Celebrate El Dia de los Muertos in the Yucatan
This event is a delight in travel, eco tourism and building community skills. Offered once a year, we immerse ourselves into a living cultural model of community. We spend 9 days in the Yucatan region of Mexico. The town of Oxkutzcab will be our focus as we join and participate in the community festival, El Dia de los Muertos, also known as Day of the Dead. During this event we will also include visits to some of the local points of interest, deepening our understanding of the indigenous Mayan people, their heritage and traditions.
El Dia de los Muertos is a large community event that honors, through celebration, the ancestors. This event is a coming together of community and a pleasure to attend. The remembrance of deceased ancestors and loved ones is traditional among diverse cultures around the globe and is often marked by lighting candles or lamps and laying out offerings of food and drink.
Days of preparation are needed to pull the extended family together to toast chilies and tomatoes, we will learn to make tortillas and cook local ethnic foods that define this region of Mexico. This cross cultural event will allow the participants to participate and learn about community first hand, by experiencing it. We will be involved in the community’s coming together to make this celebration possible. This kind of immersion experience is a privileged look inside the dynamics of a culture that works together to create a large scale celebration like El Dia de los Muerto. We will get to know the people involved as we work side by side with them, becoming part of the community for this special once a year event.
Uxmal
During our stay in the Yucatan we will visit Uxmal, one of the Mayan sacred sites known for its wonders from the ancient world. The name Uxmal ( pronounced: “osh mal” ) means that which was built three times or place of abundant harvest.
The archaeological zone is surrounded by an ancient landscape of hills that creates a beautiful framework for a series of settlements. The quality of these sites is complimented by the geometric proportions of the buildings and their facades with ornate decorations, carved in a limestone filigree style. The intricate stonework is truly incredible.
Loltun’ Caves
The Yucatan Peninsula is a porous limestone shelf with underground rivers, lakes, sinkholes and caves. These water caves of the Yucatan were sacred places for the Mayan and are impressive places to visit and we will have the opportunity to spend time investigating the local Loltun’ Caves near Oxkutzcab. The name Loltun’ is derived from two Mayan words, LOL (flower) and TUN (stone). Located in the hilly Puuc region, 66 miles from Merida, these are the largest caves on the peninsula. They are also the ones that are the most studied. Evidence has been found here of human contact going back 7,000 years. Mammoth bones have been found in the caves, along with fresco paintings on the walls, “hands in negative”, faces, animals, grecos and decorative figures. Kaxil Kauic
Our visit to the Biocultural Reserve is by invitation only, we are among the limited few that have received permission to visit this diverse bioregion.The Helen Moyers Biocultural Reserve is the home to one of the best preserved remaining tracts of dry tropical forest in the Yucatan peninsula. Situated in a zone of rolling hills and narrow valleys the dense forest supports a wide range of flora and fauna. Although baseline inventories of the forest are in their early stages, it is already known that the forest of Kiuic has the most major animal species of the region, including some that are highly endangered. These include jaguar, puma, jaguarundi, javelina, coatimundi, miniature and white tailed deer, and a wide variety of bird species. The reserve is known to be the home to over 20% of all known species in Yucatan and has been declared "...One of the great remaining areas for bird watching in Yucatan". In addition, the reserve is a major sanctuary for small mammals, reptiles, butterflies, insects, and spiders. The archaeological and historical resources within the reserve are magnificent. Situated in the center of the reserve is the archaeological zone of Kiuic, a major Maya center with a history covering from 600 BC until AD 1000. Extending over several kilometers, the site is characterized by its elegant vaulted buildings, many of which are still standing, and its wonderful hilltop settlements. The Maya in this area farmed the flatlands and built many of their beautiful palaces and stone buildings on the tops of hills providing the ancient Maya with striking views of the countryside.The reserve also includes the historic ruins of the town of San Sebastian (also known as Rancho Kiuic). This community of Maya was founded at least by the late 1700's and continued to be occupied up until the 1950's. This community lived on the periphery of Mexican society, a true frontier community whose leadership was Maya. Carlos Salazar Castillo
Carlos was born and raised in Oxkutzcab. He learned his art of herbal healing from his Grandfather and has been actively healing the local people for 28 years. Carlos has a great knowledge of place and works diligently to preserve the healing plants of the Yucatan region in and around Oxkutzcab. Carlos has agreed to share his knowledge of place with us as we join him for a plant walk in the jungle.
Additional Information and Booking
The event fee is $2,500.00 USD per person and
includes:Shared lodging, all meals of fresh local cuisine, all local travel provided by shared van, all park and entrance fees, all local community involvement, round trip flight to and from Mexico ( flying out of and returning to San Francisco, CA. ONLY ).
Dates: Please Contact Us for 2008 Registration This event can not accommodate more than 10 guests. Group size 10
This tour is offered once a year. For more information or to reserve your space Email Us.