The Yucatán's forests are quietly disappearing — cleared for cattle, monocrops, and development. With them goes something harder to measure: centuries of Mayan food knowledge, tied to Maya Nut trees that once fed entire civilizations.

Maricela and her mother in the village of Xocen (near Valladolid) are part of a small network keeping that knowledge alive. They've opened their kitchen — and their tree nursery — to travellers who want to understand why it matters, and help ensure it continues.

What you'll do over 4–5 hours

• Cook a traditional Mayan meal together in a rustic kitchen — tortillas and ceviche made with the Maya Nut (Ramon) when in season, or Pollo Adobo using time-honoured techniques in the off-season
• Walk the tree nursery and learn how Maricela dries Ramon seeds for food and raises seedlings for active reforestation
• Visit the Melipona bee apiary — the ancient stingless bee the Maya have kept for centuries, now critically threatened, and an essential pollinator for native plants

Why the Ramon tree matters

The Maya Nut sustained civilizations for thousands of years, but modernization has pushed it to the edges of memory. The Ramon is a keystone species — evergreen, abundant, and vital to wildlife corridors in the Yucatán. When communities have a reason to cook with it again, they have a reason to keep the trees standing and plant new ones. Your visit directly supports that.

Good to know Start times are flexible. Let us know if you'd like a later start or have any dietary restrictions.