How a Colorado Couple Rehabbed an Abandoned Hacienda in the Yucatán Jungle

As soon as you drive out of the traffic of Mérida, Mexico, the lush jungle awaits. That’s what Angela and Scott Damman found when they bought a 22-acre hacienda in Telchac Pueblo, Yucatán, 33 miles northeast of the city. "When we first got to the gate…for as far as the eye could see in every direction, it was two to four meters high of small trees and weeds," says Scott of the surreal experience of starting a new life in the Mexican jungle. "The vines were growing inside this house from every direction. Lizards, snakes, and iguanas were living inside here—the jungle just overtook," adds Angela.

In 2011, the couple decided to look for a place near the small city in the Yucatán’s northwest, which was becoming a hot spot for artist and designer expats. Having flipped several homes in the U.S., they thought they’d try their hand abroad and bring along their then young children, India, six, and Finley, two. Scott had experience in real estate, while Angela was an environmental consultant trained in fashion design. Upon selling their refurbished home in Salida, Colorado—bought for $159,000 and sold for $365,000 eight years later—the Dammans procured the rundown estate for $210,000. "We were just going to flip it—live there for a year, learn Spanish, give the experience to the kids to live abroad," Angela says. "But we loved it so much we wondered, How do we stay?"

Approaching the hacienda today, you’re greeted by a row of tall, thin palm trees interspersed with henequen agave plants, once the "green gold" of Mexico, used to produce twine and rope for export. The front gate opens to an expansive, neatly trimmed lawn, a man-made overgrown lily pond made of stone, and scattered ceiba trees. The courtyard is enclosed by three main buildings: a former carpentry shop painted in a classic hacienda red with white trim; a former office building, which is now the Dammans’ home; and a towering building in front that once served as a packing and storage space for the henequen agave.

The couple’s initial budget to fix up the property was $150,000, which they used to clean up the overgrown land, hire local stone wall builders and carpenters, and refurbish the electricity and plumbing.