Abalá, Yucatán
The first thing you see when driving into Abalá is an altar to La Virgen de Guadalupe, which is always kept in immaculate condition, pardon the pun.Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

Beyond the Hacienda: Uncovering Abalá’s Ancient Maya and Revolutionary Past

ByCarlos Rosado van der Gracht

Abalá is one of those places few Yucatecos or visitors never really think about, but this was not always the case. On the other hand, it’s likely that if you’ve been to Abalá and just did not know it as Hacienda Temozón Sur is well within its boundaries.

During Antiquity

Abalá, which in Yucatec-Maya means “to drink plum juice” or “to weave” (depending on who you ask), was home to a Maya city that, although modest in size, remained important throughout its history, given its strategic location between the peaks and valleys of the Puuc and the coastline. This was especially during the late Post-Classic period, when Abalá was a part of the last great Maya power of the Yucatán Peninsula, Mayapán.  Despite this, resources for exploring Abalá’s pre-Hispanic past have been modest to say the least.

The fall of Mayapán marked the end of centralized Maya political power in the northern Yucatán, fragmenting the region into smaller, competing states that the Spanish conquistadors would encounter decades later.

Following the Spanish conquest of Yucatán in the 16th century, the area was reorganized under the encomienda system. Abalá was established as a Spanish settlement, with a church and municipal structures built, repurposing stones from abandoned ancient cities, a common colonial practice. 

  • Abalá, Yucatán
    One of two colossal Mayan stone heads on the grounds of Hacienda Temozón Sur.Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine
  • Abalá, Yucatán
    Inside Hacienda Temozón Sur, there are a couple of cabinets exhibiting Pre-Hispanic artifacts likely found on its grounds, though some appear to be replicas.Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine
  • Abalá, Yucatán
    Staircase at Hacienda Temozón Sur leading to the restaurant. It is not the cheapest joint in Abalá, but worth a visit.Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine
  • Abalá, Yucatán
    A colorful door draws the eye t a rundown facade in Abalá, Yucatán.Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine
  • Abalá, Yucatán
    Aside from the hacienda, there are a few places to eat in Abalá, including El Rinconcito, where the food is delicious but the service is even better.Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

    • Abalá During the Revolution

    Though the Mexican Revolution arrived late to Yucatán, it burst onto the scene in 1915 with the conquering army of General Salvador Alvarado. From the state capital in Mérida, it looked like a top-down transformation — a new revolutionary elite simply replacing the old oligarchy. But to understand what truly happened, we must examine not just the chronicles of major cities like Mérida or Valladolid but also communities like Abalá, which shaped much of the contemporary discourse and political action. Here, the revolution was not a script handed down from above, but a dynamic and often messy drama performed by a passionate local cast.

    El Pueblo Mérida

    With the old system of control shattered, the people of Abalá stepped into the political light. They formed ligas de resistencia — resistance leagues that organized workers and became the new engines of grassroots power. In a striking example of organic leadership, the community elected Agustín Euán, a Maya milpa farmer and the local church cantor, to lead their league. His rise, even as the revolutionary press frowned upon his religious role, showed that real change was being driven from the ground up. Politics became a vibrant, fractious affair, defined by factional struggles between “socialists” and “liberals”—labels that often masked deep-seated family alliances and local rivalries.

    What makes Abalá’s story so compelling is the sheer force of this popular surge. Recent historical investigations have shed light on the fact that the local political committees were dominated not by the middle class, but by Maya campesinos, a powerful “surging from below” that reshaped the community’s identity. Yet, this newfound power had its limits. The promise of land reform, the central dream of the revolution, proved elusive. Despite new laws, the hacienda owners fought back with legal injunctions, and the process of distributing land to the landless moved at a frustratingly slow pace, often remaining incomplete.

    Meanwhile, the socialist government of Felipe Carrillo Puerto launched a cultural project as ambitious as its political one. It promoted a unique form of Maya nationalism, celebrating the peninsula’s glorious pre-Hispanic past through archaeology and new public rituals. This was an attempt to forge a modern identity rooted in ancient pride, a powerful message in a town where the majority were of Maya origin. 

    Abalá Today

    Today, Abalá has a population of roughly 6,000 people, most of whom are mestizo. The community is known for its devotion to the Virgen de Guadalupe, a fact that is clearly on display as soon as you enter. 

    Perhaps as punishment for their stubbornness, Abalá eventually lost much of its territory to surrounding municipalities like Telchaquillo, Muna, and Mérida. Today, the town remains extremely sleepy, but still worth exploring and stopping for fresh panuchos and salbutes.

    Nicholas Sanders

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