Angela Damman is one of those people that can do it all. And in Telchac Pueblo, she has done just that.
Four years ago, she and her husband Scott sold their home in Salida, Colorado to run a business in Mexico. They gathered up their children, four-year-old India, and two-year-old Finley, and headed for the Yucatan state.
Telchac is a lot like the other Yucatan pueblos in that it’s a pleasant little town, very clean and friendly and the locals have a lot of pride in the village. It is strategically located a 15-minute drive to the beaches on the Gulf Coast and a 45-minute drive to the vibrant colonial city of Merida.
The Hacienda
Since they’d agreed to move abroad, the Damman’s decided to do something really different. They both liked to renovate properties, so why not just go for it in all possible ways?
They soon purchased a run-down hacienda that Angela felt a connection to. Hacienda San Juan was built in the 1880s by a Spanish family from the Basque region. It was a working hacienda, processing henequen for decades. The original owners vacated the property and it was given to the village. The hacienda was later purchased from the village in the 1980s. It was in ruins and the new private owner began major restorations, which the Damman’s have taken over.
“We were basically really camping out,” said Angela. “We didn’t have a working toilet, the plumbing wasn’t working, everything was overgrown – it was like living in the jungle of Mexico!”
The hacienda is slowly and lovingly being transformed from ruins into a stunning example of how to maintain the architecture and allure of a historical structure but with the modern convenience of the times.
In the small village of Telchac, the Dammans are the only expats except for one neighbor next door. But they love their ongoing project, not just as a home and investment but as an opportunity to become educated as to what haciendas were all about.
Read the rest of the inspiring story of Angela Damman’s Running a Business in Mexico here.
You may also be interested in:
Devouring My Way Through The Yucatan
Exploring the Yucatan with Kids
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About the Author
Patti Morrow is a freelance travel writer and founder of the award-winning international blog Luggage and Lipstick and the southern travel blog Gone to Carolinas. TripAdvisor called her one of the “20 Baby Boomer Travel Bloggers Having More Fun Than Millennials” and she was named one of the “Top 35 Travel Blogs” in the world.
She is also the star of the upcoming TV series “Destination Takeover” which is scheduled to premiere in the next few months.
Patti is the author of the book “Girls Go Solo: Tips for Women Traveling Alone,” and has over 150 bylines in 40 print and online publications, including The Huffington Post, International Living Magazine, Washington Post Sunday Travel, Travel Girl, Travel Play Live Magazine, and Ladies Home Journal. She has traveled extensively through six continents looking for fabulous destinations, exotic beaches, and adventure activities for her Baby Boomer tribe.
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