OUR STORY

The place name Susulá comes from the Mayan words Zuzul Ha, or gentle water, according to the Calepino de Motul dictionary. However, during the colonial period, the Spaniards phonetically wrote it in the documentation, and even in documents from the 17th century, the location was named Zuzulha. It was also common for colonial estates and haciendas to maintain the original Maya place name while associating it with a Catholic saint, in this case, the hacienda was registered as Santo Domingo de Zuzulha.

With the establishment of the Governorate of Yucatán in 1565, obtaining permissions from the Crown to occupy the land and introduce livestock became easier. The former Mayan lands called Zuzulha were granted through an initial concession in 1570 during the 16th century. Today, archaeology identifies the pre-Hispanic site known as Xamán Susulá, which encompasses a broad area from the vicinity of the ancient town of Caucel.

During the second half of the 18th century, the first stage of the Yucatecan hacienda emerged, the livestock-corn farm, as this agricultural and livestock combination was its main productive activity. Due to its proximity to the capital, Susulá was one of the first estates to transition into a hacienda, as its rural population was more numerous compared to farther haciendas from Mérida, resulting in a high production of corn, honey, wax, and other agricultural products.