Get to Know the Mayan Workshop and the Cultural and Artisan Center at Yucatán

Live a fascinating experience at the  Yucatan Peninsula, fullfilled with ancient tradition and flourishing innovation in various branches as gastronomy, design, and museums, among others. Find out in this unique place the wonders of two worlds: the colonial and the actual; prehispanic that combines the beauty of natural sceneries and the magic of two cultures.

This lines are for you to get to know the exclusive shops: Mayan Workshop and the Cultural and Artisan Center of Izamal. Both are Social Enterprises that are born from one of the strategic area of “Haciendas del Mundo Maya Foundation”, A.C., non-profit organization that, in this component has a philosophy about the promotion of productive projects with social impact; including fair payment for the work of the artisans, the adherence to a code of ethics, the respect and appreciation of the Mayan customs and the recognition of his creative freedom.

Plus to the great ethic values, the craftswomen revalorize their cultural traditions and converted their identity in the shaft to produce handicrafts of the highest quality, generating a social impact from the rescue of traditional techniques and materials. Thanks to the Alliance of Artisans Maya entrepreneurs and Haciendas del Mundo Maya Foundation, today these products are marketed nationally and internationally under the standards of fair trade – which is accredited by the stamp of the IFAT (World Fair Trade Organization). The products of Mayan Workshop are testimony of a story that pays tribute to an entire culture.

Currently  they have 24 craft workshops in Yucatan and Campeche, where the artisans receive constant training: administrative, accounting, teamwork, design and creativity, among others; this in order to promote social development and the improvement of the living standards of the regular family in their communities.

To know and to begin a tour of actions as a traveler and responsible consumer in the Yucatan Peninsula, we recommend you to visit Merida Downtown and get to know the Mayan Workshop Store, located inside the icon Montejo house and museum. This building was built between 1542 and 1549 by the conquerors of the Yucatan Peninsula: Montejo – to be used as his family residence. The construction has been partially preserved until the date. The Montejo House is possibly the only example in Mexico of a civil house built in the XVI century in the Renaissance style. You will find it located at Calle 60 #210, Historic Downtown, Merida.

Additionally, to really live the story behind the product, we invite you to visit the community of Santa Rosa de Lima, in Maxcanú, Yucatan; located in the road toward Campeche, deviation Maxcanú. To reach out to the community, you will experience a journey that will introduce your life into the Maya World, which will allow you to know and interact with their inhabitants. Among the attractions that you can´t miss in Santa Rosa, are the Craft Workshops in embroidery in cross-stitch, filigree, henequen and hammocks.

To continue with the experience and awareness of the “Mayan World“, we invite you to visit the Botanical Garden within the Hacienda Santa Rosa, located to one side of the Craft Workshops. This garden is registered as a “Unity of Environmental Management“,you will find in the old facilities of the orchard of the Hacienda, which has an approximate surface of a hectare, that can be travelled through rustic and beautiful trails. If you wander in them, you will appreciate the colors and aromas of their more than 230 plant species. It is divided into sections according to the use given to the plants in the region: Aromatic, palms, Orchard, multiple uses and medicinal plants for suffering several: respiratory, dermatological, and digestive tracts. It also has areas of support for the propagation and supply to the health houses of Haciendas del Mundo Maya Foundation, compost and vegetables.

Another spot that you shouldn’t miss at all when visiting Yucatan is Izamal. One hour from Merida, is a colonial jewel founded in the middle of the XVI century on an ancient Mayan city. Its name, which means “dew from heaven“, is attributed and honor to God Zamná, wise teacher and master of the Mayas. The magical contrast that is generated amongst the many Hispanic constructions and the vestiges of the colony, in the contemporary world, constitutes a unique attraction of this region. The majesty of its pyramids, as Kinich Kakmó, the largest of the peninsula; the convent of San Antonio de Padua, with the atrium largest in Latin America; and the Cultural and Artisan Center of Izamal (CCIC), the Downtown developed by Haciendas del Mundo Maya Foundation, with the objective of promoting that young people have their first employment. Among the many attractions you will find within the Cultural and Artisan Center, are the store Mayan Workshop, the Museum of Great Masters of Popular Art, the Henequen Museum, Spa Services, bikes for rent and the Pyramid of Kabul, which is being restored together with the INAH. The pyramid has a figurehead very important, photographed by Desiree Charnay – browser, archaeologist and French photographer – famous for its photographs of ruins of ancient pre-Columbian civilizations in Mexico. You can locate it on the street 31 #210, in the historic downtown of Izamal.

Visit the Yucatan Peninsula and discover, elbow to elbow with its inhabitants and craftsmen, a millennial culture full of tradition and wisdom, surrounded by the magnificence of its natural resources.