168:, an organization was made of various henequen planters in conjunction with the government of the State. This organization was named the Comision Reguladora del Comercio del Henequen (CRMH), commonly known as the Reguladora. The purpose of that organization was to regulate the henequen industry—that is to say, that when in the operation of the law of supply and demand any large accumulation of henequen took place, the Reguladora was to take this accumulation off the market and hold it until such time as the demand caught up with the supply. The governor of Yucatán was always president ex-officio of the Reguladora. The Reguladora functioned with more or less success but played no important part in the commercial or economic life of Yucatán. When Alvarado assumed power in 1915, he assumed charge of the Reguladora, appointed his own board of directors, and gave notice that he was to arrange that the Reguladora would be the only institution or firm allowed to deal in henequen in Yucatán. Following out this policy, he ordered his director of the railways to refuse to transport any henequen shipped by anybody except to the consignment of the Reguladora.
36:
156:
in the price brought great wealth to Yucatán and it immediately took first rank among the
Mexican States. Shortly after 1900, the State of Yucatán showed very rapid strides in education, sanitation, and in the general improvement in the well-being of the people. That price, which was high at that time, brought about a boom in Yucatán and the usual consequences of a boom followed, so that there were from 1907 until 1911 a few mild panics brought about by speculation and over-extension not only by the banks but by various commercial firms. The henequen industry was established on a very solid and profitable basis. The state whose only product, or whose only source of revenue, was henequen, became one of the richest States in the Republic of Mexico. At the time of
134:
territory is planted. During the whole of the first season, and especially toward the close of the rains, the newly planted ground has to be kept clear. This work is done with the machete. In less than three years, the plants are so large that further care is unnecessary, and in from five to seven years they begin to yield. The plants then are nearly 6 feet (1.8 m) high, and bear a great number of stout leaves from 4–5 feet (1.2–1.5 m) long. They continue bearing for 20 years. The edges of these leaves are provided with innumerable sharp thorns, sickle or fish-hook shaped, and the point of the leaf is prolonged into a black, very sharp spike or thorn-like.
28:
143:
great quantity may be baled in a single day. Henequen arrives at maturity, or at a point ready for cutting, in five to seven years. The leaves, when at their best, are from 4–5 feet (1.2–1.5 m) in length. Each plant yields 20 to 30 leaves yearly for a period of 12 to 20 years, about a third more in the rainy than in the dry season. It takes over 8,000 leaves to make a 400-pound bale. The bales vary in weight from 350 to 450 pounds each.
60:
attributed to the industry size, its socio-economic impact, as well as the invention of synthetic fibers and the manufacturing from these of substitute products which displaced henequen and sisal fibers. In addition to its fiber, the juice extracted from the henequen plant has been industrialized as a liquor similar to tequila. Also derived from its juice are certain steroidal chemicals used in the pharmaceutical industry.
224:
207:
191:
17:
155:
In 1898, when the
Spanish–American War broke out, the price of fiber advanced rapidly. The supplies of Manila hemp were interrupted on account of the war conditions in the Philippine Islands, and that caused an advance in the price of henequen to about US$ 0.10 or $ 0.12 a pound. That sudden advance
146:
The period of 1880 to 1915 are considered to be the henequen boom years. In 1873, 31,000 bales were exported; 1879, 113,000 bales; 1884, 261,000; 1904, 606,000; and in 1915, 1.2 million bales were exported. The production of henequen in 1900 was 500,000 bales; in 1914, the production was 1,026,000
133:
then contains from 80 to 100 plants. The holes are not made with a shovel or hoe, but with a stout stick shod with a sharp iron point, and the holes are frequently mere excavations in the soft, friable, limestone rock. The workers work at planting very swiftly, and in a short time a vast extent of
142:
Henequen is first cut from the stem quite near the ground, then carried to the mill where it is torn into shreds by machinery, and then hung upon rails in the sun to dry, after which it is put up in bales which are compressed by machinery. The whole process is at once simple and effective, and a
120:
Just before the rainy season sets in the vegetation—dry as tinder from the rays of a tropical sun that having beaten down on it for months—is burned off. The drenching rains of the wet season mingle the ashes with the soil, which is all the fertilizing it needs. Then at the opening of the next
59:
is processed as a textile in various forms to obtain a range of products for domestic, commercial, agricultural and industrial use, and as binder twine for crops such as hay. Until the mid-20th century, it was a major industrial activity, the mooring of vessels depending on it. Its decline is
160:'s entry into Yucatán it was the richest State in the Republic of Mexico. The planters received an average price of about US$ 0.05 per pound for their fiber. There were various buyers and exporters of henequen in Yucatán up until 1915, when Alvarado drove them out. When Alvarado reached
147:
bales; in 1918 the production had declined to 805,000 bales. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were 87,000 hectares (210,000 acres) planted in henequen. This reached an all-time high—more than 70% of all cultivated land in Yucatán—in 1916 with 202,000 hectares (500,000 acres).
390:
Investigation of
Mexican Affairs: Preliminary Report and Hearings of the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate, Pursuant to S. Res. 106, Directing the Committee on Foreign Relations to Investigate the Matter of Outrages on Citizens of the United States in
216:
Investigation of
Mexican Affairs: Preliminary Report and Hearings of the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate, Pursuant to S. Res. 106, Directing the Committee on Foreign Relations to Investigate the Matter of Outrages on Citizens of the United States in
129:
to plant daily. He makes a series of holes, very shallow, in the burned soil about 8 feet (2.4 m) apart in each direction, and in these holes places a bud or cutting of a henequen plant. Each
416:
35:
500:
369:
Bound in Twine: The
History and Ecology of the Henequen-Wheat Complex for Mexico and the American and Canadian Plains, 1880-1950
435:
377:
394:(Public domain ed.). United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Government Printing Office.
425:
476:
177:
505:
469:
From Silver to
Cocaine: Latin American Commodity Chains and the Building of the World Economy, 1500–2000
510:
495:
165:
358:
464:
453:
388:
400:
367:
164:, he seized the railways of the State. In 1912, shortly after the inauguration of governor
161:
52:
21:
8:
427:
El cultivo de las élites: grupos económicos y políticos en Yucatán en los siglos XIX y XX
352:
410:
472:
465:"Reports of Its Demise Are Not Exaggerated: The Life and Times of Yucatecan Henequen"
431:
373:
157:
73:
27:
125:, or spaces about 75 square feet (7.0 m). To each worker are given so many
121:
season, sometimes after a second light burning off, the ground is divided into
489:
241:
228:
211:
195:
93:
48:
354:
A Naturalist in Mexico: Being a Visit to Cuba, Northern
Yucatan and Mexico
200:
A Naturalist in Mexico: Being a Visit to Cuba, Northern
Yucatan and Mexico
265:
56:
423:
247:
227:
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the
210:
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the
194:
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the
424:
Pérez de
Sarmiento, Marisa; Savarino Roggero, Franco (2001).
97:
69:
398:
271:
16:
455:
Geographic
Aspects of Plantation Agriculture in Yucatan
115:
294:
292:
328:
316:
304:
289:
277:
253:
487:
463:Marichal, Carlos; Frank, Zephyr (18 July 2006).
430:. Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes.
458:. National Academies. pp. 142–. NAP:11330.
357:(Public domain ed.). D. Oliphant. p.
248:Pérez de Sarmiento & Savarino Roggero 2001
462:
55:, Mexico. After extraction from the plant,
415:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
471:. Duke University Press. pp. 300–.
34:
26:
15:
451:
488:
366:Evans, Sterling D. (14 January 2013).
452:Chardon, Roland Emanuel Paul (1961).
365:
350:
298:
283:
259:
39:Henequen spines for jewelry in Mérida
399:Farm Implement News Company (1894).
386:
334:
322:
310:
231:: Farm Implement News Company's
116:Land preparation in the 19th century
13:
445:
405:. Vol. 15. Chicago, Illinois.
372:. Texas A&M University Press.
14:
522:
501:History of agriculture in Mexico
272:Farm Implement News Company 1894
222:
205:
189:
344:
1:
351:Baker, Frank Collins (1895).
183:
137:
178:List of haciendas of Yucatán
63:
45:Henequen industry in Yucatán
7:
387:Fall, Albert Bacon (1920).
171:
10:
527:
150:
31:Henequén drying in the sun
40:
32:
24:
108:to the Spaniards and
88:by the Spaniards and
84:) was referred to as
51:of a plant native to
38:
30:
20:Henequen farm in the
19:
198:: F. C. Baker's
166:Nicolás Camára Vales
402:Farm Implement News
233:Farm Implement News
214:: A. B. Fall's
506:History of Yucatán
41:
33:
25:
511:Economy of Mexico
437:978-970-18-5419-8
379:978-1-62288-001-0
158:Salvador Alvarado
82:Agave fourcroydes
72:was known in the
68:The English term
22:Yucatán Peninsula
518:
496:Agave production
482:
459:
441:
420:
414:
406:
395:
383:
362:
338:
332:
326:
320:
314:
308:
302:
296:
287:
281:
275:
269:
263:
257:
251:
245:
226:
225:
209:
208:
193:
192:
526:
525:
521:
520:
519:
517:
516:
515:
486:
485:
479:
448:
446:Further reading
438:
408:
407:
380:
347:
342:
341:
333:
329:
321:
317:
313:, pp. 891.
309:
305:
297:
290:
282:
278:
270:
266:
258:
254:
246:
242:
223:
206:
190:
186:
174:
153:
140:
118:
102:Agave sisalana,
86:henequen blanco
74:Mayan languages
66:
12:
11:
5:
524:
514:
513:
508:
503:
498:
484:
483:
477:
460:
447:
444:
443:
442:
436:
421:
396:
384:
378:
363:
346:
343:
340:
339:
337:, p. 875.
327:
325:, p. 874.
315:
303:
288:
276:
264:
252:
239:
238:
237:
236:
220:
203:
185:
182:
181:
180:
173:
170:
152:
149:
139:
136:
117:
114:
106:henequen verde
65:
62:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
523:
512:
509:
507:
504:
502:
499:
497:
494:
493:
491:
480:
478:0-8223-3766-5
474:
470:
466:
461:
457:
456:
450:
449:
439:
433:
429:
428:
422:
418:
412:
404:
403:
397:
393:
392:
385:
381:
375:
371:
370:
364:
360:
356:
355:
349:
348:
336:
331:
324:
319:
312:
307:
301:, p. 40.
300:
295:
293:
286:, p. 21.
285:
280:
274:, p. 14.
273:
268:
262:, p. 35.
261:
256:
249:
244:
240:
234:
230:
229:public domain
221:
218:
213:
212:public domain
204:
201:
197:
196:public domain
188:
187:
179:
176:
175:
169:
167:
163:
159:
148:
144:
135:
132:
128:
124:
113:
112:to the Maya.
111:
107:
103:
99:
95:
91:
87:
83:
79:
75:
71:
61:
58:
54:
50:
46:
37:
29:
23:
18:
468:
454:
426:
401:
389:
368:
353:
345:Bibliography
330:
318:
306:
279:
267:
255:
243:
232:
215:
199:
154:
145:
141:
130:
126:
122:
119:
109:
105:
101:
89:
85:
81:
80:. Henequen (
77:
67:
49:agribusiness
44:
42:
490:Categories
299:Evans 2013
284:Baker 1895
260:Evans 2013
184:References
138:Production
411:cite book
335:Fall 1920
323:Fall 1920
311:Fall 1920
64:Etymology
172:See also
96:, while
57:henequen
151:History
127:mecates
123:mecates
104:) was
92:by the
53:Yucatán
475:
434:
391:Mexico
376:
235:(1894)
219:(1920)
217:Mexico
202:(1895)
162:Mérida
131:mecate
110:yaxqui
47:is an
98:sisal
94:Mayan
90:sakki
70:agave
473:ISBN
432:ISBN
417:link
374:ISBN
43:The
76:as
492::
467:.
413:}}
409:{{
359:21
291:^
78:ki
481:.
440:.
419:)
382:.
361:.
250:.
100:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
