Hacienda YOKAT is a Mexican name that means “clay” in Mayan. However, the true origin of the word “Yokat” derives from ancient times, meaning “over the clay”. Since the X century A.C., the potters from Uxmal and Kabah used to exploit these mines during the post-classic Mayan period. The Hacienda Yokat was first founded in the XVIII century and for more than 250 years, the Hacienda was used in cattle farms, sugar cane production and henequen production.

 

During XIX century it was an important sojourn for many important people, such as researches and excursionists, like empress Carlota, Désiré Charnay and Henry Chapman Mercer. In Chapman book, “Cave Hunting in Yucatan (1896)”, he quoted, “… Tabi was another hacienda, and Yokat another even more beautiful…”.

 

In the XX century Yokat belonged to the Spanish businessman Avelino Montes Linaje who welcomed members from American Museum, such as Marcelle Roigneau whose objective was to research the fossil mammals in the caves that surrounded the Hacienda and who, in 1930, published in the Journal of the American Museum of Natural history’ s magazine an article denominating Yokat as “Top of the world”.Years later, researchers from Wheaton College, USA; such as Dean E. Arnold, who took interest in Yokat arrived in the 70’s to Yucatan because they wanted to study the old clay mines. However, following a sudden drop in the production of henequen this Hacienda was abandoned for more than 40 years. In 2011, a Mexican entrepreneur decided to save this property with the intention of preserving part of the Yucatan, since this property accounts for more than 370 acres of jungle. His objective is not only to renovate this historic building, but also to preserve the life stock surrounding it. A land that is rich in wild life carrying hundreds of species of birds, reptiles and mammals, which call Hacienda Yokat their sanctuary.