Since its establishment in the 17th century, Hacienda San José Cholul has been a witness to the rich history of Mexico and the Mayan world. Located in the northern area of the Yucatán center, in what was known as La Costa, the hacienda is situated in the region that once hosted the ancient Mayan lands of Cehpech and Ah Kinchel. The ancient towns of Euán and Cacalchén, whose lands border the hacienda, are located 8 km from the town of Tixkokob. The name «San José Cholul» reflects the colonial tradition of merging the Mayan name of the place with that of the patron saint, in this case, San José.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Hacienda San José Cholul flourished as a sanctuary imbued with grandeur and elegance. 

From 1830 there were attempts at large scale sisal production, but the lack of fiber-shredding machinery limited the supply to hand-produced fiber.

In 1879, Antonino Folio Guzmán marked a milestone by introducing the first sisal fiber-stripping plant, initiating the boom of the fiber industry.

From the end of the 18th century, the opening of commerce allowed the cultivation of crops for the export and each region specialized in producing what was richest to the local soil. Thus, huge areas were turned over to the exploitation of hard woods, salt, sugar cane, cotton or tobacco.

In the 19th century, Joaquín Tenreiro consolidated the hacienda as a livestock and maize producer. Despite cultivating sugarcane, a significant shift occurred with the opening of the market for sisal fiber.

It was only in the last quarter of the 19th century that sisal could be shredded mechanically, and cultivation spread. The old estates or rural farms were transformed to the almost exclusive production of fiber. Great halls were built for the shredding machinery, steam engines with their typical chimneys, and presses for making bales, trains for transporting the leaves, networks of Decauville rails that covered the whole hacienda, dryers, and warehouses. Plants were built for the overseas administrators, supervisors and workers, as well as service buildings such as schools, infirmaries, chapels, stores and others, which now form occasionally quite large villages around the haciendas.

The government that came into power after the 1910 Revolution carried out agrarian reforms and the redistribution of land, at the same time as the market for “Green Gold” was declining. Many haciendas were abandoned and their ruins disappeared into the tropical jungle. Today, some have been restored for a different purpose from the original ones, thus preserving the beauty of what was until not so long ago, the Pride of Yucatan.

Changes in ownership led Mr. Felipe G. Cantón and Mrs. Ofelia G. Cantón de Guzmán to become owners in 1929.

The hacienda, after its restoration in 1999, transformed into a hotel. After almost four years of work carried out by a specialized team of architects and restorers, it finally opened its doors. Some buildings retain original doors and window frames. The 18th-century murals in the chapel were also restored. The meticulous restoration preserved the buildings with their fixtures, decoration, and furniture, even maintaining the striking pastel blue of the facades.

An incredible effort was made to adapt the original spaces of the hacienda to the new functions required to operate a hotel, seeking to recreate the splendor of bygone times and respect its spaces and proportions while adding the conveniences of our times.

Currently, Hacienda San José Cholul stands as a sanctuary of time, merging the majesty of its 19th-century architecture with the vibrant history of Yucatán. Every corner tells a story that spans centuries, offering visitors a unique experience immersed in the cultural and biological richness of the Mayan world.