Raising a Family and Running a Business in Mexico

Angela Damman is one of those people that can do it all. And in Telchac Pueblo, she has done just that… raising a family, restoring a hacienda, and running a business in Mexico.

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. They love their ongoing project. It’s not just as a home and investment but an opportunity to become educated about the history of haciendas.

And that’s where the inspiration came for Angela’s business. She’s making a connection between the past and what she’s doing now. She collaborates with Katrin Schikora and George Samuelson of Takto Design, making products from the henequen and the natural fibers from the area. The process completes the circle with the old hacienda’s finished product.

The Business

Shortly after moving to Telchac, Angela attended an annual art fair in Merida. The fair was hosted by a group of expats to help promote the local artisans. She met an expat from Holland who started a business using henequen to make high-end handbags and lampshades.

“I thought it was interesting,” said Angela. “I could see myself doing something like that.” When the expat’s husband got transferred to Peru, Angela saw an opportunity. Angela hired her as a consultant for two months to learn everything she could about the henequen business.

“It was a bit overwhelming at times,” said Angela. “I didn’t know the language. Talking to local artisans and trying to find where to get materials for zippers, buttons and dyes was a challenge. You have to go through that whole process of learning how to do something, but you have to do it in a foreign language with different methods. You also have to learn their ways to build new relationships.”

Angela grows henequen and lengua de vaca (aka mother-in-law’s tongue) right on her hacienda. She hires local people who have the skills and know the techniques for working with the plants. The end products are beautiful which in turn inspires the workers.

Angela loves contributing to the local economy by hiring and sometimes training workers in the area. She gives them an opportunity to earn money by working from their home and use skill that they learned long ago. She pays them higher than averages wages to motivate them to do a good job and make them feel that they are part of the team. The finished products are classic and elegant and not what you would see in the common marketplace. The possibilities for henequen are endless, just like it was back in the day, when there were no synthetics available.

The Lifestyle

The Damman’s lifestyle is busier than they expected, but it’s all by choice. Since they’re not retired, they have chosen this lifestyle to fund their life in Mexico and to be part of growing their community. Scott, originally from Minnesota, is a realtor in rural Mexico. “It was a transition,” said Scott, “but I love being outside, raising animals and plants as a hobby. My life is expanded in a way that is better.”

“It’s a different way of thinking here,” says Angela. “People own everything what they have and the pace is slower. It makes you appreciate things in different ways.”

The Damman children are living a different kind of life and thriving. India loves living in nature and wants to be an entomologist.

“One of the biggest rewards is to have our children bilingual,” said Angela. “Scott and I are not bilingual, though we aspire to be. We want to have true conversations, develop deep friendships, and assimilate into the culture.”

The affordability in Telchac is a major factor for the Damman’s. A nice meal for a family of four in nearby Motul costs about $15.00; more casual street food like panuchos costs around $7.50.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are abundant and inexpensive. Avocados, for example are a less than $1.00 for 2 lbs. Tomatoes are $0.75 cents for a little over 2 lbs.

Angela’s business is booming but they still make time to relax at home, explore their land or visit friends – locals and expats. In Merida there are always a lot of activities, museums and movies. And the beach and amusements in Progreso are an ever-present lure.

Angela Damman’s Running a Business in Mexico first published in Yucatan Today Magazine, September 2014.

Raising a Family and Running a Business in Mexico

The Hacienda

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