Magical Maya Ka’An
Away from the crowds of Mexico’s Riviera Maya, a community-led ecotourism project offers a deeper connection to the land, culture and people.
By Steve Lyons
Shallow turquoise water surrounds a deep cenote at Kaan Luum in Quintana Roo. | VIDEO: BLACKBOXGUILD/ENVATO
OUR LITTLE BOAT DRIFTS SLOWLY down a narrow emerald canal, carved centuries ago by the Maya people to link inland villages with the sea. We're only nine km from Tulum, a major tourist town in Mexico’s bustling Riviera Maya. But here, the water is shallow and clear, with tangled mangroves leaning in on either side. It’s quiet, peaceful, strikingly beautiful.
Standing at the bow with a smile and his arms spread wide, our guide Ricardo breaks the silence.
“Welcome to Maya Ka’an!” Our small group has arrived at the edge of the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, and it feels as though we’ve crossed a threshold into a different world. In many ways, we have. The region of Maya Ka’an, where Sian Ka’an is situated, is a community‑based ecotourism initiative created and led by the local Maya. The region spans coastal fishing towns, inland milpas (traditional forest farm plots), coral reefs, cenotes (natural pools) and lagoons. It’s one of the best‑preserved areas of the Mexican Caribbean — and it’s also a region alive with purpose.
Across Maya Ka’an, local communities serve as guardians of both biodiversity and cultural heritage; community‑run tourism companies, small hotels and certified guides ensure that travellers experience Maya Ka’an in ways that directly support the Maya and the environment. “Maya Ka’an is a model for a Maya destination — a place where our products, culture and traditions are recognized,” says Alberto Cen Caamal, co-founder of Community Tours Sian Ka’an, a Maya ecotourism co-operative and one of the guides (and translators) who led our group excursions.
Over the course of my six-day journey, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary resort experience. I learn that Maya Ka’an invites travellers to connect more deeply — with the natural world, with the region’s rich Indigenous culture, and with the people who call it home.
Making tortillas in Señor; palapas (shelters) provide shade. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF STEVE LYONS
Seafood, sustainably
We weave through the canals of Sian Ka’an, taking in the wild beauty. A UNESCO World Heritage Property, the biosphere is a protected area of wetlands, mangroves, jungle and reef that covers an astonishing 10 percent of the land mass of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. Along the way, we spot osprey, egrets and dozens of magnificent frigatebirds clustered around what’s known as Bird Island; when we move out into open water, dolphins and sea turtles briefly appear near the boat. Mid-afternoon, we spend an hour relaxing in the warm, clear waters before Ricardo lifts anchor, steering the boat on to the remote village of Punta Allen.
At the southern edge of Sian Ka’an, Punta Allen is built around sustainable lobster fishing. Since the 1960s, the local co-operative has managed the lobster population through small artificial shelters called casitas, assigning each fisherman an individual sea plot. It’s a system that prevents overfishing and has become a model for sustainable seafood in Mexico. Most of the catch is exported, but today, we’re treated to the rare chance to sample it.
We join a group of local women to help prepare a lobster dinner. The Canadians have a slight advantage — most of us have cracked a few lobster tails in our day — but the taste of the Caribbean spiny lobster is a revelation: firmer and less sweet than its North Atlantic counterpart.
Later, at a local community centre, fishermen give a presentation on the co-operative’s origins. Alberto explains that the murals on the wall depict how generations of families have built this system together — and how they hope to leave the same legacy to their children.
Tour guide Zendy Celeste Euan Chan jokes around with a fish head. | PHOTO: COURTESY OF STEVE LYONS
(Left to right) Caribbean spiny lobster; a staged J-men ceremony near the village of Señor; murals depict generations of families working together. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF STEVE LYONS
Into the jungle
The next day, we pack into a van and head inland to stay for two nights at rustic eco-lodges under dense jungle canopy and thatched roofs, where we’ll wake to the chorus of birds at sunrise.
At Síijil Noh Ha, near the town of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, a few of us opt out of a hike to swim in a hidden cenote, where locals already taking a dip greet us with smiles. When rain begins to fall, we all stay in the water, sharing the giddy thrill of not taking cover as the skies open up.
In Señor, a traditional Maya community, we visit a meliponario, where Maya families tend the naturally stingless Maya Melipona bees, whose honey has been prized for centuries for its healing properties. Later, in a nearby milpa — a traditional cornfield — we stand quietly as a J-men (Maya priest) lights fragrant copal resin and offers prayers to the four directions. Alberto explains that the ritual asks permission from the land and spirits to welcome us. While this ceremony is staged for our benefit, such rituals are still an important part of Maya culture, part of a living tradition that goes back generations. Flavours of the forest
At Kíichpam K’áax, an inland ecotourism centre tucked deep in the forest near the village of Chunhuhub, our group spends a day learning to prepare a pair of traditional Maya meals — tamales and cochinita pibil. After a hearty breakfast, we set to work digging the pib (underground oven) where lunch and dinner will be cooked. When I accidentally snap a shovel, our hosts just laugh and hand me another. As the sun filters through the trees, Alberto shows us how to cut banana leaves to wrap a stuffing made of corn dough and shredded chicken. The women coach us through the process, kneeling beside us, guiding our hands through our clumsy attempts. By lunchtime, we are unwrapping the tamales — smoky, soft and savoury. They feel like a gift. As night falls, the group gathers around the pit we dug earlier as our hosts clear the earth and lift out the steaming metal tray. Alberto’s face lights up as he reveals the cochinita pibil — pork marinated with achiote spice, slow-cooked for hours in the pib until tender and aromatic. It’s a memorable finish to a feast of a day.
“In Señor, a traditional Maya community, we visit a meliponario, where Maya families tend the naturally stingless Maya Melipona bees, whose honey has been prized for centuries for its healing properties.”
(Left to right) Rustic eco-lodges; relaxing in the turquoise water between the reef and the shore before heading on to Punta Allen; Alberto demonstrates cutting banana leaves for tamales. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF STEVE LYONS
Heart of the matter
The trip to Maya Ka’an has been filled with warm interactions, spectacular scenery, lots of laughter and meaningful learning — but it is the final two stops of our tour that truly reveal the heart of the Maya.
At an embroidery collective in the community of Xpichil, women sit close together, stitching vivid birds and flowers onto fabric, part of a traditional craft known as bordado maya. A group of girls hovers nearby, giggling and shy at first, then showing us their own small pieces, eager to prove they are learning, too. The co-op sells its wares directly to travellers, a vibrant art form that sustains families and carries this tradition of textile-making forward.
Later, at the Historical Museum of the City of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, we learn how this once-sacred Maya city became the capital of an independent Maya state in the 19th century during the Caste War of Yucatán. We see artifacts, documents and exhibits that trace Maya resistance and survival.
I'm struck by a wall of black and white photographs depicting Maya children staring out from dormitory rows and dining halls. While Mexico’s internados (Indigenous boarding schools) differed in some ways from Canada’s residential schools, education policies prioritized Spanish-language instruction and national integration, nudging Maya students toward mainstream Spanish-Mexican identity over their own traditions.
Walking out of the museum and into the street, the contrast between the photographs and the city around me is striking. Here in Maya Ka’an, Maya culture is resilient and thriving. Through co-operatives, ceremonies, sustainable tourism and community‑run projects, the region is not only preserving Maya heritage, but sharing it proudly with the world. AMA
Alberto assists in the tamale-making at Kíichpam K’áax; Zendy and some workers from the embroidery collective. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF STEVE LYONS
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