Fundación Haciendas del Mundo Maya began in 1990 as a small business project that focused on implementing sustainable tourism, boosting the regional economy, and preserving Mayan culture. In 2002, FHMM was created with the purpose of propelling development opportunities and administering local inhabitants as advocates for their own projects. The vision of FHMM is to better the quality of life for partnered Mayan communities and to do so in a way that protects Mayan culture and the environment. Its purpose is to work with these allied communities and local businesses and to use sustainable tourism as a means to bring about community collaboration and development. FHMM recognizes that their partnered communities thrive when they are independent, sustainable, and respectful of nature and their Mayan heritage.

The goal of Fundación Haciendas del Mundo Maya is to help these entities flourish and, since its formation over a decade ago, it has expanded its activity throughout the states of Yucatán, Campeche and Quintana Roo. FHMM wholeheartedly implements SAVE’s theme of Education by connecting travelers with cooking classes, art and craft workshops, and cultural experiences that are provided by local Campeche communities, with the vision of bringing international awareness to this region of Mexico.

Pronatura is an organization whose mission is to conserve the flora and fauna of Mexico while promoting societal development in harmony with nature, believing that the Mexican people are responsible for creating a better country for its future generations. Its team consistently executes its duties with diligence and respect and uses efficient and ethical practices to achieve its goals. In order to generate conservation and restoration of Mexico’s ecosystems, Pronatura implements fairness in its practices as well, recognizing that it is important to work with vulnerable populations to help them develop their surrounding natural in a sustainable fashion.

Pronatura practices what they preach: they are environmentally efficient, consistently making an effort to reduce their carbon footprint and adapt respectful methods to each project.

Some of Pronatura’s programs include bird conservation, reforestation, and conservation education. Pronatura works alongside SAVE Campeche’s Scientific, and Educational themes, connecting travelers to biological research opportunities, wildlife sanctuaries, animal tracking, and first-hand experiences in nature conservation.

SECTUR stands for the Mexican Secretary of Tourism, which is the government department that oversees the country’s tourism support and development. Through its blog, multimedia platforms, programs and alliances, this organization promotes tourist hubs with each state of Mexico and is in charge of development policy for national and international tourist experiences. SECTUR recognizes sustainable practices in conjunction with responsible tourism projects. Tourism is essential to helping communities thrive and, in Campeche especially, there is no shortage of inclusive experiences for tourists.

SECTUR promotes gastronomy, art, culture, and archaeology- all of the wonderful and memorable aspects of tourism- to promote the pure beauty and cultural depth of Campeche. Such richness includes the state’s magnificent biodiversity, deeply rooted traditions, and intriguing Mayan heritage, to attract visitors to this alluring state. SAVE Campeche travelers looking for educational experiences will surely find what they desire with the help of SECTUR. Educational activities include cooking classes, archaeological tours, craft-making lessons, birding, and enjoying traditional Campeche festivals such as the oldest carnival in Mexico. Campeche is full of unforgettable travel moments, and SECTUR is helping both fellow Mexicans and international visitors participate in experiences that are geographically close to home but seem a world away.

ECOSUR is a multidisciplinary academic center for postgraduate investigation and education, focusing on Mexico’s development and connection on its southern border. ECOSUR has a history dating back to the early 1970s, when three separate institutions were interested in the development of scientific research focusing on problems in Mexico’s south while being considerate of the indigenous communities. This lead to the formation of a program centered in biological research and development.

ECOSUR contributes to the sustainable development on the south border through a wealth of knowledge and ongoing research, implementation of human resources, and a correlation between the social and natural sciences. ECOSUR believes that research is essential for progress in equitable development to benefit vulnerable populations in the south. The only successful way to promote development is to emphasize the importance of cultural conservation, natural resources, and biological richness of the region; people working to sustain nature is essential to its success in future generations. As shown by its outstanding research opportunities, ECOSUR works hard to harmonize nature, technology, and local cultural influences in order to strengthen its academic disciplines and social development. ECOSUR connects SAVE Campeche travelers with Scientific experiences such as biodiversity conservation, biological research, and aquatic ecology.

The Autonomous University of Campeche is a public university located in San Francisco de Campeche. It was founded in 1965 as the University of the Southeast before changing to its current name in 1989. The UAC has state, national, and international links that contribute to its academic excellence and has several branch campuses in the state of Campeche. It offers associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees through accredited programs centered around continued and innovative learning. It also succeeds in promoting culture and sustainable development to not only its university, but its Campeche communities as well.

This university works hard to help those in Campeche receive a top notch education, and those opportunities are extending to international visitors as well! SAVE Campeche is excited to connect academic travelers, such as study abroad and research students, to the UAC. The university will offer classes in Mayan culture, colonial archaeology, and Spanish to SAVE Campeche students seeking a well-rounded and immersive academic experience. A Campeche study abroad opportunity is invaluable. Students will gain academic credit in pertinent courses, improve in a foreign language, become educated on a new culture, directly interact with local students and professors on a daily basis, and develop into locals themselves.

The Campeche Institute is a school in San Francisco de Campeche that offers high school and professional degrees. Founded in 1859, it has a strong history in the state’s capital and was founded on ancient principles with a modern mission. It is an exciting and unique blend of tradition and innovation and is revered as a school that provides integral education and prepares its students for specific and essential jobs and responsibilities upon graduation. The Campeche Institute’s mission is to be a state of the art academic institution recognized on a national level.

Its vision is to be socially responsible and works towards the development of art, science, and culture. Students at the institute can choose to take classes in visual arts, elementary education, social work, gastronomy, and tourism, among several others. This refreshingly modern take on a public school allows students to freely specialize in a field at a younger age, gaining necessary experience and practice that will help them when they graduate. SAVE Campeche high school travelers looking for tourism and gastronomy experiences will be connected with the Campeche Institute. These informative courses will allow them to soak in Campeche culture, Spanish language, and rigorous and inspiring academia.

The Festival de Aviturismo, or Campeche Bird Tourism Festival, is an annual birding event that takes place in the Calakmul municipality. Its mission is to promote the conservation of birds found in Campeche and to strengthen birding tourism in the area. It also advocates for bird watching and for the joy of experiencing the hundreds of species of birds in Campeche through educational courses and hands-on workshops.

Bird observation is a fascinating activity, and the Festival de Aviturismo committee and birding specialists are dedicated to providing visitors with the chance to enjoy an unforgettable experience with resident and migratory species.  SAVE Campeche travelers seeking volunteer opportunities will be linked with this organization and experience informative activities such as observations, conferences, and workshops. The Festival de Aviturismo recently celebrated its second year and is thrilled to begin preparations  for Fall 2016! What really helps this festival soar is its volunteers. Volunteer roles would include event and marketing coordinators as well as translators and interpreters, and SAVE Campeche is looking forward to connecting hard-working volunteers with this fantastic and educational organization. This festival is looking for dedicated and passionate volunteers who desire to positively contribute to this exciting annual event in Calakmul.

Koolel Kab is an ethical women-run beekeeping business in Hopelchén. The women that run Koolel Kab use ancient and organic techniques to produce honey with stingless melipona bees indigenous to the area. This local business highlights tours of the beautiful land where the bees are released, lessons and workshops on the practice of beekeeping, and a conversation with the women of Koolel Kab. Meliponiculture is the practice of working with stingless bees. Stingless bees are among the most evolved and build their nests in hollow tree trunks with small openings to protect themselves against other creatures.

This ancient practice developed long before the Europeans arrived to the Americas. The Mayans widely practiced it and, to this day, those who partake in meliponiculture respect the traditions of their ancestors. Although stingless bees produce less honey than typical honey bees, their honey is considered to be more valuable. SAVE travelers seeking scientific and educational experiences will greatly benefit from learning about meliponiculture and conversing with the women of Koolel Kab.

Maria Rosia “Chari” has been making iconic jipi hats for 46 years. Chari and her children work together to create these beautiful and functional pieces for consumers, and they offer free classes to other artisans in the community who don’t have a place to make or sell their products. For many years, the artisanal practice of the people of Bécal has been the weaving of sombreros de jipi, frequently compared to the famous Panama hats and made from different types of palm trees. Two types of palms are used for the creation of sombreros de jipi: the palma and the jipijapa. In 1800, two brothers were told about palm plantations and decided to plant jipi shrubs in the Calkiní municipality. This new plantation eventually led to the making of sombreros as the main activity for locals, providing them with years of prosperity within the hat industry. This practice expanded to other parts of Mexico and gave economies a much-needed boost. Chari learned how to create jipi hats from her parents, and she is undoubtedly an expert when it comes to creating a beautiful sombrero. Travel experiences that highlight a community’s culture and include direct involvement with local businesses is invaluable, and this SAVE opportunity is a great fit for those seeking educational and influential travel moments.

Meet Luz Angélica De la Mora, sales manager and founder of Campeche’s esteemed chocolate shop, Chocolatería De la Mora. De la Mora has been in the chocolate-making business for over nine years but has been observing the practice of making pure chocolate all her life. One of her dreams for this shop is to preserve a long-standing family tradition. Like the majority of grandmothers in Campeche, De la Mora’s grandmother made chocolate bars for the family.

Mexico has played an historical and important role in cacao and chocolate-making. Unfortunately, much of today’s chocolate is very sweet and has lost its pure cacao flavor due to an increase in mass production and a decrease in natural creation. The chocolate that Campeche grandmothers made was from pure cacao and was 100% natural, so it had immense value. For De la Mora, her business started with making chocolate just for the family, but over time it kept expanding to friends and other families in the community. What started as a small, informal hobby has grown to the established and successful business it is today. According to De la Mora, she wants to save the traditions, like chocolate-making, that gave her people its identity. SAVE Campeche travelers will benefit from learning an ancient and sustainable trade as well as savor deliciously pure chocolate.

Wotoch Aayin, also known as “the crocodile house,” is a crocodile sanctuary in Arena Island, Calkiní. Its an ecotourism center for Morelet’s crocodiles, which were considered a sacred species to the Mayans. Wotoch Aayin is a sanctuary dedicated to ecotourism and education on crocodiles. It was opened in 2006 and is run by Carlos Rivero León, responsible for the maintenance of the ecological trails and nutrition for the crocodiles, and president Romualda Caridad Gómez Gómez. What started off as a few crocodiles quickly turned to hundreds, and the reserve is now thriving! Carlos and Romualda’s goal is for travelers to become more conscious of crocodiles and swamps in their reserve.

Here you can learn more about these creatures and contribute to the conservation of their environment. In addition to biological research opportunities, this center provides nature paths and observation experiences where visitors can learn about the diverse species of flora and fauna that live in the biosphere reserve that is part of Arena Island.

Meet Mario Manuel Lizárraga Pérez, owner of La Hauchita Bakery in the Hecelchakán community. The rich history of la Panadería de Pomuch began in 1889. The bakery was named La Huachita, a term of endearment in Latin American, by Mario’s grandfather because that’s what he would call Mario’s grandmother. Bread production at La Huachita begins at 3am and is open for sale between 9am and 8pm or until the bread runs out. These bakers make all different kinds of bread, 27 varieties to be exact, and the star baker is Antonio Mex. La Huachita is a bakery with Campeche pride and tradition.

Pan de Pomuch is a delicious aspect of Campeche culture and started with Gabriel Carrasco and his wife Julia Pérez Cervera, who commercialized this bread made in a stone oven with green firewood. The generations of owners have continued into present day with Mario Manuel. In this bakery, bread is made using a traditional recipe, unchanged in its ingredients and quality. New variations of this bread, however, have been created, such as a sweet kind filled with cinnamon and anise, and a savory version filled with ham and cheese. This bakery’s mission is to continue this long-stand family tradition with responsibility and purpose.