Hacienda Sotuta de Peon Part II
From Plant to Rope
The growing and harvesting and processing and machinery of rope making from sisal, aptly demonstrated by our incredible tour guide and rope making crew from the Hacienda, left us in awe. It’s probably better seen than described on paper, so Carma took videos along with pictures.
The amount of time and effort and conditions put up with by a large contingent of laborers to plant, harvest and process the fiber and rope was almost unimaginable. True to maxims of wealth and power, the money made was made on the backs of those not empowered by their money. Each Hacienda issued it’s own currency which was used to pay the workers who in turn could only spend it in the very over priced Company Store. Slavery..
Our tour guide was quick to give us the history lesson.
Have fun watching.
The Hennequin plant is part of the agave family
More Hennequin plants
Harvested stems from the Hennequin plants
The Manual Process
Original hand process of combing the fibers.
From Hennequin plant to fiber to rope
Original method of creating the rope from the fiber
Turn down your volume!
Using Machinery to Make Rope
Removing wet fiber
One of the 7 times the fiber is combed.
Fiber is now ready to be made into rope
Bale of Hennequin fiber
Hennequin bale weighs about 450 lbs
John Leichty
Ben & Carma