Since we recently visited an hacienda, I was curious to see the images that were in the directory regarding it. There were many photos of the land and architecture as well as events such as weddings, including a Korean couple which I found interesting because we had learnt weddings at haciendas signaled status and wealth; however, this image stood out to me due to its description. The description reads: “View
of a Mayan laborer next to a henequen plant. The clothes were made by the workers themselves with the fabrics of the sacks of food that arrived at the hacienda, cloth that they bleached and then made available for preparation.” Henequen plants were used for items such as rope as we saw at the hacienda but also for woven fabrics and textiles. Laborers not having access to the resources they were directly responsible for sustaining reminded me a lot of Chichén Itzá and how many Mayan people do not have access and the rights to their own history and sacred space. However, this photograph depicts not only the strenuous labor conditions for the workers in haciendas, but also their resilience and creativity. The photographer, Pedro Guerra, had a clear intent of documenting the working class, and even though they aren’t named like the prominent families of the time are, through Guerra we get a bit of insight into their lives and stories. In reading more about haciendas, I found there are few records of individual haciendas outside of accounts by contemporary social reformers, parliamentary debates, and local anthropological surveys, so firsthand records such as these photographs provide valuable insight and evidence of these people’s lives on the haciendas.
The description of laborers using food sacks as clothes also stood out to me because of its resonance to American workers during the Great Depression using potato sacks as garments. Much like what the Florida Project depicted, class issues persist everywhere in the world, and the US is certainly not exempt from them. The similarities between the laborers and working class in the haciendas and in the US also highlights how historical context is essential for understanding current issues both in the US and in Yucatan.
