Hacienda Chichenoffers
a soulful Maya eco-cultural experience you should not miss. This
eco-hotel is a Colonial historic landmark located in Chichen Itza,
Yucatan, Mexico. This hotel has won many International recognitions
and awards for its genuine commitment to green living wellness and
sustainable practices.
Its owners and staff keep improving with great environmental
care, this love boutique hotel preserving its
Maya
and
Colonial cultural heritage in
addition to protecting Yucatan's wildlife:
flora
and
fauna.
Hacienda Chichen has a very low construction density, dedicating less
than 0.5% to constructed areas within the
300 hectares of privately own
property land which includes some of the Maya temples denominated “Old
Chichen,” currently under study and reconstruction directed by INAH,
Mexico’s National Institute of Archaeology and History. The vast virgin
land that the Hacienda Chichen owns has a unique topography and is
carefully guarded by Mr. Bruce Gordon, our Environment Manager and
director of our conservation programs to protect the flora and fauna
habitat; he designated over 80 acres of the land to a
Maya Jungle
Private Reserve, home to multiple species of native flora and fauna,
including
150 different bird species nesting in our
Bird Refuge and
jungle gardens. View our article
Yucatan Wildlife, a beautiful
collection of animal photos and information onYucatan's
endemic fauna
(indigenous animals to the Yucatan Peninsula) found at our
Maya Neo-Tropical jungle, their
flora habitat,
is our care.
Building
Practices:
The
Hacienda Chichen was built by the Spanish Conquistadors
using stones
from a Maya temple during the 16th Century, a unique historic
recycling fact. Since then, recycled building materials have been used
whenever possible; during the early 2000s, remodeling periods,
we even reclaimed more than a few old furniture pieces as part of our
love for responsible choices and to reinforce the hotel’s
Colonial
ambiance and
cottage room charm. This environmental friendly practice has enhanced our
appreciation for beauty and grace even in old recycled and reclaimed
materials, and has allowed us to reduce the range of trade-offs and
waste commonly found in remodeling projects. Due to the
Colonial
importance of the Hacienda and its
historic cottages, built during the
1920s to house the first Maya Archaeology Expedition sponsored by the
Carnegie Institute,
unique maintenance needs are cater
with utmost consciousness in order to reduce waste.
Historic guestrooms such as Dr.
Sylvannus G.
Morley have additional building
maintenance care and historic value. Guests are encourage to review
each
archeologist biography and cottage
as part of the cultural heritage and unique history of this beautiful green spa resort
dedicated to Sustainable Tourism in Yucatan, Mexico.
Water
Resources and Conservation:
Yucatan’s fresh water supply is primarily found underground and
cenotes; the damage
caused by toxic waste, oils, and improper septic practices has increased
in recent years within this region. According to many scientific studies
and the
United Nations, shortage of clean water is one of the most
serious challenges facing the world this millennium. Hacienda Chichen
owners and administration have taken great care to protect the hotel’s
underground fresh water well reserves from pollutants and other damaging
agents. We monitor our water sources purity levels and continually
improve our pluming net to reduce water waste. A water filter has
been installed to ensure in-house pure water supply. The hotel's
swimming pool was totally remodeled Ago. 2015; now it uses no harmful chemicals such as chlorine, but
environmental safe sea salt purification system based on cutting
edge technology. Pool is filled with cenote waters a wellness
plus for all guests, specially does with sensitive skin!
Water
Recycling:
We recycle all of our waste-water biologically and through man-made
wetlands. The gray waters (laundry, showers, and washbasin) go to a
biological filtered tank - this filtered water is then used to water our
gardens. The black waters (W.C.) are pumped to our bacteria biodegrading
tanks and organic recycling system - then sediments and organic waste
are used as fertilizers for our gardens and compost pile. The greasy
waters of the kitchens have special grease traps and filters with sand,
gravel, stone and bacteria - this water, once filtered, is used in our
natural rejoyadas
(natural sink holes with unique
micro-environments) and jungle habitat.
Waste Recycling:
The huge amounts of waste produced by tourism in this region are
detrimental to the environment. A large part of the waste goes into
landfills, which uses up large areas of land and also leads to pollution
from methane production, which is a greenhouse gas. The best solution is
to reduce waste of this nature; we are currently making our guests and
staff aware of this challenge, encouraging the use of glass pitchers of
water in restaurants and rooms, in an effort to reduce plastic water
bottles and other “disposable” non-organic waste. Hacienda Chichen
waste recycling and proper hotel waste management is and example of
high standards to the hotel industry in Yucatan.
Until there is a well managed plastic recycling system in this region,
Hacienda Chichen is choosing to decrease the use of plastic water
bottles as much as our guests allow. You may request us a water jar at your
bed side with purified drinking water as a courtesy of ours to help you
relax when drinking water; you will also find one chilled water bottle
in our rooms’ mini-bar at a small charge, which we hope you do not feel
the need to buy.
Energy
Efficiency:.
Energy savings are
one of the most important environmental actions we all can choose to
help reduce the damage cause by our lifestyle and habits. Carbon dioxide
is the chief contributor to the man-made greenhouse effect. Hacienda
Chichen encourages its staff and guests to use energy in a green responsible
manner within the
rooms and property. The hotel encourages guests to use
energy
saving choices, requesting simple habits to turn off room
lights and setting the room’s air-condition unit in a green responsible
manner, never leaving the room with the unit on, to reduce its impact of
global warming. Most of staff rides bicycles to work rather than their
motorcycles or cars, and the hotel encourage this practice for green
earth and personal healthy reasons.
Wildlife Protection and Reforestation:
As previously mentioned, Mr. Bruce Gordon directs all the
Nature & Wildlife Conservation, and Reforestation programs at the Hacienda Chichen
property. Under his direction, the Hacienda Chichen is
committed to taking active measures to preserve, conserve, and
enrich the flora and fauna habitats, aiming to increase diversity
and protect the habitat of
endemic wildlife. His responsible actions have stopped the
illegal hunters of white deer and other endangered
animal species
(fauna) for entering
the property; thus, increasing the safety of many
endangered endemic
species in the region, including families of kinkajous, oscillated
turkeys, and white tail deer. Mr. Gordon and his forest-guards
have planted over 2,500 indigenous hardwood trees
in the property and
reclaimed over 80 acres of unauthorized farmed land. This green hacienda
hotel also created a
Bird Refuge Sanctuary
where 157 and more bird species find safety all year.
Since 2003, the
Hacienda Chichen has taken special care to increase the
wild Maya medicinal plants and herbs used by native
Maya healers and regional
Mayan communities. To expand the awareness of Maya traditional holistic
healing methods and the benefits of such practices, we are currently
training local females in the art of
Maya herbal healing and will
introduce our first products in 2007 to the general public. All
herbal
Mayan products will be produced with our own organically grown
ingredients and the wild herbs found in our
Maya Jungle Reserve, a
percentage of the profit will be dedicated to sustain this project and
the training workshops offered freely to those local females the Elder
Maya Healers deem fit.
Maya
Culture, Our Commitment:
In December 2006, the Hacienda Chichen dedicated over 10,000 meters of
land to be the sacred grounds for the Maya Priests and Elder Healers,
members of the non-profit organization
Kuch Kaab Yéetel J-Men
Maaya’ob, A.C. The main mission and vision of these organized Maya
Priests and Elder Healers is to restore the
Maya Calendar
rituals and
ceremonies, Mayan
holistic traditions,
ancient
Mayan legends, cultural legacy and
to preserve their healing traditions an valuable legacy and unique cultural heritage.
J-Men organize various cultural and
spiritual activities, educational workshops, sacred ceremonies, and
informative lectures to develop general awareness of their ancestral
values and practices. Their contribution to the conservation of the
Maya Culture enriches the local community and visitors alike; Hacienda
Chichen is proud to contribute and sponsor many of their projects and
endeavors in an effort to increase the opportunities available to them
and the experiences of those that value the
Maya Civilization as a
whole.
Local
support: social commitment:
Hacienda Chichen Resort employs 99%
Maya people and locals at all levels
of our administration, this includes many of our managers, the
Executive
Chef, head of departments, and other relevant positions in our
organization. A portion of our profit is dedicated to training our staff
in-house for higher level positions within our organization; this
practice directly benefits nearby
Mayan communities.
Working with local people, Hacienda Chichen open in 2005
Yaxkin Spa, a
holistic Spa were Mayan traditional healing practices, native herbal
medicinal remedies, and other organic elements are used to purify and
renew the energy in each of person in communion with nature.
The Hacienda Chichen's
social volunteer workshop and
alternative job training programs were established
in 2004, inspired by the drastic increase in illegal tree-cutting within
the property and the vast deforestation of mature
trees
used to make
hand-carved, wooden souvenirs sold on the tourist routes to Chichen Itza
and within the
archaeological zone. To minimize the negative
impact of this activity, Hacienda Chichen has designated an area to
plant mainly
vorite tree of the illegal
wood-carvers. Other sustainable tourism workshops and job training programs are geared
towards providing our staff with the means to earn additional income
without negatively impacting their surroundings or community. In
2005, the Hacienda Chichen was a member of the
Annual Bird Festival in
Yucatan and sponsored members of its staff to become local bird-watching
guides and encouraged local families to protect and value the
natural
habitat of our land and nearby areas. The
bird-watching guides have committed
to an eco-vision protecting flora and and the
bird refuge habitat this
new eco-vision has expanded to protect many hunted
wildlife mammals
and stop the killing of
reptiles,
insects, and
other creatures.
Local
organic products support:
Our staff is welcomed to benefit from the wild honey found in our
property, as well as from the traditional
Maya medicine herbs
found in
our Nature trails and other richness of the land as long as their
activities do not destroy the delicate nature of the habitat. During
2007, Mr. Gordon and his forest-guards will start a program for organic,
pure honey production and
bee-hives in the property.
Our senior retired staff member and local farmer, Filomeno, designed in
2003 and still caters the Hacienda Chichen’s organic food production in
our own backyard. Chef Josue Cime teaches
Gourmet Fusion and Maya Cuisine at
the hotel using such
fresh organic fruits and vegetables; view our
Mayan cooking and free
Mayan recipes article. Guests can come and stroll each morning for a visit
to our Organic Gardens to hear Filomeno's soft Maya lyrics and ask
him tips on how
to grow better fruits and vegetables in your own backyard.
Purchasing policy:
Hacienda Chichen purchasing policies focus on using products that have
minimal impact on the environment. All our cleaning supplies are
bio-degradable and have low environment impact. We purchase local
products, and organically grown food products in the region using a high
standard of health and quality criteria.
Proud of the
beautiful traditional arts and crafts of the Maya people,
we buy all our new décor items directly from Mayan communities; this
contributes to the conservation of native, traditional arts and crafts
skills while increasing their income opportunities.
The
result of our commitment practices:
Our social responsible vision benefits us all, by creating an
share understanding among travelers, native Mayans, and nature: a
genuine “family feeling”. Guests learn to appreciate
the
mystical aspects of the Maya
culture and have the
opportunity to share their own traditions with the staff;
thus, increasing the natural joy of learning about each other; this
interaction enriches the local community at the same time that the
community enriches the visitors’ cultural experience and knowledge.
There are plenty of ways you can support
and help the communities you visit,
ask us about small useful gifts
that you could pack to support local communities and other
projects. Your support is highly appreciated; you can help by buying
at Toh Boutique Mayan Art-crafts or by making a donation to support The Maya Foundation In Láakeech A.C. social and ecological programs. If you wish to
be involved in
MFIL volunteer work, please read our
volunteer FAQ
article.
This lovely Green Boutique Hacienda hotel is dedicated to
Mayan Eco-Spa Resort supports true Sustainable Tourism in the
Yucatan, offering guests a variety of native eco-cultural activities since 2003, when Mr. Bruce
Gordon and Mrs. Belisa Barbachano took over its operation converting
this lovely Colonial hacienda in Yucatan'sbest
Green Spa
Jungle Resort
and Holistic Mayan Eco-Paradise:
www.haciendachichen.com
Pet lovers!
Hacienda Chichen has become a Pet-Friendly Hotel so ask their
Reservation Staff via email:
info@haciendachichen.com
about their pet-booking policies.
How to get to Hacienda Chichen Resort
and Yaxkin
Spa
Easy driving directions to Chichen Itza, Yucatan,
Mexico.
Yucatan Adventure &
Hacienda Chichen proudly
support the social programs of
THE MAYA FOUNDATION IN LÁAKEECH
Indeed, our NGO volunteer staff and former guests have witness how the
Hacienda Chichen Resortand Yaxkin Spaexercise well organized efforts in their operation and administration to
make positive contributions directly related to the environment:
flora and
fauna, native
Maya cultural traditions, and support the local-community welfare in
rural Mayan towns such as
Xcalacoop.
We highly recommend to you
Hacienda Chichen Resort as a Top Green boutique hotel committed to
a Sustainable Travel and Eco-Spa Resort quality hotel, the top one
among Yucatan's haciendas.
Visit
Chichen Services Mayan Green Vacations
and book one of their great vacations.
Hacienda Chichen Resort a Maya Paradise for those
that love Mother Nature
