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.