We are honored to have been named as one of the best eco-friendly hotels in Latin America by Esquire Latinamérica's website!  Here is a translation of the snippet explaining why the Hacienda Chichen Resort & Yaxkin Spa were chosen:

"Located in the heart of the Yucatan Peninsula, this hacienda promotes connecting with the richness of the Maya culture.  One of its strong points is Yaxkin Spa, a wellness center that has been awarded the Eco-Spa Global Award.  Try one of the maya healing rituals, explore the flora and fauna that surrounds the hotel, and immerse yourself in a cenote.  The hotel is pet-friendly, so you can bring your pets along and relax together."

We are thrilled that our vision of eco-friendly travel is continuing to be promoted throughout the world.

Yaxkin Spa is proud to announce that we have recently been awarded the global honor of Eco Spa of the Year 2013 - South America by the prestigious International Hotel Network!

The International Hotel Network's researchers spoke to various individuals & organizations from across the globe, including our former clients, organizations we have worked with, and associations of which we are members.  This research was then presented to a panel of qualified individuals from the global business & hospitality communities, who shortlisted Yaxkin Spa!  We are so honored to have this accolade in recognition of all the work we do, not only for our guests, but also for our staff & community.

Cenotes are surface connections to subterranean bodies of water or springs.  Most "cenotes" or sink-holes are underground in caves, but many like the Sacred Cenote of Chichen Itza are open-air sink holes with a fully collapsed roof and great deep limestone wall reaching many feet in depth.  Most cave cenotes have clear fresh water with great visibility, while open-air cenotes generally have large blue green algae build up due to the exposure to constant sunlight.  Such blue-green algae is rich in nutrients and an excellent source of minerals, vitamins, and proteins that nourish the body as food and as skin cells protection. To read more about this blue-green algae & its skincare properties, please click here.

Cenotes are springs found in natural sinkholes that formed as natural acidic ground water seeping through the limestone bedrock’s cracks; thus, the softer rock beneath erodes creating a dome. Over hundred of years, cenotes normal water flow gets obstructed due to organic and mineral built-up; then the area becomes a dry shallow basin, which supports trees and other vegetations’ growth, these dried-stage of a cenote is known, in Yucatan, as a “Rejoyada” and houses a rich diversity of flora and fauna.  Yucatan's wildlife: mammals, birds and other reptiles, butterflies and other creatures find in cenotes and rejoyadas the perfect habitat.

The Spanish term "cenote" is derived from the Yucatec Mayan word "dz'onot", which refers to any location where ground water is accessible; in fact, no other Mayan language has a comparable term as cenotes are exclusive to the Yucatan Peninsula.  Yucatan's cenotes were the main source of fresh water for the ancient Mayans in the Lowlands and had a great significance in their religious beliefs.  Not only were cenotes associated with the Maya Underworld due to being underground to some degree or another, they were connected to the goddess Ixchel and the moon.  The blessing of cenote water during full moon ceremonies or in anticipation of a wedding are still practiced to this day by many Maya X-men, of female senior Maya healers.

The Maya Foundation In Laakeech (MFIL), who along with the Senior Maya J-Men KUCH KAAB Y'EETEL J'MEN MAAYA'OB, A.C. help Yaxkin Spa healers stay true to the ancient and contemporary Maya healing traditions, has started to revamp its efforts across social media.  Because MFIL is a volunteer-driven organization, along with its online eco-travel magazine Yucatan Adventure, we hadn't found a volunteer that would take on the task of keeping everyone up-to-date on social media until this year.  We are pleased to welcome Monica Rodriguez, with the support of a few other part-time volunteers, to the MFIL web team. Thankfully, they are taking on this very important task & we hope you will help reinforce these efforts by joining & spreading the word.

Follow the Maya Foundation In Laakeech (#MFIL) and Yucatan Adventure on:

Welcome!  We are thrilled to announce the launch of our redesigned website, with the new integration of articles pertaining to your wellness & information regarding Maya healing knowledge. This blog will allow you to subscribe via RSS Feed, so that you can stay up to date on what is coming up at Yaxkin Spa.

We encourage you to follow us on our various social media outlets: