Adventures in Yucatan, Mexico

In the mid-1500's Yucatan saw the beginning of some dramatic changes. Conquistadors came to knock down and re-build their own mansions and churches from the rubble of Mayan stones. Fusion of cultures and genetics began to take place at a rapid rate and the predominant form of agriculture changed from homesteading to plantations. Fiber production put Yucatan on the world map and saw ports like Sisal explode with the growth of the export market. So what is this plant known as "green gold" that helped the rich get richer and the poor get poorer? What is it about this spiky cousin to agave that spurred the rise of the mestizo and a caste war? How can the simple production of rope and twine cause such large social and cultural changes? Before we can start to answer these kinds of questions, we took a hands-on look back in time to see what the plantations and factories looked like. taking a look at the machines that crush the spiky leaves to extract the strong fiber