Yucatan Real Estate's Culture Reflected In World Famous Guyabera

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Buyers interested in Yucatan Real Estate are drawn to the area not only by luxury real estate available at much more accessible prices, but also by the proximity this real estate has to a rich culture and history. A Mexico MLS listings search will show that Merida MLSlistings offer perhaps the best combination of modern conveniences - such as infrastructure, top-notch modern health care, and international stores and products - and culture and history; the city itself reflects its rich history in the colonial architecture and atmosphere which permeates the city's lifestyle, and nearby are many of the most famous Mayan pyramid sites, such as Chichen Itza, and dozens of others. New buyers searching MLS listings for Yucatan will notice the style of the properties; yet, there is something about living in Merida that a property won't show. The warm climate makes the city perfect for the comfortable "guayabera" shirt - a white, pleated shirt, which keeps you fresh even on the hottest days, now popular among Mexicans and non-Mexican residents ...
... alike. This shirt is not only ideal for the climate, but also has strong roots in the Merida area, which reflects the living cultural heritage which so many real estate buyers find appealing.

The history of the guyabera begins in Cuba, where it was given its name because of its four pockets, two on top and two at the waist, where West Indian workers would keep the guava fruits ("guayaba" in Spanish) which they had harvested. By the end of the 1800's, the guayabera was the clothing of the higher income class of Yucatan. These Mexicans would buy the shirts on their frequent trips to Cuba in the shop known as "El Encanto," which has since become famous.

Then with the subsequent trade restrictions imposed by the government of Fidel Castro in the 1960s, access became much more difficult, and several Yucatecan entrepreneurs, seeing that the shirts were still in high demand, decided to manufacture them themselves. From then until 1985, the demand became so popular locally, nationally and globally, that growth was overwhelming in the number of guayabera producers in Yucatan. Yucatan manufacturers also began to create new models and with different fabrics and colors, using sewing machines bought in the U.S. and became a major local industry. A slogan became popular: "Yucatan is the gateway to the world Maya and Merida is the guayabera capital of the world."

However, since the 90's, Chinese and Japanese replicas of the guayabera have been bombarding the market, as well as low quality imitations made in Taiwan and Japan. Yucatan was unable to compete,and many factories closed. However, the original garment has retained its reputation of quality and ingenuity and a renewed interest in the legendary guayabera from Yucatan is beginning to come back.

While a search of Merida MLS listings will give you a taste of what Yucatan offers in terms of high-quality properties, available at very reasonable prices, life in Yucatan brings residents an excellent mix of history, culture and lifestyle, which only direct experience can show you. Visit our Mexico MLS listings page today to start searching for your ideal Yucatan property to enjoy Merida's year round warm climate - in a guayabera, if you like.