haciendas to continue operations, but the Mexican Revolution of 1910-1920 ended many of the most egregious land abuses (not to mention that the revolutionary armies burned haciendas whenever practical). By 1920, haciendas ceased to exist as a viable business model. Haciendas were generally forced to give up all but small areas and the land was more equitably distributed among the peoples from whom the hacendados stole it. Most haciendas were left in ruins. In some parts of South America, haciendas would hang on until well into the 20th century. Haciendas continued to operate in Bolivia until 1952 and until 1969 in Peru.

In 20th-century Mexico, interest grew in haciendas as an important part of colonial history and they began to be recognized as historical landmarks. In Mexico, the Instituto Nacional de Antropologia y Historia (INAH) lists more than 2,600 haciendas as historical properties.

Today, many historic haciendas have been purchased by private investors who turned them into luxury boutique hotels or as upscale event venues for weddings and quincenaras. A few operate as regional history museums or other public functions. A few are maintained as private residences for the upper class. Some are well-preserved, but most have been ignored with many haciendas lying as little more than ruins in an abandoned field.

Architecture
The design and construction of any particular hacienda depends greatly on the tastes of its owner and you find tremendous variation in the layout and construction of haciendas. There are, however, a number of elements that are traditionally common in most haciendas in all parts of the former Spanish Empire. These include:


 * single-story square structure built around an open central courtyard
 * arched doorways and arched porticoes along interior walkways around the courtyard
 * clay semi-circular roofing tiles
 * stone exterior or stucco walls
 * clean, relatively unadorned style
 * intricate tile floors, iron rails and window and door hardware
 * rough-hewn rustic wood ceiling beams

Interior spaces are usually refined and meant to impress visiting dignitaries. Rooms are often decorated with European luxury goods.

Many haciendas supported missionary work and included a church or chapel. This was also in keeping with the philosophy of a self-contained community.

Some early 16th-century haciendas would be designed with elements commonly associated with fortifications or castles. This was because the haciendas also served a defensive function against native uprisings. (Some haciendas incorporate such elements for purely ornamental purposes.)

Guanajuato




Hidalgo
Hidalgo had many haciendas brewing pulque. Corporate marketers from beer companies in Mexico City began a slander campaign, spreading lies about pulque, and irreparably damaging Hidalgo's pulque industry. Several of the pulque haciendas are still standing, but only two operate as wedding and event venues while the others are likely closed to the public.



Mexico State




Morelos






Yucatán
The Yucatán haciendas most famously thrived as henequin plantations, growing a stringy fibrous species of maguey that was used to make sisal rope in the 19th century. The Yucatán has several of Mexico's best-preserved haciendas, many of which operate as upscale boutique hotels. The city of Merida was one of the first local governments in Mexico to recognize the historical and cultural value of haciendas, which probably accounts for the large number of well-maintained haciendas in the area.







Colombia




Ecuador
See main article Haciendas of Ecuador.

Venezuela
Haciendas in Venezuela were primarily agricultural, particularly sugar cane, coffee, and cocoa plantations.





Philippines
In addition to haciendas based on the encomiendo model of colonial economic expansion, the Philippines had thousands of hectares of land that was held by religious orders, up until 1898 when American imperialists replaced Spanish imperialists in the Philippines (Spanish-American War). Little is left of these friar haciendas. Most of the historic haciendas in the Philippines were broken up in the 20th century. The largest of the historic haciendas was Hacienda La Esperanza, which held more than 39,000 hectares of land.