TIERRA MAYA
From the Heart of the Jungle
The Bees
Sacred Melipona honey
The Chocolate
Ceremonial cacao ritual
The Fire
Traditional jungle cooking
The Craft
Ancient tools & techniques
Let us show you something special.
It's in the jungle. And it's for small groups
Most people come to Cozumel for the beach.
And that's great — the water here is ridiculous. That blue doesn't even look real.
But there's something else here. Something most visitors never see.
It's not on the shore. It's not in a resort. It's past the tourist zone, through the neighborhoods, into the jungle.
It's a small cultural preserve about 15 minutes from the cruise port.
No gift shop. No crowds. No performances.
Just bees, chocolate, fire, and a few people who still know how to do things the old way.
The Experience
You'll taste honey most people never will, grind chocolate the ancient way, cook over open fire, and leave with something you made yourself.
Sacred Honey
Meet our Melipona bees and taste honey that's been treasured for 3,000 years. They won't sting you—they can't.
Ceremonial Cacao
Grind roasted cacao beans on volcanic stone using ancient tools. Blend it with honey and spices, then drink it like the Maya did.
Ancient Tools
Use the same volcanic stone tools—metate, molcajete, comal—that have been used here for over many years. Same stone. Same motion.
Jungle Fire
Roast chilies and tomatoes over open flame. Press fresh tortillas by hand. Cook with fire, stone, and tradition.z
THE FIRE
We have an open-air jungle kitchen. No electricity. No gas stoves. Just fire, stone, and fresh ingredients. You'll roast chilies over open flame. Press fresh tortillas by hand. Watch them puff on the hot comal. Then you'll eat what you made. Right there. In the jungle. Fair warning: store-bought tortillas will never taste the same again.
Here's what happens.
THE TOOLS MATTER..
The Metate. The Molcajete. The Tortilla Press. The Comal. These are volcanic stone tools that have been used here for over 3,000 years. These aren't antiques in a museum. You'll use them. You'll grind cacao on the same stone someone used a thousand years ago. Same motion. Same result. That's not a gimmick. That's continuity.
THE HONEY
They're called Melipona. Stingless bees. The Maya considered them sacred—messengers between this world and the next. Their honey is different. Thinner, more floral, almost tangy. You'll meet them up close. They can't sting you. And you'll taste honey that people have been treasuring for millennia. This isn't a zoo. It's conservation you can touch.
THE CHOCOLATE
Not the sweet kind you're thinking of. This is ceremonial cacao—bitter, earthy, intense. You'll grind roasted cacao beans yourself using a molcajete, a volcanic stone mortar. The rhythm is slow. The smell fills the air. Then you'll blend it with sacred honey, chili, or cinnamon. It doesn't taste like a chocolate bar. It tastes like the land.”
WHAT WE PROTECT
The recipes. Zik'il P'aak. Ceremonial cacao prepared the ancient way. Techniques that exist in the hands of fewer people every year.
The tools. The metate. The molcajete. The tortilla press. The comal. Volcanic stone tools used for over 3,000 years. You'll use them yourself.
The knowledge. How to grind cacao with intention. How to roast and crush salsa over open fire. How to press masa into tortillas. This isn't in books—it's passed person to person, hand to hand.
The ritual. Our RItual Leader, holds the space with calm presence. This isn't a performance. It's a genuine moment of connection to the land and to tradition.
The bees. We protect a small colony of Melipona—the sacred stingless bee. You'll taste their rare honey and create a beeswax candle to take home. A piece of light from the jungle.