All-inclusive eco-park includes jungle walk: Xel-ha

Entrance to the port of Xel-ha

It is impossible to visit the Riviera Maya without seeing advertisements for the Xcaret Xperience Parks. We decided to check out Xel-ha, which is considered the world's largest aquarium and offers and assortment of outdoor activities, in the forest as well as in the water.  The first thing we did upon entering Xel-ha was to book a guided jungle walk. We spent the morning snorkeling in the lagoon, enjoying the wide variety tropical reef fish, and then met our group for the tour.  Our guide explained that Xel-ha, a geological marvel on the Yucatan's Caribbean coast that includes a large, brackish inlet, was once a trading port of the ancient Maya. The name is Mayan for "birthplace of the water", which makes sense in light of its role as the marine exit point for a large drainage basin (all of the fresh water arrives in underground rivers).   Xel-ha has been a park and "natural aquarium" for the past 18 years- now one of the major attractions of the Riviera Maya. A goal of the organization running the park is to conserve the natural beauty in Xel-ha, through sustainable practices such as recycling, composting, reforestation, and environmental education.

A view of the world's largest natural aquarium

Along the edge of the cenote

As we walk towards the water, we pass a plant nursery, where plants for the park are cultivated.  Many plants along the trails are labeled with signs that let us know the name and origin of the plant as well as its uses.  After our introduction to the area and a brief explanation of the differences between Manta rays and the kind of rays found at Xel-ha, we cross a bridge as our guide points to the algae-heavy water underneath. "You might thing this looks like dirty water, not pleasant to swim in, but in fact the algae and other microorganisms help clean the water. Notice how many little fish are swimming here- it is a healthy environment".  Incidentally, I recently read some papers that argue that there is evidence that one of the reasons the ancient Maya were so successful agriculturally in the difficult environment of the Yucatan is that they harvest algae from the sea to use as fertilizer for their crops. While this hasn't been proven beyond doubt,  it is certainly an interesting theory.

Several ducks and heron on the edge of the cenote

Next, we cross a floating bridge (not an easy task as the sea is rough today) and begin our journey through the Path of Consciousness, a trail marked by a series of large stones etched with quotes on the environment from notable thinkers. Each stone is numbered using the Maya system, which uses dots, lines, and other shapes to represent the natural numbers. Soon we are looking down openings in the limestone ground that lead to a sea cove below. Our guide explains that these were sacred places for the Maya, and that astronomical observations could be made by observing the sky's reflection in the water below.

Our guide describes gum production

Continuing on the Path of Consciousness, we encounter several small pathways in the limestone where the sea water flows- apparently great for snorkeling. The roots of a large chechen tree are embedded in some of the limestone. Our guide asks us why it might be that a tree would have roots attached to stone, where it would seem there would be few available nutrients. Stumped, she explains that the limestone is saturated with water, which the tree can then absorb. This particular tree traces an interesting route horizontally to the limestone wall and then, after about ten feet, vertically, where its leaves grow.  Our group marvels at nature's creativity.

Chechen tree whose roots absorb water from the rock

Soon we are looking into a small, open cave away from the sea inlet. Our guide explains that the water here is freshwater. She then explains that all the limestone in the Yucatan is the result of deposition from an ancient sea that covered the peninsula many millions of years ago. In the roof of this small cave, there are dozens of fossilized imprints of ancient plants and corals, evidence of the fact that the peninsula was once underwater.

Fossils in the roof of a cave in the park

Chit Palm fronds= Water Resistant

On the jungle trail, we stop to identify plants along the way, including the endangered Chit palm which was used to produce roofs, the Sapote tree used to make gum, and of course, the famous Chaca and Chechen, which are abundant in the park, and surprisingly close to the walking trails.

Finally, we arrive at a large, sacred cenote, the roof of which, our guide explained, has collapsed. The area is beautiful, with a variety of bird species, multicolored fish swimming in the clear freshwater, and of course the surrounding jungle. Our guide has us close our eyes and first take in the sounds and smells of the natural environment, and then to imagine it destroyed by the development of highways, factories, and shopping centers. She finally has us open our eyes and discuss our thoughts about the experience.

A visit from a family of Coati

The tour ends at the entrance to the river.  We decide to take bikes down the path to the center of the park.  On our way, we spot a coati crossing our path.  Soon, we realize we are surrounded by a family of these mischievous creatures, including several babies.  As they leap through the trees, they sound and look a bit like the spider monkeys that we saw at Punta Laguna.

Pathway in the Garden of the Chacas

One the bike path, we stop to visit the Garden of the Chacas.  In this place, numerous movie stars, authors, artists, and sports figures from Mexico have come to plant a tree and leave a quote about what the environment means to them.  We're the only ones in this special garden, which is a peaceful and inspiring place.  One of my favorite quotes was from actor and director Silvestre Lopez Portillo: "This tree is a small demonstration of how marvelous it is to live, and to leave something beating in this world."  A beautiful way to think about planting a tree, or a garden for that matter.

Luum Ayni: Growing in Harmony with the Earth

Human compost pile - to the left is finished compost, already covered in plants

 Composting has been a recurring theme throughout the Mexican Heritage Garden project, so it seemed appropriate that Lisa began our tour with compost. Earlier that day Manuel, Jenny, and I drove from Nuevo Durango through Vallodolid to Chichimila, where Lisa and Cesar Hernandez manage their Luum Ayni project (LuumAyni.com). As soon as we arrived, we found ourselves in the presence of an impressively-sized heap, overlain with reused banners. Lisa explained that this was a mixture of food scraps from nearby restaurants and plant cuttings from the property. After a few months of microorganism magic, the compost would be ready for mixing with other types of compost, the red soil found on the property, or both, and put to use in the gardens, pastures, orchards, or managed forests at Luum Ayni. This was the first of several similar compost heaps we saw, and the start to an agricultural trek like no other.

Ceiba tree surrounded by the project's logo - the Southern Cross

Luum Ayni is a working demonstration farm (and yoga retreat) based on the ideals of sustainability, agroecology, and permaculture. Maybe the best way to explain what this means is to define "Luum Ayni". "Luum" is a Maya word for "earth" and for Lisa and Cesar it has connotations of living in harmony with the natural world and the cycles of life. "Ayni" is a Qechua word (Cesar has Incan ancestry) meaning harmony and balance, with both the natural and human world. So the project, put simply, is about developing systems that facilitate living in harmony with the Earth. As Lisa told us later in the tour, for every benefit derived from the land, a permacultural farm will in turn give something back, nourishing the Earth as well as its people. For every output, there is a renewable input.

Lisa with a healthy avocado tree

How is this achieved? Lisa emphasized that the most difficult and important work in permaculture is on the front end. Systems must be designed to ensure that each piece- plant, animal, or object- plays a role in the sustenance of the whole. Implemented correctly, this leads to largely self-regulating systems that in the long-term require far less maintenance and resources than conventional agriculture.

One of the most straightforward ways these systems are designed is through plant pairings. Taking a cue from the milpa, nitrogen-fixing legumes are distributed widely, near (and on) both trees and other vegetables, regenerating some nutrients taken by these other plants. Two of innumerable examples of these legumes at Luum Ayni are the Asian Lablab and an organic soy- Lisa tells us she spent a year searching Mexico for soy that was not transgenically modified before finally finding a strain that was not. Manuel also remembers where he finally found non-transgenic soy- obviously not an easy task in Mexico (and, we guess, maybe
even harder in Illinois).

Organic Soy 

A poster about the risk of introducing transgenic crops into Mexico

Non-nitrogen-fixers help with nutrient regeneration too- whatever parts of ornamental, medicinal (including arnica, a gift from Blat-ha), and edible plants are not used are transformed into compost. Intelligent use of plant systems clearly pays off: by doing something as simple as removing nutrient-sucking grasses from the bases of a mango trees planted by the previous land owner, and adding compost and mulch, the trees went from near-death to healthy in a single season.

Touring the project

In addition to compost from food and plant scraps, Luum Ayni uses animal waste (horse manure, mostly) and human waste. That's right- every bathroom at Luum Ayni, from Lisa and Cesar's home to the guest suites, has ecological toilets. For the uninitiated, these are dry toilets. After use, saw dust is thrown over human waste to absorb liquids and smells (Lisa assures us that the toilets do not smell). When full or when regular use stops, the toilet basin is taken to another site where further composting occurs, bringing the temperature to a level that makes the human compost (obviously dramatically changed from its original form) a valuable fertilizer to use in fields.

State-of-the-art Coop - removable nests

A rooster in the chicken coop

  After viewing the compost, we make our way to the chicken coop.  The chickens at Luum Ayni are housed in a coop that we all agreed was nice by human standards. It has room for 50 chickens- according to Lisa the maximum number that research has shown chickens can keep track of socially. The interior has space for all hens to roost, drink water, feed on grains, and enjoy a clean environment free from the elements. Most of the chickens at this time, however, are grazing in a field outside of the coop. In a few days, Lisa tells us that the gate to this field will be closed to lay fallow, and another of the three available fields will open up. The chickens will graze there for some weeks, and then rotate to the next field. In addition to this fallow-grazing rotation system, there are separate fields (as well as sections of the coop) for maternity (both mother hen and chicks) and infirmary. Eggs are harvested periodically, and of course no part goes to waste, with cooked and ground shells used for feed and other uses.

Entrance to the bio-intensive beds

A Comfrey Plant

In the vegetable garden at Luum Ayni, Lisa explains that just two of the raised beds can produce over 70 kilograms of produce annually. This is possible due to the bio-intensive system that includes using compost and natural fertilizers, as well as strategically planting deep-rooted plants to bring underlying nutrients to the surface. Lisa says that this system mimics the ecological processes that occur in the surrounding jungle, but with nutrient cycling and soil production happening at much higher rates. Plants growing in the boxes as well as on trellises certainly appear to be thriving. These include beans, squash, peppers, onion, sweet potato, potato, corn, and much, much more. One memorable plant we were told is known as the spinach tree (and no, this was not chaya). Both the leaves, and, later, the flowers are edible, and apparently delicious when eaten with cheese.

Jenny checks out a flying potato

Mais Mantel - one of several corn varieties on the farm 

A patch of English onions

There is more to permaculture than creating interlinked biological systems comprising plants, microorganisms, animals, and humans. Physical resources, including water, energy, and materials must be used in such a way that minimizes waste, negative impact on ecosystems (agro- and otherwise), and depletion of natural resources. At Luum Ayni, this is done in ways both technologically advanced (with a solar and bio-powered energy system) and ancient (excavation of a large retention pond and structures designed to maximize water capture). Water retention tanks can be found all over the property, with plans for more- Lisa and Cesar seem to be as concerned about changing precipitation patterns as every other grower in the area we've talked to. Water is not the only conserved resource here- there is also an ethic of reusing materials, like thatch for roofs, beautiful old wooden doors from Vallodolid for doors, and old grain bags, for hip messenger bags sold in the store.

I've left quite a lot about Luum Ayni out here, from the seed banking practices and jungle conservation program to the traditional honey production and yoga classes. If you want to learn more, please visit LuumAyni.com, or, better yet, the next time you're in the Yucatan, pay Lisa and Cesar a visit (see website for reservations, etc.).

Lisa and Cesar - Luum Ayni Directors

Exploring Nuevo Durango: Casa de los Insectos

Welcome to the House of Insects, Nuevo Durango

Ismael - The Museum's Caretaker and Resident Insect Expert

Our days in Nuevo Durango have been filled with adventures of many types.  For being such a small town, there really is so much to do!  On the edge of town, we visit the Casa de los Insectos, an insect museum with quite an interesting story.  Ismael, the son-in-law of the museum's forefather (who passed away in 2006), led our tour and told us the details how such an extensive collective of bugs exists in a town of fewer than 300 people.  There are more than 2,000 insects in the museum,  which focuses primarily on species from the region and has about a thousand visitors each year.  

The famous cucaracha (cockroach) - along with other insects

Wasps collected this year

The community's tradition of collecting insects began more than thirty years ago, when a man named Eduardo Cecilio Welling from Southern California met Pedro Canche May and offered him a strange job: collecting and preserving insects which Welling would sell or keep for his collection in the U.S.  While most insects that Don Pedro catalogued were exported by Welling, several cigar boxes of insects, with their detailed labels, would become part of the museum's initial collection.  Enrique, one of Nuevo Durango's residents, remembers catching butterflies as a young child which were sold to manufacture makeup.  During the early-eighties, the nation's financial crisis meant hardship and suffering for the small town.  It was the income from bug-collecting that kept the village alive during these years.  The 2-3 pesos earned for each insect sold to Welling "meant that we could eat," recalls Enrique.  Manuel (see previous post) also remembers these years and the villagers' identity as "bug collectors".  Ironically, the insect trade has recently been revived in the town, as children collect live butterflies which are sold to a company who resells them for release at weddings and other celebrations.  In 2012, the butterflies sell for more than 20 pesos each, ten times their value three decades ago.

           Pic - Transmits Chagas Disease

Lovely Specimens from 2012

To this day, Ismael continues collecting insects for Casa de los Insectos, which are labeled "New Collection 2012" and comprise the center displays of the museum.  The specimens are categorized according to species and orders of insects.  A short description accompanies some insects, such as the Pic (Chinche), a dangerous beetle who is found in the woods and causes a disease like cancer, I'm told.  I recognized this beetle from a my undergraduate parasitology course as the vector for Chagas disease.  It's not a type of cancer, but rather the T. cruzi protozoan which is transmitted by the Pic insect, which we call the kissing bug.  Early signs of Chagas disease include a characteristic swollen eye.  Incredibly, millions of people in Mexico and Latin America unknowingly carry the disease, which will cause debilitating heart and digestive problems in some.  Like malaria, one strategy for prevention is sleeping with a bed net, as the Pic usually sucks its victims' blood at night.  Ismael told us that some cases of the disease have occurred in hunters, who were bitten at night while hunting in the forest for the illusive and highly-prized, tepezcuintle, the rodent for which the town's alternative tourism project is named after (A'aktun Jaleeb - Cave of the Tepezcuintle in Maya).

Wooding carvings in N. Durango, including the famous Tepezcuintle or Jaleeb (left)

The museum also houses an incredible collection of beetles, several of which we saw around (and inside) of our cabana during our stay!  Most memorable, perhaps, is the elephant beetle who can grow to more than five inches in diameter.  We observed several species of leaf-cutter ants (also spotted throughout our days in the jungle) who are, in a sense, some of the most ancient farmers of the region.  These ants grow, fertilize and harvest a fungi, which is their food source.  In return, the ants feed the fungi, with chewed up pieces of leaves.  The ants are also capable of producing an antibiotic, which kills a bacteria that attacks their precious food, the fungi.

 Butterflies of the Region.. one of several cases

Scorpions, spiders, and a white snake...just because

Near the Arachnid display, which included many scorpions and spiders, I was grateful to confirm that a large brown spider (about 2 inches in diameter) that I spotted during my shower the previous evening, was not venomous.  The Arachnid display was not completely reassuring, however, as I found out that not all specimens in the museum are "preserved".  It just happened that a live scorpion scurried by as we were observing the labeled arachnids.  Ismael tells me not to worry - while the sting would be painful, it's not deadly. I appreciate the advice, but I prefer a visit to the museum with dead insects!

Will checks out some of the original collection...
moments after our scorpion encounter

Spider Monkeys at Punta Laguna

On our first full day in Nuevo Durango, we rent bikes and head toward the most visited nearby attraction: the conserved jungle at Punta Laguna. On the ride there, the landscape is a patchwork of agriculture (including one of Nuevo Durango's milpas), small towns, and forest. At Tres Reyes, a long mural promoting environmental education and care for the planet stands between the main road and the town. Nice!

"Whoever takes care of the environment demonstrates a
great education. Don't litter!" We agree.

The lake from which Punta Laguna
derives its name. After the morning
of jungle trekking, I took a swim.

Arriving at the reserve, we meet our guide, Agosto, who takes us into a small museum near the head of the trail into the jungle. He explains that there are two types of monkeys found in the jungle here: howler monkeys and the main attraction, spider monkeys. Because the area at Punta Laguna is only a small part of a larger nature reserve called Otoch Ma'ax Yetel Kooh, many of the monkeys only occasionally pass through. However, a group of 25 or so spider monkeys can generally be found nearby. These social monkeys have a strict dominance hierarchy but often separate into smaller groups or forage individually. Pointing to large photos of individual spider monkeys, Agosto calls them by names like Tula and Juan, explaining that a research study he helped with required the identification of individual monkeys.

The reserve's English translation (from Maya):
The house of the monkey and Jaguar. 

One of the largest chaca trees
seen yet!

In the museum, Agosto also explains the origins of the reserve and associated villages. Initially, the villages were chicle camps. Chicle, or chewing gum, originally came from extraction of gum from trees such as the sapote, Manilkara sapote, a native of the Yucatan. The area around Punta Laguna once had an abundance of sapote trees, and beginning in the 1930s several villages came into being because of chicle production. Eventually, chicle production died out due to declining tree populations and synthetic alternatives. By the 1980s, however, the people of Punta Laguna realized that an ecological reserve comprising the jungle surrounding their villages could help revive a viable economy. Among these original chicle extractors-turned-conservationists was Agosto's grandfather.

You can make out the zigzag cuts in the sapote tree
for extracting chicle. This is no longer done here.

Long before the 20th-century chicle extracting villages,
there were the ancient Maya.
These ruins are associated with nearby ruins at  Coba.

Entering the jungle, one of the first things I notice is the size of the trees- these are much larger than what seems typical for the area. This forest is older and more mature than most of the surrounding woods. The next day, Marco, a resident of Nuevo Durango, tells us that he remembers the trees around the pueblo were once much larger and supported a population of spider monkeys. Hurricane Gilbert, in 1988, however, destroyed most of the largest trees and drove the spider monkeys out.

Make a tea with the leaves of the guarumbo and whatever
your ailment, odds are you'll feel better.

When we ask Agosto if he knows much about the plants of the jungle, he tells us that he learned some things about medicinal plants from his grandfather. For example, the herbaceous contrayerba (Dorstenia contrayerva) is an antidote for venomous snake bites. Agosto also is very knowledgeable about the forests' flora in general. He points out the huano palms (chiit, in Maya) used to make the thatch roofs (including ours back in Nuevo Durango) traditional to the area. Agosto describes some of the medicinal uses of the guarumbo tree  (Cesropia obtusifolia). He tells us how in May, the spider monkeys come to the tallest trees in the jungle, Pich trees (Enterolobium cyclocarpum) to enjoy their annual fruits. And he shows us the trees where we will eventually find spider monkeys- the ramón (Brosimun alicastrum), also beloved by Manuel's deer.

Where did all the leaves go? The ants got 'em.

Of course, the jungle being what it is, the fauna we encounter are not limited to monkeys. Among the most prominent are the huge morpho butterflies, in blue and coffee varieties. Other insects include the mound building Leaf-cutter ants. Among many varieties of birds, the beautiful iridescent Ocellated Turkeys foraging on the jungle floor are the most memorable, not least because they are endemic to the Yucatan. While we see no large cats like the like the locally endangered ocelots and jaguars, in the museum we do see the bones of a howler monkey, which Agosto tells us was killed by an ocelot (which, unlike the larger jaguar, are agile enough to climb trees). Agosto also assures us that remote cameras have detected the wild cats at night.

A cafe morpho. The larger blue ones seem to
never rest for photo ops.

Lurking in the shadows, the most beautiful
turkey I ever did see. 

But the spider monkeys are the biggest draw to Punta Laguna, and we were not among the unfortunate who leave without a sighting. Walking through the jungle, Agosto occasionally stops, cups his hands around his mouth, calls the monkeys, pauses briefly, and quickly moves on (see video at bottom). Agosto tells us that monkeys often congregate near a depression filled with water here. He asks us to wait while he briefly walks off to attempt to track the monkeys. Before long, he returns and tell us that he hears something coming from the opposite direction. We follow the sound. I spot the giant spider monkey near the top of the canopy first, not expecting something so large. Soon, the monkey leaps away from the path, and we follow.

Yes, that's a spider monkey. Nice shot, Jenny!

Later I notice that when moving from tree to tree, the monkey appears to fall before regaining composure, either with limb or prehensile tail. Too interested and busy with my binoculars to take a photo (our only shot comes from Jenny), I notice, on Agosto's prompting, that we are actually watching two monkeys- a mother and child on her back, moving at high speeds at the top of the canopy, only occasionally stopping to forage for food. Later we spot another mother-child pair, doing much the same- leaping 10 or 15 feet through midair, eating a few ramon leaves, and leaping again. Interesting take on childcare.

Manuel de los Venados

Mother deer with her fawn

Manuel Poot Hau never realized how his life would change when Hurricane Wilma swept through his pueblo of Nuevo Durango in 2005.  As a result of the fierce storms, many wild animals, like ocelots, began to emerge from the jungle and torment the town's chicken population.  He built several enclosures and captured the animals, which solved the problem until the National Environmental Protection Agency (PROFEPA) arrived to tell him his was not licensed to keep such animals and removed them.  However, another opportunity was presented to him: he could complete paperwork and become a registered sanctuary for White Tail Deer, which is a protected species in the region.

Seven years later, Manuel's property has blossomed into a wildlife sanctuary and farming project.  Children and adults come to admire his community of deer, which has grown to more than twenty.  He hopes to instill in them a love for wildlife and an awareness of the beauty of the deer, which is still a hunted species.  "Even the men in the town who hunt will sometimes come here and see the baby deer with his mom and then they will understand the animal more, feel a connection"  he explains.    
Sometimes individuals will come to Manuel to buy a deer.  He makes sure that each buyer has a reputable nature sanctuary for the animal and they are not just buying it for food.

Mucuna seeds saved from earlier in the season

Manuel with pineapples grown from his grandmother's seeds

Just beyond the deer enclosures, Manuel has an extensive garden, which includes many native species of both medicinal and edible plants.  He shows us a field of pineapples, which are a heritage variety that was cultivated by his grandmother more than 46 years ago.  Each year, she saved the seeds and eventually passed them on to Manuel.  There's a large avocado tree, three types of corn, and several varieties of sweet potato.  Manuel is also growing a type of Mucuna, a legume whose pods will help produce a rich compost.  Nearby, Manuel points our a Dzidzilche tree which he has planted.  In less than a year, it will be covered with thousands of white flowers and is known to produce some of the best honey in the world.  Nearby, Manuel's  beehives are buzzing.      

Watering system on a young Ramon

In a field behind the property, Manuel has planted 3,600 Ramon trees (breadnut).  The small orange fruit tastes somewhat sour.  The seed inside can be  ground and used to make bread or a type of porridge.  He shows us an irrigation system that is created by nesting a smaller plastic bottle inside of a larger one.  When the water heats up, it evaporates and condenses, eventually dripping on the soil.  The best part of this system, it's free and recycles plastic bottles!  Manuel uses this system in many parts of his garden, including his Ramon field.  One morning, he found that nearly all of the bottles had been removed, likely by a mischievous coati, an animal related to the raccoon.

Recycling Station

In the middle of Manuel's garden, is a large newly-constructed cistern which will collect all of the rainwater that falls on the property.  In this way, he will be able to water his crops year-round.  "Things aren't the way they used to be.  At the beginning of each year, the elders used to know very well when it was going to rain and how much.  Now, not even the TV broadcast can predict the weather for the next three days."  Manuel told us.  He watched his grandfather save water in recycled rain barrels for years.  His cistern is a much more modern, efficiently-designed system based upon the same principle:  water means life for his plants and food for his family.  Nearby, a large pig grunts.  The pig will be Manuel's gift to Nuevo Durango in December when the entire village celebrates the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Water Collection System

Manuel's Pig for December 12th

               Seed Starting Trays

Closer to his house, Manuel has several raised beds, where he grows herbs, peppers, and tomatoes.   Several habanero peppers are ripe and ready for harvesting.  Small trays in the shade of the bananas house newly germinating seeds.  As we leave Manuel's, we make plans to go together tomorrow to a permaculture project, about an hour away in Chichimila.  In addition to caring for his deer and running a large farm, Manuel is a "taxi driver" when his friends and neighbors need him.  Never a moment to rest for Manuel in Nuevo Durango!

Walking back to town with our guide, Jose